Just three days before their pivotal UEFA Champions League playoff first leg against Lyon, Turkish giants Fenerbahçe suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Gençlerbirligi on the opening day of the Turkish Championship season.
This outcome could offer a degree of reassurance to Olympique Lyonnais supporters as their team prepares for Tuesday’s 9 PM kick-off in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe, facing their first Süper Lig challenge of the season, opted for a significantly rotated squad, making six changes compared to the lineup that played Sturm Graz last Tuesday. Despite this fresh approach, the Turkish side succumbed to a 1-2 defeat against Gençlerbirligi on Saturday evening.
On the pitch in Ankara, Fenerbahçe’s coach, Ismail Kartal, strategically rested several key first-team players. Notable absentees from the starting eleven included N’Golo Kanté, Mason Greenwood, Nélson Semedo, and Kerem Aktürkoglu, all of whom remained on the bench until the final thirty minutes of the match. English left-back Archie Brown was entirely omitted from the squad, given a complete rest.
Despite their clear dominance, boasting 71% possession and firing 27 shots compared to their opponents’ 10, the Istanbul club initially took the lead. Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca found the net in the 13th minute, putting Fenerbahçe ahead 1-0. However, Gençlerbirligi mounted a comeback, with Franco Tongya leveling the score in the 37th minute (1-1) and Ogulcan Ülgün securing the winning goal 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 to contain the opposition, conceding two goals from Gençlerbirligi’s mere three shots on target.
