Fenerbahçe edged past VfB Stuttgart 1-0 on Thursday night in Istanbul, condemning the German Cup holders to their second consecutive Europa League defeat.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s well-taken penalty in the 34th minute proved decisive after Angelo Stiller was penalized for dragging down Milan Škriniar inside the box.
Both teams created several openings in a tense contest, but goalkeepers Ederson and Alexander Nübel stood out with a string of crucial saves to keep the scoreline tight.
Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav squandered a golden late chance, firing off target from a central position, while tempers flared between players on both sides in the dying minutes and after the final whistle.
Each team also had second-half penalty appeals overturned following VAR reviews. Fenerbahçe’s Youssef En-Nesyri was adjudged offside in the build-up before Nene Dorgeles was brought down, while at the other end, a coming together between Stiller and Edson Álvarez was waved away.
Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß expressed frustration with the officiating, insisting there was “clear contact” during one of the incidents.
Still, he praised his side’s effort, saying, “We can leave the stadium with our heads held high. We played bravely, exactly how we wanted. You can’t always plan for points in Istanbul, but we definitely deserved more.”
Under new manager Domenico Tedesco, who succeeded José Mourinho, Fenerbahçe have now secured back-to-back victories after losing their opener to Dinamo Zagreb, taking their tally to six points.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, remain on three points following an opening win against Celta Vigo but have since fallen to defeats against Basel and Fenerbahçe.
