Fenerbahçe secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against VfB Stuttgart in the UEFA Europa League group phase, thanks to a decisive first-half penalty from Kerem Aktürkoğlu. The result maintains Fenerbahçe’s strong trajectory under new coach Domenico Tedesco, while Stuttgart’s European struggles continued, contrasting sharply with their outstanding domestic form.
The atmosphere inside the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium was electric, and the home side responded with fierce intensity. Despite Stuttgart initially managing possession, Fenerbahçe quickly asserted dominance in the final third, fashioning the first five shots on target within the opening 20 minutes. Coach Tedesco’s men were visibly more determined and adventurous in their attacking approach, thoroughly deserving the advantage they eventually secured.
The Decisive Moment and VAR Drama
The breakthrough came just after the half-hour mark when a foul was called on Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller for preventing Milan Škriniar from reaching Aktürkoğlu’s corner. Stiller received a yellow card, and Aktürkoğlu, who scored twice in Fenerbahçe’s win over Nice on Matchday 2, calmly converted the penalty from 12 yards out.
The match was characterized by persistent controversy and drama, with the Danish referee Jakob Kehlet pointing to the spot three times in total. However, two of those penalty decisions—one for Fenerbahçe and one for Stuttgart—were overturned following lengthy VAR checks, highlighting the high-stakes and physical nature of the contest that ultimately saw ten yellow cards distributed.
For Stuttgart, whose Bundesliga form has been sublime, this marks their second consecutive defeat in Europe. Despite introducing Deniz Undav to step up the intensity in the second half, the German side failed to create another meaningful attack after their penalty decision was revoked.
Tedesco’s Tactical Win
The victory is particularly satisfying for Fenerbahçe’s head coach Domenico Tedesco, who has now returned to club football with success following his stint managing the Belgian national team. Tedesco, who ironically spent seven years in Stuttgart’s own academy, had emphasized the need for adaptability against his former football region.
The coach had articulated his strategic view before the match, which proved instrumental in the tight win: “When we consider the situation, we need to be flexible. We’ll be playing against a flexible team, and we need to be flexible. I mean this in the sense that sometimes you’ll press up front, sometimes you’ll press up front, and sometimes you’ll retreat a little further. Therefore, we need to know how to act and how to act in this regard.”
Stuttgart will now look to quickly refocus on their domestic league, where they hope to extend their winning streak against Mainz, before hosting Feyenoord in their next European fixture on November 6th.
