Fans keep edgy Fenerbahçe in the hunt

FC Dynamo Kyiv striker Olexandr Aliyev said Fenerbahçe SK's noisy home crowd may have saved Luis Aragonés's side a point in a goalless draw which left home defender Roberto Carlos demanding more "time and patience" for the Istanbul giants.

'Drowned out'
Aliyev said 0-0 was "a satisfactory result", but claimed that the Sükrü Saraçoglu crowd may have done the home side a favour in denying Dynamo a goalscoring chance. "We didn't have many chances in the first half, but in the second half we went closer," explained the 23-year-old Ukrainian international. "On one occasion, I tried to pass to Maksim Shatskikh, who was in a better position, but my shout was drowned out by the chanting of the Fenerbahçe supporters."

Work in progress
Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos sensed the fans' frustration at the result, but maintained Fenerbahçe are still a work in progress. "We played better in the second half against a team who were defensively very good," he said. "We had a few chances to score but we couldn't find a goal. You certainly face tough opponents in the UEFA Champions League. Our next two matches in the competition against Arsenal [FC] will be even harder."

'Time and patience'
Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals last season, but with just one point from their opening two Group G games, they face an uphill task if they are to reach the knockout stage again. "Some of our team-mates left in the summer and we have a new coach," Roberto Carlos added. "[Aragonés] needs time to learn the abilities of players and we have to get used to playing with each other. That requires time and patience."

Ninković frustrated