Fenerbahçe 2 - 1 FT Fatih Karagümrük

Fenerbahçe's Penalty Drama Snuffs Out Karagümrük's Resistance

Highly Entertaining Futmetrix Score: 83/100. In a match defined by VAR controversy and relentless intensity, Fenerbahçe's title-race credentials were burnished against a Karagümrük side drowning in the relegation battle.

Controversial Spot-Kick Sets the Tone

The 21st minute brought chaos. VAR confirmed a penalty that divided the crowd—and Talisca showed no mercy, converting from the spot in minute 23 with clinical precision. Fenerbahçe seized control with 58 percent possession, their intensity suffocating the visitors. Kerem Aktürkoglu's creativity and Marco Asensio's movement kept Karagümrük's backline under constant duress. The home side looked destined for a comfortable evening.

Asensio's Finish, Serginho's Reply

Minute 41: Aktürkoglu's assist found Asensio, whose finish made it 2-0—seemingly game over. Yet Karagümrük refused to vanish. In the 59th minute, Serginho, set up by D. Johnson, pulled one back and reignited the contest. That goal—a rare spark from Fatih Karagümrük's depleted armoury—exposed the structural fragility of a side languishing 18th with just three points. Despite 37 combined shots and 14 on target, the gulf in quality was unmistakable: Fenerbahçe's 2.72 xG versus Karagümrük's 0.84 told the real story.

Red Card, Finished Business

The 83rd minute delivered the final blow. Jure Balkovec's red card for a reckless foul shifted the balance irrevocably. With numerical advantage, Fenerbahçe extinguished any Karagümrük comeback hopes. Eleven combined saves and twelve corners underscored the intensity, yet the outcome was never in doubt once the hosts went 2-0 up. Three points consolidated Fenerbahçe's third-place standing; for Karagümrük, it was another grim reminder of the gulf between ambition and reality.

Fenerbahçe’s title charge collides with Karagümrük’s survival fight

Worth Watching Futmetrix Score: 60/100. One side is unbeaten and chasing the summit, the other is clinging to survival hopes – this is a survival-fuelled clash with very different Stakes attached.

The Setup

On 19 October 2025, Süper Lig Round 9 serves up a stark contrast of ambitions as Fenerbahçe host Fatih Karagümrük. Over the broader season sample, Fenerbahçe look every inch a contender: 14 league matches, no defeats, 9 wins, 5 draws and 32 points, good enough for 2nd place. With 31 scored and only 13 conceded, plus a last-five run of DWWWW, the hosts arrive in serious Form.

Karagümrük live at the other end of the table. Two wins, two draws, ten defeats from 14 games leave them on 8 points in 18th place, with a -13 goal difference (13 for, 26 against). One win across their last five and a previous five-game losing streak underline why this is framed as a survival battle. Their recent Form points towards damage limitation, but in these contexts a single upset can flip the narrative of a season.

Fenerbahçe also bring clear star power. J. Durán, Y. En-Nesyri and E. Álvarez headline a stacked squad, while 7.9 average-rated Nene Dorgeles has made an instant impact. At the back, Milan Škriniar has been a steadying presence across five games, and goalkeeper Tarik Çetin already boasts a five-save clean sheet from his single outing.

Key Battle

The decisive duel could come between Fenerbahçe’s defensive general Milan Škriniar and Karagümrük’s main outlet David Datro Fofana. Škriniar organises the back line and sets the Balance from deep, comfortable stepping into midfield and winning duels early. Fofana, with 3 goals in his last 3 games and a 7.4 average rating, is Karagümrük’s survival lifeline. If Škriniar can control Fofana’s runs in behind and aerial threat, Fenerbahçe should suffocate the visitors; if not, a single transition could drag this crunch match into chaos.

Our Prediction

Fenerbahçe should dominate the ball, pinning Karagümrük back with wide overloads and constant pressure on the visitors’ back line. Expect the hosts to circulate patiently, then accelerate through the half-spaces, forcing mistakes from a defence already leaking goals across the season.

Karagümrük’s route is clear: stay compact, survive waves of pressure and spring Fofana into space whenever possession is turned over. They will have moments, especially if Fenerbahçe over-commit, but the gap in quality and Stakes awareness feels too large.

Prediction: Fenerbahçe 3-1 Fatih Karagümrük. The hosts strike early, add a second after the break, and despite Karagümrük finding a Fofana-inspired reply, Fenerbahçe’s extra gears decide it late on.