Just three days before their pivotal UEFA Champions League playoff first leg against Olympique Lyonnais, Fenerbahçe faced an unexpected defeat. The Turkish giants fell 1-2 to Gençlerbirligi in their opening Süper Lig fixture.
This outcome will undoubtedly offer a boost of confidence to Olympique Lyonnais supporters as their team prepares for Tuesday’s 9 PM kickoff in Istanbul. Paulo Fonseca’s squad is set to challenge Fenerbahçe in the first leg of their Champions League qualification playoff. Despite a significantly altered starting lineup, featuring six changes from their previous match against Sturm Graz, the Turkish side succumbed to a 1-2 loss against Gençlerbirligi on Saturday evening during the Süper Lig’s inaugural matchday.
Playing away at the Ankara-based club, Fenerbahçe manager Ismail Kartal opted to rest several key players. Notable absentees from the initial whistle included N’Golo Kanté, Mason Greenwood, Nélson Semedo, and Kerem Aktürkoglu, all of whom only entered the fray for the final thirty minutes. English left-back Archie Brown was also notably left out of the matchday squad entirely.
Despite a dominant performance, controlling 71% of possession and registering 27 shots to their opponents’ 10, OL’s upcoming rivals initially took the lead. Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca found the net in the 13th minute, putting Fenerbahçe ahead 1-0. However, Gençlerbirligi mounted a comeback, with goals from Franco Tongya in the 37th minute (1-1) and Ogulcan Ülgün in the 56th minute (2-1) turning the match around. In the absence of the injured Mert Günok and suspended Ederson, Fenerbahçe’s third-choice goalkeeper, Tarik Cetin, struggled, conceding two goals from Gençlerbirligi’s mere three shots on target.
