Ghanaian defender Kojo Peprah Oppong was part of a memorable night for Fenerbahçe as the Turkish giants came from behind twice to beat Liverpool 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The victory ended Liverpool’s 100 per cent start to the competition’s league phase and handed Fenerbahçe their first win of the campaign.
Oppong started in defence for Dirk Kuyt’s side, who produced a spirited second-half comeback to overcome the Premier League giants in Istanbul.
Liverpool took the lead in the 25th minute when Trey Nyoni’s volley took a deflection off Oppong before beating goalkeeper Ederson.
It was the 19-year-old Nyoni’s first goal for Liverpool, but the visitors’ advantage lasted only four minutes.
Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood equalised in the 29th minute with a free-kick that deflected off Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet and wrong-footed Alisson Becker.
The teams went into the break level, with Liverpool introducing Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo after the restart in search of a breakthrough.
The changes initially paid off as Isak restored Liverpool’s lead in the 69th minute, heading home from close range after combining with Gakpo.
However, Fenerbahçe responded just four minutes later. N’Golo Kanté delivered a cross into the penalty area, and after Gakpo inadvertently diverted the ball beyond his own goalkeeper, Archie Brown was on hand to tap into an unguarded net.
The home side completed the turnaround in the 79th minute when Brown turned provider, delivering a cross that substitute Vedat Muriqi headed into the net to seal a famous 3-2 victory.
The result marked a special occasion for Kuyt, the former Liverpool forward who is currently serving as Fenerbahçe’s interim head coach.
