Football: Fenerbahce beat Sturm Graz in Europa League
Istanbul side draw 1-1 at home to eliminate Austrian opponents, move on to play-off rounds
Football players of Fenerbahce greet their fans after their victory at the end of UEFA Europa League third qualifying round 2nd leg match between Fenerbahce and Sturm Graz at Ulker Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on August 03, 2017. ( Oktay Çilesiz - Anadolu Agency )
Ankara
By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
Fenerbahce have eliminated Sturm Graz 3-2 on aggregate in the two sides' UEFA Europa League third qualifying round match in Istanbul on Thursday.
The Yellow Canaries managed to draw 1-1 at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, moving on to the play-off round in the second-tier European club competition.
Fenerbahce found the first goal of the match in 32nd minute, when two new signings connected swiftly to deliver a header. Mathieu Valbuena assisted with the cross to Nabil Dirar who put Fenerbahce 1-0 up.
The second half saw a much more resilient Sturm Graz side as the Austrian club equalized in the 66th minute. Philipp Huspek calmly finished with a low driven shot, beating goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.
Fenerbahce held on for the remainder of the match, moving on to the play-off round.
The play-off draw will be held on Friday at 1100GMT.
