Ankaragücü 1 - Alavés 2

Ankaragücü: Zafer; Hakan Kutlu, Ismet, Baidoo, Mehmet; Yilmao, Simao (Ocgur 55'), Hakan Keles, Niculescu; Faruk (Huseyin 46', Hamy 84'), Agustine. 4-4-2.
Alavés: Dutruel; Geli, Abelardo, Téllez, Eggen, Llorens; Astudillo, Desio (Turiel 70'), Jordi Cruyff (Edu Alonso 84'), Ibón Begoña; Iván Alonso (Rubén Navarro 75'). 5-4-1.

Goals:
1-0. 29. Niculescu. Connected with cross from Mehmet to beat Dutruel.
1-1. 43. Astudillo. Shot from outside of area into top corner of net.
1-2. 80. Rubén Navarro. Scored from close range after good work by Astudillo.

Alavés are back. The Vitoria based side returned to Europe to play their first game since losing the UEFA cup final two seasons ago against Liverpool in Dortmund, and they started with a win. Mané picked a defensive line up, with five men at the back including Dan Eggen, now back in the fold after a long injury, and it proved a wise move as they found themselves under pressure from the start. The Turkish side looked threatening, particularly down the wings, and Dutruel had to save early on from Ismet.

Alavés did cause some problems for Zafer on the counterattack, but the locals took the lead with half an hour gone when Romania's Niculescu turned in Mehmet's cross. However an excellent Astudillo levelled the scores on the stroke of half time with a powerful shot from outside of the area. The away goal took the wind out of the home side's sails, and the Spaniards looked more comfortable in the second half. Mané brought on a fresh front man Rubén Navarro with a quarter of an hour to go, and once again it was that man Astudillo who set up the young striker with a glorious pass from the right wing for him to score the winner near the end.