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Zenit falls to Fenerbahce in Istanbul clash
** **Russian Premier League leaders lose Europa League opener
** **Zenit Saint Petersburg suffered a disappointing start to their UEFA Europa League campaign on Thursday, losing 2-0 away to Fenerbahce in Istanbul.
** **The Turkish side took the lead in the 21st minute through Diego Rossi, and doubled their advantage just before half-time with a goal from Enner Valencia.
** **Zenit, who are top of the Russian Premier League, had few chances to get back into the game in the second half, and ultimately fell to a deserved defeat.
** **The result leaves Zenit bottom of Group H after the opening round of fixtures, while Fenerbahce are top.
** ## **Match summary** **Fenerbahce started the game brightly and took the lead early on when Diego Rossi fired home from close range after being set up by Enner Valencia.
** **The Turkish side continued to dominate the first half and doubled their advantage just before the break when Valencia headed home from a corner.
** **Zenit improved slightly in the second half, but they were unable to create any clear-cut chances and ultimately fell to a deserved defeat.
** ## **Reaction** **"We're disappointed with the result," said Zenit coach Sergei Semak. "We didn't play well enough in the first half and we were punished for our mistakes."
** **"We need to improve our performance in the next game," added Semak. "We have a lot of quality in our squad and we know we can do better."
** ## **Next fixtures** **Zenit will be looking to bounce back from their defeat when they host Rennes in their next Europa League game on October 6.
** **Fenerbahce, meanwhile, will travel to face Dynamo Kyiv in their next match on the same day.
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