Fenerbahce ease to comfortable victory over AEL Limassol in Europa League
Last Updated: November 8, 2012 8:52pm
Michalis Konstantinou in action for AEL
Fenerbahce are almost assured of reaching the Europa League knockout stages following a comfortable 2-0 home win against 10-man AEL Limassol.
First-half goals from Dirk Kuyt and Moussa Sow ensured the hosts were able to coast to victory in Group C of the Europa League as summer signing Raul Meireles returned to the first team.
Meireles had been out of action for a month with a thigh injury picked up on international duty and hardly needed to break sweat as he played 83 minutes of a win that leaves Fener needing just a point from their final two games to progress.
Defeat almost certainly eliminated AEL whose night was soured further with a straight red card for Edwin Ouon - the scorer of their only goal in the group so far - following his professional foul on Sow with 20 minutes left.
Fener took 11 minutes to take the lead thanks to some quick thinking from Kuyt.
A poor Cristian Baroni corner was mis-kicked by Gokhan Gonul at the near post but Kuyt was quickest to react to the loose ball.
The Holland international nipped in just as Matias Degra was about to gather before rounding the goalkeeper and turning the ball in.
Controlled
Fener controlled the half from then on with Baroni fizzing a 25-yard free-kick wide before Sow tested Degra from the edge of the area.
AEL, who lost their only other away date so far 5-1 at Marseille, managed only an off-target Michalis Konstantinou header before they went 2-0 behind just before half-time.
Sow curled in an unstoppable finish after Baroni helped Gonul's cross on with a clever backheel.
Fener continued to dominate after the break as Degra parried a Miroslav Stoch drive before AEL's hopes were effectively ended when Ouon was given a straight red card for his foul on Sow.
The hosts failed to find a third, with Sow hitting the post late on, but it mattered not as they went five points clear of the chasing pack in Group C.
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Matches
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Europa League
Thu 8th Nov - Group A
Thu 8th Nov - Group H
Thu 8th Nov - Group D
Thu 8th Nov - Group C
Thu 8th Nov - Group B
Thu 8th Nov - Group E
Thu 8th Nov - Group F
Thu 8th Nov - Group L
Thu 8th Nov - Group K
Thu 8th Nov - Group J
Thu 8th Nov - Group I
Thu 8th Nov - Group G
Tables
Europa League Group A
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 10 |
| 2 | Anzhi Makhachkala | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | BSC Young Boys Bern | 6 | 10 |
| 4 | Udinese | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group B
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Viktoria Plzen | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 12 |
| 3 | Academica | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Hapoel Tel-Aviv | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group C
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenerbahce | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Borussia Monchengladbach | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Marseille | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | AEL | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group D
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bordeaux | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Maritimo | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Club Brugge | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group E
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Steaua Bucuresti | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | Stuttgart | 6 | 8 |
| 3 | FC Copenhagen | 6 | 8 |
| 4 | Molde | 6 | 6 |
Europa League Group F
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dnipro | 6 | 15 |
| 2 | Napoli | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | PSV Eindhoven | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | AIK | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group G
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genk | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Basel | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Videoton FC Fehervar | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Sporting Lisbon | 6 | 5 |
Europa League Group H
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rubin Kazan | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Inter Milan | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Partizan Belgrade | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | FC Neftchi | 6 | 3 |
Europa League Group I
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Sparta Prague | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Athletic Bilbao | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Hapoel Kiryat Shmona | 6 | 2 |
Europa League Group J
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lazio | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Maribor | 6 | 4 |
Europa League Group K
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metalist Kharkiv | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 13 |
| 3 | Rosenborg | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Rapid Vienna | 6 | 3 |
Europa League Group L
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hannover 96 | 6 | 12 |
| 2 | Levante | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Helsingborgs IF | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | FC Twente | 6 | 4 |
