Football: Fenerbahce beat Strum Graz in Europa League

Istanbul side draw 1-1 at home to eliminate Austrian opponents, move on to play-off rounds

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Fenerbahce have eliminated Strum 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 Strum 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.

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