Fenerbahçe beats Liverpool 3-2 under interim coach Dirk Kuyt in first Champions League win since 2008

A comeback win in the rain

Fenerbahçe beat Liverpool 3-2 in the Champions League on 4 November, its first win in the competition since 20 February 2008, when it beat Sevilla 3-2 in the round of 16. Dirk Kuyt, who played for Liverpool from 2006 to 2012, was in charge as interim head coach after Ismail Kartal stepped down following a 2-1 defeat at Galatasaray. Fenerbahçe had opened its Champions League campaign with draws against AS Roma (1-1) and Slavia Prague (2-2) and a 6-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

Goals, a penalty claim and a late winner

Trey Nyoni, a 19-year-old midfielder, gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead after 25 minutes, scoring his first goal for the club. Fenerbahçe equalised before half-time with a Mason Greenwood free kick that deflected off Jeremy Jacquet, and Alexander Isak headed Liverpool back in front after the break. Archie Brown made it 2-2 when a high ball from N'Golo Kanté bounced off Cody Gakpo's head. Substitute Vedat Muriqi headed the winner in the 79th minute despite being challenged by three Liverpool players.

Telegraaf reported that Kuyt protested angrily on the touchline after a challenge by Kostas Tsimikas on Mason Greenwood, when no penalty was given after 25 minutes. The referee, Turpin, later showed Kuyt a yellow card following a conversation at the touchline.

Belözoğlu's arrival and Kuyt's future

Fenerbahçe presented Emre Belözoğlu as head coach on the evening of 3 November, the same evening Kuyt told NOS he wanted to remain at the club.

“One thing I am sure of: I would like to stay here.”

After the win, Kuyt thanked chairman Aziz Yildirim for the chance to coach against Liverpool and said his position depended on the club's leadership.

“As long as the chairman wants me to stay here, and Emre also backs that, I will stay here.”

It was not yet known whether Kuyt would remain as assistant coach under Belözoğlu. Kuyt's first match as interim coach ended in a 2-1 home defeat to Göztepe on 31 October, after Fenerbahçe had led 1-0, and the club sits sixth in the Süper Lig.

Schreuder joins Kasimpaşa

Kasimpaşa appointed Alfred Schreuder as head coach on 4 November, contracting him until the end of the season, according to AD. The 54-year-old, as AD gives his age, previously coached FC Twente, Hoffenheim, Ajax and Club Brugge, and won the Jupiler Pro League title with Brugge in 2021/2022. He was an assistant at Ajax and Barcelona, and earlier this year at Germany under Julian Nagelsmann, a role that ended after Germany lost on penalties to Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16. Before that he coached Al-Ain and Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates.

Kasimpaşa are fifth in the Süper Lig with 17 points after ten matches, eight points behind leaders Galatasaray. Their next match is away at Gaziantep on 6 November at 18:00. Schreuder's brothers are also head coaches: Dick, 55, is in his second season at NEC, and Bart, 43, leads FC Den Bosch, eighth in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.