Fenerbahce held to 1-1 draw by Roma in Champions League opener

Fenerbahce were held to a 1-1 draw by Italian visitors Roma in their UEFA Champions League opening match on Thursday evening at Rams Park, with the Turkish side forced to settle for a single point despite dominating the second half. The Yellow-Navy Blues fell behind in the first period but rallied after the interval to level the score, subsequently creating several clear opportunities to secure victory.

Roma broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when Donyell Malen cut inside from the left flank and squared for Bryan Cristante, who dispatched a right-footed drive into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Ederson. Fenerbahce had earlier threatened through Bartug Elmaz and Kerem Akturkoglu, while Ederson produced a fine save to deny Paulo Dybala from inside the penalty area in the 21st minute.

Second-half rally

The hosts restored parity three minutes after halftime when Mason Greenwood threaded a precise pass into the penalty area for Archie Brown, who calmly lifted a left-footed finish over Mile Svilar into the net. Fenerbahce continued to press forward, with Svilar denying Vedat Muriqi in the 52nd minute before Greenwood fired into the side-netting from a promising position.

Oguz Aydin was thwarted by the Roma goalkeeper following another Greenwood assist in the 72nd minute, while substitute Nathan Ake headed against the woodwork in the 87th minute as the home side searched in vain for a decisive goal. Neither side was able to find a winner as the match concluded with the points shared.

Dutch deadlock

In Eindhoven, PSV also came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening fixture, with Sergino Dest cancelling out a first-half strike from Mendoza. The Dutch side created several opportunities before the break, with Ivan Perisic volleying narrowly wide and Kodai Sano testing goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.

Shakhtar took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Isaque found Mendoza on the left, with the midfielder cutting inside and firing into the bottom corner, a goal that stood following a VAR check despite protests that Dest had been fouled in the build-up. Dest equalised three minutes after the restart, converting Armando Obispo's pass with a right-footed finish, before Ruben van Bommel fired narrowly wide and Isaque was denied by Matej Kovar as the match finished level.