Fenerbahçe made the significantly better start in their own stadium. The hosts lined up with N’Golo Kanté, Mattéo Guendouzi and Marco Asensio in midfield, while Greenwood, Talisca and Kerem Aktürkoğlu formed the attacking unit. Sturm started in a 4-4-2 formation with Szymon Włodarczyk and Seedy Jatta up front.
Early setback after a quick attack
Daniil Khudyakov was forced into his first save against Aktürkoğlu as early as the seventh minute. Shortly afterwards, the Sturm goalkeeper was powerless. Aktürkoğlu found Talisca on the left side of the penalty area, and the Brazilian used his stronger left foot to guide a low finish into the far corner. Fenerbahçe were 1-0 ahead after ten minutes.
The early goal made an already difficult task even more complicated for the visitors. Fenerbahçe kept possession for long periods and pushed Sturm deep into their own half. Fabio Ingolitsch’s team worked in a disciplined manner without the ball, but struggled to advance in a controlled way after winning possession.
Sturm played with courage in phases and tried not to retreat exclusively around their own penalty area. Simon Seidl attempted two shots from distance, although both were blocked. Jürgen Heil produced Sturm’s best moment before the break in the 36th minute, but his effort did not cause Mert Günok any major problems.
Greenwood scores just before half-time
Just as it appeared that Sturm might at least take the narrow deficit into the interval, Fenerbahçe struck for a second time. Following a corner routine, Marco Asensio laid the ball off for Greenwood. The new English signing drove a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area low into the right corner. The timing of the 2-0 goal in the 45th minute made it particularly painful for Sturm.
Ingolitsch reacted at half-time by replacing Włodarczyk with Axel Kayombo. Initially, however, there was little change to the pattern of the game. Fenerbahçe controlled both possession and the tempo, while Sturm struggled to gain access to the hosts’ technically strong midfielders.
Khudyakov prevents a third goal
Fenerbahçe enjoyed their strongest spell of the second half between the 59th and 68th minutes. Khudyakov first denied Greenwood before saving attempts from Aktürkoğlu and Talisca within the space of a few seconds. He later made several more stops against Talisca. The Sturm goalkeeper finished the match with eight saves and was a major reason why his team will return to Graz with only a 2-0 deficit.
After just over an hour, Ingolitsch tried to provide fresh impetus by introducing Nelson Weiper, Gizo Mamageishvili and Ryan Fosso. Weiper soon had one of Sturm’s few useful opportunities, but sent his effort from a central position wide of the left post. The German striker did not make ideal contact with the ball while attempting an overhead kick.
Sturm competed diligently and, despite the difference in quality, did not allow themselves to be completely pushed out of the match. They also stood up to the generally moderate level of physicality. However, the Graz side were almost never genuinely dangerous.
They lacked both speed and precision in transition, while their forwards were rarely able to retain possession in promising positions. Many attacks ended before Sturm even reached the final third. Once they did get there, they had structural problems in particular and hardly managed to create good combination opportunities.
The numbers underline Fenerbahçe’s superiority
The statistics reflect the balance of power. Fenerbahçe had 72 per cent possession, attempted 17 shots and recorded 22 touches inside the opposition penalty area. Sturm managed only five attempts and ten touches in the box. Just one of the five Graz efforts was on target.
The expected-goals figures were particularly revealing. Fenerbahçe recorded an xG value of 1.30, while Sturm produced only 0.16. On the one hand, this shows that the Turkish side did not create high-quality opportunities constantly. On the other, Sturm’s extremely low figure illustrates just how little genuine threat they offered.
After their strong spell early in the second half, however, Fenerbahçe no longer pushed for a third goal with the same determination. Their block did not move forward consistently enough when they had possession, which made it somewhat easier for Sturm to organise themselves defensively.
A third goal would nevertheless have been deserved given Fenerbahçe’s clear superiority, even though the xG values suggest that the final score was largely in line with the quality of the chances. In the closing stages, the hosts increasingly managed their lead rather than attempting to force a decisive third goal.
Difficult situation ahead of the second leg
The second leg will take place in Graz on Tuesday, 11 August, at 8:30 p.m. Sturm Graz will need a comeback on home soil to keep their hopes of reaching the Champions League play-offs alive.
The winner will face either Sparta Prague or Olympique Lyon. Sparta won the first leg at home 2-1, with the return fixture also scheduled for 11 August. The losing team in the tie between Fenerbahçe and Sturm is already guaranteed a place in the league phase of the Europa League. Even elimination would therefore not result in a major European drop.
