This ex-Fulham flop is out of the Conference League after dramatic finale in which keeper-denies-keeper

By Alessandro Schiavone at Jan Breydel Stadion, Bruges

Cercle Bruges 1-1 Istanbul Basaksehir

Goals: Piarek (IB), Brunner (CB)

An ex-Fulham academy graduate has seen his side’s chances of snatching an Europa Conference League playoffs place evaporate after a 1-1 draw in Belgium.

Jerome Opoku’s Istanbul Basaksehir’s were pegged back in the 82nd minute by Paris Brunner’s looping header after Krzysztof Piatek had given them what looked like the breakthrough goal eight minutes beforehand when he finished off Miguel Crespo's brilliant move with a low finish.

The topsy-turvy finale saw Cercles Bruges goalkeeper Maxime Delanghe produce a miraculous 97th minute save to keep out his counterpart Sengezer’s net-bound header.

Had there been a late sting in the tale the Turks would have sealed a place among the top 24 teams with the Belgians reduced to playing two extra games. They knew it before kick-off that this was last chance saloon and that they needed a win.

In the end they finished in disappointing 26th position out of 36 teams to wave goodbye to the competition.

Before that heart-in-mouth end to the game, Brunner had two chances to kill the game off at 1-1. Yet he sent one effort over while the second one was cleared off the line to keep the visitors in the game.

In vain though, as the hosts' keeper made the save of his life when he reacted quickly to get a strong hand to the bullet header.

Hence this season there will be no more European fixtures for Lambeth-born central defender Okopu, who spent 10 years in Fulham’s academy without ever getting a look-in.