Fenerbahçe 1-1 AS Roma: Brown equalises after Cristante opener

Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 with AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League League Stage, recovering from a half-time deficit at Chobani Stadium Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu in Istanbul. Bryan Cristante put Roma ahead before Archie Brown equalised shortly after the restart, leaving both sides with a share of the points.

Cristante gives Roma the lead

Fenerbahçe used a 4-3-3 under İ. Kartal, while G. Gasperini set Roma up in a 3-4-2-1. The visitors converted their pressure into the opening goal in the 39th minute. Donyell Malen provided the assist for Cristante, who finished to give Roma a 1-0 advantage at the interval.

Roma controlled more of the ball during the match, recording 58% possession and 610 total passes compared with Fenerbahçe’s 42% and 437. Their 550 accurate passes also represented a clear advantage over the hosts’ 365. However, the possession and passing superiority did not translate into a greater attacking return on the scoresheet.

Brown responds after the break

Fenerbahçe levelled in the 48th minute, only three minutes into the second half. Mason Greenwood supplied the assist for Archie Brown, whose goal restored parity and shifted the momentum after Roma had gone into the break ahead. Brown was booked three minutes later as the hosts continued to press for a second goal.

The statistics underline how competitive the contest became. Fenerbahçe registered 11 shots to Roma’s eight, had nine efforts from inside the box compared with six, and put five attempts on target against Roma’s three. Roma goalkeeper M. Svilar made four saves, while Fenerbahçe recorded two goalkeeper saves. The hosts’ greater shot volume therefore contrasted with Roma’s control of possession and passing.

Cards and changes shape the closing stages

Fenerbahçe collected four yellow cards, with Brown, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Mert Müldür and Ismail Yüksek cautioned. Roma received two, for Devyne Rensch and Cristante, who was booked in the 86th minute after scoring the opener. There were no red cards.

Roma replaced Niccolò Pisilli with Manu Koné in the 53rd minute, while Fenerbahçe introduced Levent Mercan for Bartuğ Elmaz in the 62nd. Romelu Lukaku and Oğuz Aydın came on for Vedat Muriqi and Aktürkoğlu in the 72nd minute. Roma later brought on Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina for Gianluca Mancini and Rensch.

Cristante stands out in a balanced draw

Cristante was the standout performer, earning an 8.2 rating after playing all 90 minutes, scoring once and recording one shot on target and one key pass. The result marked a draw for Fenerbahçe after a recent sequence of win, draw, win, win, draw and win, while no recent form data was available for Roma. In the supplied league table, Fenerbahçe were ranked 20th and Roma 17th, both listed on zero points from zero games; the post-match standings were not provided.