Bursaspor knocked out of European cups

SACHKHERE, Georgia

AA Photo

Bursaspor has been knocked out of the Europa League with a 4-1 penalty shoot-out defeat to Chikhura Sachkhere, in a second round match that ended in a brawl in Georgia on July 24. 

Both sides failed to score after 210 minutes of football over the course of two legs in the second qualifying round, meaning that the tie had to go to a penalty shoot-out. Bursaspor, the 2010 Super League champion, was equally anonymous from the spot, converting just once of its at empts, while the Georgian side missed none of its own.

The situation after the match was marred by ugly scenes, after the Georgian team’s Tornike Mumladze ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Bursaspor fans, prompting an angry reaction from the visiting supporters.

There were also claims that the fans from Bursa were later attacked by Georgian police.
Bursaspor coach Şenol Güneş has criticized the incidents.

“This is just not right. Football is played, one side wins and one loses,” he said during the post-match press conference. “This is not football, this is not hospitality … What happened on the pitch was not nice at all. I will not forget tonight.”

Bursaspor’s defeat meant there will be only one Turkish team in the third qualifying round, with Kardemir Karabükspor scheduled to play against Norway’s Rosenborg on July 31 and Aug. 7.

Chikhura Sachkhere will face Azerbaijan’s Neftçi Baku in the third qualifying round.

The other Turkish team to play in the second-tier European club competition’s qualifiers, Trabzonspor, will join the draw in the final playoff round.