Football: Krasnodar defeat Fenerbahce in Europa League

Russian side holds on to early lead

KRASNODAR, Russia (AA) - Krasnodar defeated Istanbul’s Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

The match in the 34,000-seater Krasnodar Stadium got the home fans going early as midfielder Viktor Claesson scored a header on only the fourth minute, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.

Krasnodar found a chance in the 38th minute to stretch their lead to two, but Vyacheslav Podberezkin's volley was saved by goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.

In the first half, Fenerbahce failed to make a single shot on goal.

In the second half, the Turkish team's manager Dick Advocaat brought on Moussa Sow and Emmanuel Emenike, but it was too little, too late for the Istanbul side.

Krasnodar take their narrow advantage into the sides’ next meeting in Istanbul at Fenerbahce's famous Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

The second-leg will be played on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

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