With Paulo Fonseca’s side preparing to face Lyon at 9 PM on Tuesday, Fenerbahçe endured a frustrating 1-2 defeat away to Gençlerbirligi in the opening round of the Turkish top flight. The result came despite a heavily rotated starting XI, with coach Ismail Kartal making six changes to the side that had beaten Sturm Graz midweek.

Key players such as N’Golo Kanté, Mason Greenwood, Nélson Semedo, and Kerem Aktürkoglu were all left on the bench, while English left-back Archie Brown was rested entirely. Only Kanté and Greenwood saw action, coming on for the final 30 minutes, as the side struggled to impose themselves against a determined Gençlerbirligi.

The visitors dominated proceedings, enjoying 71% possession and registering 27 attempts on goal compared to Gençlerbirligi’s 10. However, they paid the price for defensive lapses and poor finishing. Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca put Fenerbahçe ahead after just 13 minutes, but Gençlerbirligi struck back before half-time through Franco Tongya (37’) and took the lead early in the second period with a strike from Ogulcan Ülgün (56’).

With first-choice goalkeeper Mert Günok sidelined through injury and Ederson suspended, third-choice keeper Tarik Cetin was called into action. The inexperienced stopper was beaten twice from three on-target efforts by the Ankara-based side, exposing gaps in Fenerbahçe’s rearguard despite their numerical and territorial dominance.