Fenerbahçe Escape Defeat Against Lyon, Fight Back From Behind in Champions League Play-Off First Leg
ISTANBUL – Turkish giants Fenerbahçe salvaged a valuable 1-1 draw against visiting Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday evening at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2026-27 play-off round, the final hurdle before the newly expanded league phase.
A Fierce Race for the Last Ticket
The contest was tight and evenly matched between two sides chasing a place in the league phase, which has been expanded to 36 clubs. Lyon struck first just minutes before the end of the opening half, when Belgian forward Loïs Openda a fresh summer arrival for "Les Gones" headed home from close range in the 40th minute to open the scoring.
The hosts refused to fold, storming back in the second half and drawing level just seven minutes after the restart through English forward Mason Greenwood, who joined Fenerbahçe this summer from French side Olympique de Marseille. Greenwood struck his second goal against Lyon with a curling effort that nestled into the top corner of the French goalkeeper's net.
The match was not short of danger at either end: Openda came close to a second with a strike from outside the box that crashed against the post, while Fenerbahçe responded with a chance of their own through Nene Dorgeles, whose effort after cutting inside onto his right foot also struck the woodwork. The draw was, on balance, a fair outcome: Fenerbahçe enjoyed more of the ball and posed the greater attacking threat inside the opposition box, while Lyon were the more clinical side in front of goal.
The Road So Far and What's at Stake
Fenerbahçe are contesting their third consecutive qualifying tie of the campaign, having won three of their previous four matches in this run while conceding just a single goal a testament to their defensive solidity heading into this fixture. Lyon, for their part, arrive well accustomed to late drama in this season's qualifiers, having already advanced from an earlier round following a similar deadlock.
The second leg will be played next week at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, where both sides will look to settle the tie and secure a place in the league phase along with the substantial financial and media rewards that come with it, of exceptional importance to both clubs this season.
Elsewhere in the Play-Off Round
In another fixture on the same matchday, Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Norway's Viking FK, in a match that saw the hosts race into a decisive early lead through goals from Dion Drena Beljo and Mateo Lešić in the 6th and 10th minutes, before Viking hit back to level the score through Peter Kristiansen and Zlatko Tripić in the 26th and 39th minutes a thrilling 2-2 scoreline that held firm through to full time.
The third meeting pitted Bulgaria's Levski Sofia against visiting AEK Athens of Greece, and ended goalless, a cautious affair reflecting both sides' determination to avoid conceding a goal that would complicate their task in the return leg.
Second legs in all three ties will be played next week, deciding the identity of the four remaining clubs to join the growing list of teams qualified for the new-format league phase of the Champions League, which features 36 clubs from across Europe's leagues this season.
