Fenerbahçe edges Stuttgart, Samsunspor rolls in Conference League
ISTANBUL
Fenerbahçe claimed back-to-back wins in the Europa League with a 1-0 home victory over Stuttgart on Oct. 23, while Samsunspor powered to a 3-0 defeat of Dynamo Kyiv for their second straight Conference League win.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu converted from the spot in the 34th minute for Fenerbahçe after a penalty was awarded for a foul on Milan Skriniar. The referee pointed to the spot twice more in the second half — once for each team — but both decisions were overturned after VAR reviews.
"We are a big club, and Stuttgart felt it. Our fans were incredible. They really made a huge impact," Fenerbahçe coach Domenico Tedesco said after the match. "We did really well in terms of strength, spirit and mentality."
Fenerbahçe, beaten 3-1 by Dinamo Zagreb in the group opener before defeating Nice, next travels to Viktoria Plzen on Nov. 6.
Plzen stunned Roma 2-1 on Oct. 23 at the Stadio Olimpico with first-half goals from Prince Kwabena Adu and Cheick Souaré in a two-minute burst. Paulo Dybala pulled one back from the spot, but the Italians could not recover.
Elsewhere in the league, Go Ahead Eagles completed a 2-1 comeback win over Aston Villa, Fenerbahçe's future opponents, in Deventer. Evann Guessand put Villa ahead early off a Jadon Sancho cross, before Mathis Suray lobbed home to level and Mats Deijl chested and smashed in the second on the hour. Emi Buendía missed a late penalty as Villa’s five-match winning run in all competitions ended.
Among Fenerbahçe's rivals, Brann routed struggling Rangers 3-0 with first-half scorer Emil Kornvig, followed by Jacob Sørensen’s header and Noah Holm’s late finish. Rangers, who hired former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl this week, remain without a point.
Bologna beat FCSB 2-1 in Bucharest behind quick-fire strikes from Jens Odgaard and Thijs Dallinga, while Ferencvaros edged Salzburg 3-2 away.
In the Conference League, Samsunspor made it two wins from two by sweeping Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 at home. Anthony Musaba struck in the second minute, Marius Mouandilmadji added a second after a deflection in the 34th, and Carlo Holse sealed it from the edge of the box in the 63rd, also via a deflection. Samsunspor opened the campaign with a 1-0 win at Legia and now have six points.
The campaign of the Turkish sides on Oct. 23 came a day after Galatasaray grabbed its second win of the season in the Champions League when it beat Norway’s Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in Istanbul.
Nigerian superstar Victor Osimhen netted twice for the home side, with Yunus Akgün scoring the other goal before Andreas Helmersen pulled one back.
The win, which came after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool fortnight ago, carried the club to the 14th spot in the league phase standings.
"It was a great night, the pressure we put on with the help of our fans was incredible,” coach Okan Buruk said after the match.
“Together, we pushed our performance to the highest level. We fought together, went to the opponent's goal together and defended together, thank you."
He said the initial target for Galatasaray was to advance to the knockout stages.
