Roma opened their Champions League campaign with a 1–1 draw against Fenerbahçe in Istanbul on 10 September. Bryan Cristante gave Roma an early lead late in the first half, but Archie Brown equalised for the hosts just two minutes into the second half. The match, played in an intense atmosphere at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, saw Roma dominate possession in the opening 45 minutes but concede momentum after conceding. Goalkeeper Svilar made two crucial saves to keep Roma in the contest—denying Muriqi at close range and producing an exceptional reaction stop from Aydin's effort. In the closing stages, a penalty appeal for a challenge on Dybala was reviewed by the referee but ruled to have occurred just outside the area, and Greenwood's late free-kick struck the crossbar but Brown could not capitalise on the rebound.
The draw marked Roma's return to the Champions League for the first time in over seven years, while it represented Fenerbahçe's first group-stage appearance since 2008. However, the fixture was overshadowed by extraordinary scenes at the post-match press conference. Fenerbahçe manager İsmail Kartal announced his resignation immediately after the match, walking out and refusing to take further questions. Club president Aziz Yildirim was reportedly unaware of the decision and made an immediate statement, refusing to accept the resignation and attributing Kartal's distress to an incident during the match in which a bottle was allegedly thrown at him.
Forza Roma reports that Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano oversaw the fixture, and highlights a significant VAR error in the 31st minute when the VAR team, led by César Soto Grado, overturned a correctly awarded Roma corner and awarded a throw-in to Fenerbahçe instead. The outlets differ on the exact date—Forza Roma lists both 8 and 10 September in different reports—though 10 September appears most consistent across sources.
AI synthesis of all sources below — always check the originals.
