· 2 min readIn this Fenerbahçe vs Roma match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Fenerbahçe and Roma came into their first game of the 2026/27 Champions League with everything in place for a good atmosphere and an interesting game. The Turkish stadium is always a nightmare for away sides, but Roma arrived in good form and level with Inter at the top of Serie A. On the other side, Fenerbahçe had names such as Kanté, Aké, Ederson and Lukaku to try to make the difference.
But the first half was far from living up to expectations.
Roma started with more of the ball, reaching 68% possession in the opening ten minutes, while Fenerbahçe defended calmly and looked to break forward quickly. The Turks had two good opportunities on almost consecutive counter-attacks, with Elmaz and Aktürkoglu forcing Svilar into saves, but after that the game became very cagey again.
Roma also took their time to create. In the 21st minute, Dybala appeared after an attacking regain and shot from a tight angle, but Ederson saved comfortably. For long periods, neither team seemed particularly interested in speeding things up. Fenerbahçe waited for a mistake but pressed little, while Roma had the ball without being able to turn that possession into danger.
Until Malen decided to do something different. Near the box, he received the ball, carried it to the left, came back and was preparing to shoot when he saw Cristante completely unmarked. The pass came at the right moment and Cristante took a touch forward before shooting from outside the box. The ball was placed inside the far post, giving Ederson no chance. 0-1.
Fenerbahçe looked completely different after the break. Right at the start, Greenwood received the ball through the centre and, with Roma’s two centre-backs pushing up, a huge space opened up. Archie Brown made the run and, one-on-one with Svilar, showed great composure: a chipped finish over the goalkeeper. 1-1. Very cool.
From there, Fenerbahçe finally showed some intent. Kanté led a counter-attack and played an excellent ball to Muriqi, who found himself with space, but Svilar came out very well and made a great block. It was a huge opportunity for the Turks to turn the game around.
Roma continued to have plenty of the ball, but there was an obvious problem: they were not creating danger. They reached 66% possession, but the best opportunities of the second half still belonged to Fenerbahçe.
Dybala still tried to gain an advantage from a controversial incident, winning a foul that looked to be outside the box and where, in my opinion, he was clearly looking for the contact. The free-kick ended up being dangerous, but Malen’s shot was blocked.
Lukaku came on and had an immediate impact, taking part in a transition that almost ended with Aydın getting a shot away. Towards the end, Aké headed against the crossbar, although he was offside.
Post-match
The draw ends up being fair based on what happened throughout the game, but the second half showed a much better Fenerbahçe than in the first. Roma had more of the ball, but the Turks had the best opportunities and, because of that, will probably feel that they could have got more from the game.
