Fenerbahçe fightback foils Partizan

Fenerbahçe SK came back from two goals behind to prevent defeat at FK Partizan and put themselves in a useful position in their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie.

Güiza equaliser
The Serbian side looked to have the game by the scruff of its neck when Veljko Paunović and Miloš Bogunović put them 2-0 up within 14 minutes. But Fenerbahçe showed a repeated ability to claw back deficits in last season's run to the quarter-finals and captain Alex converted a penalty deep in first-half added time before one of visiting coach Luis Aragonés's UEFA EURO 2008™ winners, Daniel Güiza, equalised in the 50th minute.

Early goals
Partizan beat Newcastle United FC five years ago to reach the group stage and put themselves on to the road to a return when an eleventh-minute Ivan Stevanović cross was headed in by Paunović, back at the Belgrade club after 13 years away. Three minutes later it was 2-0 as Lamine Diarra set up Bogunović.

Fenerbahçe recover
Gökhan Gönül began the response for the visitors when he came close soon afterward and although Diarra again threatened, Fenerbahçe were putting Partizan under pressure. That told five minutes into first-half injury time as Alex was brought down in the box and the playmaker, so vital to Fenerbahçe's feats last term, converted the spot-kick himself. Not long after the break Lugano's superb pass set up Güiza for his first goal for the club. Both sides had their chances thereafter but there is all to play for in Istanbul in a fortnight.