Two weeks after beating Dinamo 1948 Bucharest 4-1 in their Europa League Group F match in İstanbul, the Galatasaray Lions completed unfinished business by drubbing Dinamo 3-0 in Bucharest and marched majestically into the round of 32 with a commanding 7-1 aggregate. The Fenerbahçe Canaries, who beat Steaua 1-0 in Bucharest a fortnight ago, were not as merciless. Nevertheless they still trounced Steaua 3-1 at the FB Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in İstanbul for a 4-1 aggregate victory. The Canaries are not through yet, but they have one foot in the last 32.
In the match played behind closed doors in Bucharest, Aussie winger Harry Kewell opened the scoring for the Lions in the 22nd minute, scoring this time with the right. For the record: Kewell is used to scoring with the left foot.
Congo striker Shabani Christophe Nonda doubled the score for the Lions one minute later with a header goal, and sweeper Mehmet “the Spider” Topal found the back of the net with a powerful shot in the 55th to put the game beyond reach.
In İstanbul, the Fenerbahçe Canaries continued their winning ways in Europa League Group H.
Goals from Brazilian trio Andre Santos in the 13th, Bilica, 51st, and captain-playmaker Alex De Souza, 66th, gave the Canaries a well-deserved victory over Steaua and put them within points of a berth in the next round. Steaua’s consolation goal was scored by Pantelis Kapetanos in the 36th.
