Turkish side Fenerbahce and Lyon from France played to a goalless draw in a UEFA Europa League clash Thursday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Lyon's midfielder Malick Fofana suffered an injury in the 43rd minute and had to leave the match. French forward Alexandre Lacazette came on as his replacement.
The match took a controversial turn in the closing minutes of the first half when Moussa Niakhate was shown a red card for a late challenge on Fenerbahce’s Irfan Can Kahveci. But after a VAR review, the referee downgraded the decision to a yellow card.
The second half started fast when Fenerbahce thought they took the lead in the 55th minute when Youssef En-Nesyri scored from close range.
The goal was disallowed, however, after the referee ruled that the 27-year-old Moroccan striker had played the ball with his hands.
In the 72nd minute, Fenerbahce's Sofyan Amrabat received a yellow card, followed by Bright Osayi-Samuel in the 87th minute, resulting in both players being suspended for the next match.
The Istanbul team increased its points to 9 with the result, ahead of their final week match against the Danish side Midtjylland. Lyon, despite having 14 points in seven matches, plans for a top-eight finish for Fenerbahce may be affected by the setback.
Other results Thursday:
AZ Alkmaar - Roma: 1 - 0
Hoffenheim - Tottenham Hotspur: 2 - 3
Porto - Olympiakos: 0 - 1
Viktoria Plzen - Anderlecht : 2 - 0
Bodo Glimt - Maccabi Tel-Aviv: 3 - 1
Qarabag - FSCB: 2 - 3
Malmo - Twente: 2 – 3
