Van Bommel wait until the 82nd minute to see Lukaku make his debut for Fenerbahçe | Goal.com

Published on 18 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 1 minute

Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 with Olympique Lyon in the Champions League play-offs on Tuesday. New Belgium head coach Mark van Bommel saw Romelu Lukaku come on in the closing stages and will speak to the forward after the match. The return leg in France is next Wednesday.

Vedat Muriqi nearly gave Fenerbahçe the lead after 15 minutes, but the home side's attacking focal point headed just wide. Lyon struck a few minutes before half-time when Corentin Tolisso picked out Loïs Openda, who headed in the 0-1 from close range.

Fenerbahçe appealed for a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Talisca went down, but the referee did not point to the spot. The Turkish giants therefore went in at the break with a narrow deficit in Istanbul.

After the restart, Fenerbahçe flew out of the blocks and Mason Greenwood hammered the ball into the top-left corner in the 47th minute. The home side then got away with one when Openda hit the post a few minutes later, while Ederson denied Tolisso.

Meanwhile, Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca took off Ruben Kluivert, who had been operating as a centre-back, with 15 minutes left. The visitors then rode their luck when substitute Dorgeles Nene hit the post after a fine solo run.

Lukaku came on in the 82nd minute for Fenerbahçe and made his official debut for the Turkish giants. Neither side found a winner late on, so the return leg on 26 August will decide who secure the Champions League ticket.

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