Fenerbahçe 1-1 Roma: Serie A's early leaders held to a draw in Istanbul
Bryan Cristante's 39th-minute strike had Roma ahead at the Şükrü Saracoğlu, but Archie Brown levelled three minutes into the second half as Fenerbahçe opened their Champions League league phase with a 1-1 draw against Serie A's unbeaten leaders.
Fenerbahçe opened their Champions League league phase with a 1-1 draw against Roma at the Şükrü Saracoğlu, a result that ended the visitors' perfect start to the season without denting it too badly. Bryan Cristante gave Roma the lead in the 39th minute with a shot from range, and Archie Brown pulled Fenerbahçe level just three minutes into the second half, finishing off a move started by Mason Greenwood.
A draw for an unbeaten Roma side
The point means more to Roma than the scoreline suggests. Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrived in Istanbul as Serie A's early pace-setters, unbeaten through three rounds with wins over Fiorentina, Lecce and Atalanta and a goal difference of plus nine — 10 scored, only one conceded. Dropping points for the first time this season, in their Champions League opener rather than in the league, is a mild dent in an otherwise flawless run rather than a genuine setback.
A game that turned physical
Six yellow cards were shown across the 90 minutes — four to Fenerbahçe, including Brown himself just minutes after his equaliser, and two to Roma, with Cristante booked late on to go with his goal. Roma had the better of the underlying numbers, with 58% of the possession and an expected-goals reading of 1.64 to Fenerbahçe's 0.53, but the home side matched them where it mattered, with five shots on target to Roma's three.
Match stats
| Stat | Fenerbahçe | Roma |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 41.7% | 58.3% |
| Shots on target | 5 | 3 |
| Total shots | 11 | 8 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.64 | 0.53 |
| Corners | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls | 12 | 19 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 2 |
Line-ups
| Fenerbahçe | Roma |
|---|---|
| Ederson | Svilar |
| Müldür | Rensch |
| Brown | Wesley |
| Yüksek | Hermoso |
| Skriniar | Ndicka |
| Aké | Mancini |
| Kanté | Koné |
| Elmaz | Cristante |
| Muriqi | Malen |
| Greenwood | Dybala |
| Aktürkoglu | Soulé |
Match facts
- 39' — Bryan Cristante (Roma)
- 48' — Archie Brown (Fenerbahçe)
- Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul — Champions League league phase, matchday 1, Thursday 10 September 2026
Roma's form either side of Istanbul
The draw sits inside a run of six matches across two competitions for Roma since the season opened in late August, and it is the only one of the six they failed to win. Gian Piero Gasperini's side beat Fiorentina 4-0 at home, won 4-0 at Lecce and saw off Atalanta 2-1 before travelling to the Şükrü Saracoğlu, then answered the setback in Istanbul with a 2-0 win away at Torino and a 2-2 draw at home to Inter. That sequence leaves Roma top of Serie A after five rounds, on 13 points from four wins and a draw, having scored 14 goals and conceded only three — still unbeaten domestically, with the shared points in the Champions League their only blemish of the season so far. Add the Fenerbahçe draw to the domestic ledger and the picture is even more one-sided: across all six matches Roma have scored 15 goals and conceded just four, and the 90 minutes in Istanbul are the only ones in that stretch they have failed to win.
- 24 August — Roma 4-0 Fiorentina (Serie A, home)
- 31 August — Lecce 0-4 Roma (Serie A, away)
- 5 September — Roma 2-1 Atalanta (Serie A, home)
- 10 September — Fenerbahçe 1-1 Roma (Champions League league phase, away)
- 14 September — Torino 0-2 Roma (Serie A, away)
- 19 September — Roma 2-2 Inter (Serie A, home)
What's next
Both sides return to domestic action before their next Champions League fixture, with Roma looking to restart their winning run in Serie A and Fenerbahçe aiming to build on a share of the points against one of this season's form teams in Italy.
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