Fenerbahçe stumbles in season opener ahead of champions league clash with Lyon
Just three days before hosting Lyon in the first leg of their crucial Champions League qualification playoff, Fenerbahçe suffered an unexpected 1-2 defeat at Gençlerbirligi in their opening Turkish Championship fixture.
This outcome could certainly offer a boost of confidence to Olympique Lyonnais supporters, as their team prepares for the away leg in Istanbul this Tuesday (kick-off 9 PM) against Paulo Fonseca’s Fenerbahçe squad. Despite a significantly altered starting lineup, featuring six changes from the team that faced Sturm Graz last Tuesday, the Turkish side succumbed to a 1-2 loss against Gençlerbirligi on Saturday night, marking their debut in the Süper Lig season.
Playing on Gençlerbirligi’s home turf in Ankara, Fenerbahçe’s coach, Ismail Kartal, opted to rest several key players. Notable names such as N’Golo Kanté, Mason Greenwood, Nélson Semedo, and Kerem Aktürkoglu began the match on the bench, only entering the game for the final thirty minutes. Meanwhile, English left-back Archie Brown was completely omitted from the squad for rest.
Despite their clear dominance in possession (71%) and a significant advantage in shots (27 to 10), Lyon’s upcoming opponents initially took the lead through Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca in the 13th minute (1-0). However, Gençlerbirligi mounted a comeback, turning the match around with goals from Franco Tongya in the 37th minute (1-1) and Ogulcan Ülgün in the 56th minute (2-1). Fenerbahçe’s third-choice goalkeeper, Tarik Cetin, who was filling in for the injured Mert Günok and suspended Ederson, struggled, conceding two goals from Gençlerbirligi’s mere three shots on target.
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