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Friedkin ownership attends Roma's Champions League debut at Fenerbahce
·10 September 2026·45d ago

Friedkin ownership attends Roma's Champions League debut at Fenerbahce

Source: Forza Roma

The Friedkin ownership made sure not to miss Roma's opening Champions League fixture this evening against Fenerbahce in Turkey, with Corbin Friedkin, the younger brother of vice-president Ryan Friedkin, present in the stands. The attendance underscored the ownership's commitment to Gasperini's project. CEO Galantic said: "With the ownership there have been a lot of messages today and there will be more during the match. There is one of them here this evening, they are excited and they are inside this project. They are silent, they will have their own style but they are really very much involved also at an emotional level."

Corbin had also been present at the Olimpico on 4 May for the 4–0 win over Fiorentina, an appearance Gasperini described at the time as "a signal for the future". The presence of the Texas-based ownership at tonight's match in Istanbul signals the continuity of their involvement in the club's European campaign and first-team affairs under the new head coach.

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Story Coverage8 sources on this story

Roma returned to the Champions League for the first time in seven years on 10 September, drawing 1–1 with Fenerbahçe in Istanbul in their opening league-phase fixture. Bryan Cristante scored Roma's first goal in the competition in 2,745 days, ending a drought dating back to Daniele De Rossi's penalty against Porto in May 2018. Fenerbahçe equalised through Brown shortly after half-time, and despite controlling possession throughout, Roma could not find a winning goal. The outlets differ slightly on timing: Forza Roma places Cristante's goal late in the first half, while GialloRossi.net specifies the 38th minute and notes Brown's equaliser came in the 48th minute after a defensive error.

Roma's attacking dominance in Serie A—they had scored four goals against both Fiorentina and Lecce—did not translate to Istanbul. The club managed only 8 shots, with just 3 on target, and their expected goals figure dropped to 0.48. Dangerous passes in the opposition area fell from 29, 36 and 57 in three league matches to just 13 in Turkey, illustrating the step up in European competition after their seven-year absence. Forza Roma notes that only PSV, Bodø/Glimt, Porto and Napoli faced similarly or worse circumstances in early Champions League fixtures.

Gasperini made tactical adjustments as the match progressed, introducing Pisilli for Koné in the 53rd minute according to one account. The Friedkin ownership's presence—specifically Corbin Friedkin in the stands—underscored their commitment to the project. A penalty appeal for contact on Dybala was ruled to have occurred outside the area in the closing stages, and the match ended goalless after four minutes of stoppage time.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

“I Friedkin non si sarebbero persi in nessun modo e per nessun motivo l'esordio della Roma in Champions League. E così questa sera, per la sfida contro il Fenerbahce, in Turchia è arrivato anche Corbin. Né il presidente Dan né Ryan, ma il fratello più giovane del vicepresidente giallorosso. Una…”

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

Read original on Forza Roma →

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