Nigerian defender Bright Osayi-Samuel was a key figure as Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce survived a nail-biting ride to claim a 4-3 victory over Swiss side FC Lugano in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie on Tuesday night.

The game at the Stockhorn Arena was an exciting encounter that saw seven goals shared between the two sides, Footballrover reports.

While Edin Dzeko stole the show with a hat-trick, Osayi-Samuel was a solid presence at right-back for the Turkish giants.

The Super Eagles defender played his part in keeping the dangerous Lugano attackers at bay, winning nine duels and making three crucial tackles before being replaced by Mert Muldur in the 69th minute.

Dzeko’s clinical finishing proved to be the difference as Fenerbahce held on for a narrow win.

Just after Ayman El Wafi handed the hosts an early lead, the Bosnian striker Dzeko fired the visitors back into the game before doubling the lead in the second half.

Lugano fought back valiantly, with Uran Bislimi and Milton Valenzuela pulling goals back, but Dzeko completed his hat-trick and Ferdi Kadioglu’s strike sealed the victory for Mourinho’s side.

Bright Osayi-Samuel and his teammates will now look to protect their slender advantage when they host Lugano in the second leg at the Ülker Stadyumu next week.

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