Fenerbahçe head over heels about Sow

He has had his ups and downs, scoring droughts and plenty of competition from fellow strikers, but Fenerbahçe fans always had a soft spot for Moussa Sow and, in the 2-1 UEFA Europa League win against Manchester United, he repaid their faith in style.

Barely 65 seconds into Thursday's Group A victory, Sow hit an acrobatic overhead kick past David de Gea – an early goal-of-the-season contender yet not such an oddity for Sow, who has scored similar ones against Istanbul rivals Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. "Sow doesn't score normal goals," is a well-known phrase in Turkish football.

The 30-year-old was not expected to line up against United, with Robin van Persie bagging three goals and laying on another in his last three competitive starts, and Emmanuel Emenike catching the eye in continental competition. Sow, by contrast, had scored just once in his eight Fenerbahçe appearances since rejoining the club on loan from Dubai-based al-Ahli.

UEFA.com asked Dick Advocaat what Sow's task had been against United, and the Fenerbahçe coach smiled and simply said: "To score a goal."

He added of the French-born forward: "The way he played tonight; he works his socks off to get a good result. I'm very happy for the team that he could do that."

Sow came to Turkey during the 2011/12 campaign, netting eight goals in 14 games in his first term. The former Rennes and Lille man had lean spells in the seasons that followed, but managed to maintain a first-team place despite the presence of the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Alex, Pierre Webó, Van Persie and Emenike.

His importance to the side was not necessarily about numbers. Loyal and emotional, fans have not forgotten his tears of frustration after he missed a host of chances in a March 2014 match against Kayseri Erciyesspor, and he wept again when leaving for al-Ahli in summer 2015. He scored plenty in Dubai, yet when Fenerbahçe needed a striker this season, the Senegalese international was welcomed back with open arms.

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On Thursday night, United boss José Mourinho said: "Fenerbahçe played an emotional game. Football is an emotional game."

That is especially true in Turkey, and Turkish supporters appreciate emotional players. At full time, the Şükrü Saracoğlu crowd called the team back for a standing ovation, but there was only one player who got a chant of his own: "Moussa, Moussa!" It was not undeserved – partly for an unforgettable 90 minutes against United, yet also for his undiminished passion for the club.