Fenerbahce Technical Director Domenico Tedesco said the 3-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Istanbul derby was “hard to digest” after the match on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Speaking to broadcasters following the Trendyol Super Lig clash, Tedesco acknowledged his team’s strong start but lamented missed opportunities that ultimately cost them the game.
“We started the match well, we were taking positions in front as we wanted,” Tedesco said. “In the interview before the match, we said that they would press in front, we found a solution to that. If we had scored the penalty, it would have been 1-0 but it wasn’t. Of course, after missing the penalty, something breaks.”
The Italian coach described the result as “crazy” given the chances created, particularly emphasizing the failure to convert a penalty kick and subsequent scoring chances.
“It’s crazy that we scored zero goals today. There were positions where we faced the goalkeeper. We should have scored 1-2 goals. When you can’t score, you can’t win,” Tedesco added.
Tedesco pointed to the turning point after the missed penalty, noting that Galatasaray scored first from the rebound before Fenerbahçe conceded a penalty and saw a player sent off, followed by an own goal.
“Penaltı kaçtıktan sonra bir şeyler kırıldı. İlk gol taçtan geldi. İkinci yarı olanları sindirmek zor. Penaltı aleyhinize, kırmızı kart. Sonra da kendi kalemize gol attık. Sıfır gol çılgınca. Kaçan penaltı var, net pozisyonlar var, karşı karşıya pozisyonlar var,” he said in comments reported by Turkish media outlets.
The defeat increased the point gap between the two Istanbul rivals to seven points, with Galatasaray moving closer to securing the Trendyol Super Lig title.
“The point difference is seven. What we need to do now is to take care of business. We will look at the Başakşehir match, it will be a difficult match. Guendouzi, Ederson will be absent. There have been a lot of games this season where we were missing players. We will continue to focus on our work,” Tedesco stated.
Tedesco also conceded that Galatasaray deserved credit for their performance, saying, “Galatasaray’ın da iyi olduğunu kabul etmek gerekiyor. Bu akşam iyi bir rakibe karşı oynadık,” acknowledging the quality of their opponents.
The Fenerbahçe coach emphasized the need to move forward, focusing on upcoming fixtures despite the setback, particularly highlighting the challenge posed by missing key players for the next match against Başakşehir.
As Fenerbahce prepares for their next league fixture, Tedesco’s comments reflect a mixture of frustration over missed chances and recognition of the need to regroup and focus on the remaining matches of the season.
What’s next for Fenerbahce? The team turns its attention to the upcoming match against Başakşehir, where they will continue their pursuit of a strong finish to the campaign despite the derby disappointment.
Share your thoughts on Tedesco’s assessment and Fenerbahce’s path forward in the comments below.
