Just three days before their critical Champions League playoff first leg against Olympique Lyonnais, Fenerbahçe experienced an unexpected 1-2 loss away to Gençlerbirligi. This disappointing result marked the opening day of their Turkish Championship campaign.
This outcome will undoubtedly offer some comfort to Olympique Lyonnais supporters as they prepare for their journey to Istanbul. The highly anticipated Champions League playoff first leg, scheduled for Tuesday at 9 PM CET, pits Paulo Fonseca’s squad against Fenerbahçe. The Turkish giants, fielding a significantly altered starting lineup with six changes from their previous match against Sturm Graz, fell 1-2 to Gençlerbirligi on Saturday evening during the opening round of the Süper Lig.
At the Ankara-based club’s stadium, Fenerbahçe coach Ismail Kartal opted to rest several regular starters. Key players such as N’Golo Kanté, Mason Greenwood, Nélson Semedo, and Kerem Aktürkoglu began the match on the substitutes’ bench, only entering the fray for the final thirty minutes. English left-back Archie Brown was completely omitted from the squad, given a full rest.
Despite their clear dominance, controlling 71% of possession and registering 27 shots compared to their opponent’s 10, the upcoming opponents for OL initially took the lead. Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca found the net in the 13th minute, making it 1-0. However, Gençlerbirligi staged a dramatic comeback, with goals from Franco Tongya in the 37th minute and Ogulcan Ülgün in the 56th minute securing their victory. Fenerbahçe’s third-choice goalkeeper, Tarik Cetin, who was playing due to injuries to Mert Günok and a suspension for Ederson, struggled, conceding two goals from Gençlerbirligi’s mere three shots on target.
