Fenerbahce, Shakhtar Donetsk Draw 1-1

Fenerbahce, Shakhtar Donetsk Draw 1-1

By Nathan L. Redd

The Roberto Carlos era began in Kadikoy with a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk equalized with a late goal from Oleksandr Gladkyy, deflating the fans a bit hoping for a win in Carlos's first game.

Ugur Boral put the home side in front in the 69th minute with a long shot past Shakhtar goalkeeper Shutkov Dmytro. Shutkov had been in the game only five minutes, having replaced starter Shust Bohdan. Fenerbahce could not hold the lead, however, as Shakhtar's Oleksandr Gladkyy sent the ball past Serdar Kulbilge to tie the game at 1-1 in the 88th minute. Oleksandr has been on a roll lately, winning "Man of the Match" honors in Shakhtar's previous 3-0 league win over Zorya.

Zico went with a starting eleven of Serdar Kulbilge, Mateja Kezman, Mehmet Aurelio, Onder Turaci, Can Arat, Edu Dracena, Semih Senturk, Roberto Carlos, Deivid de Souza, Deniz Baris, and Uğur Boral. Ali Bilgin, Gokhan Gonul, Vederson, Colin Kazim-Richards, Ilhan Parlak, Selcuk Sahin, and Kemal Aslan all entered the game as reserves.

The game was the last friendly for Fenerbahce, as they now turn their attention to next weekend's Super Cup game vs. rivals Besiktas. That game will be played at 21:00 (2 PM EST in the U.S.) in Cologne, Germany on Sunday, August 5th.

(Photo courtesy of Fenerbahce.org)