Fenerbahce 1, Inter 0... What more can anyone say?

Fenerbahce 1, Inter 0... What more can anyone say?
By Ozgur R. Nazilli

A dream start for Fenerbahce. Even UEFA.com had to admit that "Fenerbahçe's showing could well have been enough to overcome the full-strength Italian title-holders". So the biggest authority in the Champions League kills the idea that "Fenerbahce won because Inter was missing so many players" before it has time to plant its seeds of doubt.

Fenerbahce played excellent futbol, from the first minute to the last, period. There might have been a few periods where they seemed to lose control and almost succumb to self-doubt, but with some considerable help from Roberto Carlos' 108 Champions League games experience, Fener players pulled themselves together and managed to send Inter back to Italy empty handed. And it really was some display, considering that even though Internazionale was missing a lot of defenders, they had a full attacking squad with the likes of Ibrahimovic, Suazo, Crespo, Stankovic and Figo. A flawless display from the back duo Edu and Lugano, supported by Onder and Roberto Carlos kept Inter at bay, and ensured the 1-0 victory.

And what a goal that was! I have been watching Fenerbahce for years now, but that was easily one of the top 10 goals of all time. Carlos, with one of his countless fast-breaks on the left wing, passed the ball to Kezman in front of the penalty area, THEN pointed where he should pass to Kezman. The ball found Alex on the right side thanks to Kezman's pass navigated by Roberto Carlos, Alex "broke the defender's back" as we say in Turkish with such a move that the Inter defender fell on his back trying to keep up with him, then Alex sent it a bit back towards the penalty spot with a long pass, where it was volleyed with a fierce shot passed the goalkeeper by Deivid. In short, it "the" best goal of Fenerbahce so far this season, with a perfect organization, topped by excellent displays from Alex and Deivid. It was a sight to behold.

Not one player was lagging behind on Fenerbahce and all the players were fighting with everything they had for the 3 points today. One of the defining moments of the game was when Figo, an international legend, took the free-kick from the right side and it was deflected back by Roberto Carlos, another international legend. This, in this match, showed how far Fenerbahce has progressed on the way to becoming an international giant. We are not there yet, but every year that passes takes us a step closer to that goal.

We are at a 3 game winning run so far in the European games, and hopefully, Fenerbahce will continue this pattern in October against CSKA Moscow. I would like to thank everyone, both on and off the pitch, for letting us watch such a fine performance by Fenerbahce. Congratulations Fenerbahce!

(photo courtesy of www.antu.com. Even though I do not normally use pictures from non-media sources, this picture shows everything that was right with today's game. Faith, motivation, ambition. It was all on the field today, and Deivid in this picture, with his shirt wet from sweat, his hand gesture, and his facial expression, is a living proof of it. The photo can be clicked on to get a better view.)