Fenerbahce 3-2 Liverpool: Istanbul win ends Reds' perfect Champions League start

Fenerbahce beat Liverpool 3-2 in Istanbul on 4 November, twice coming back from behind to win. BBC Sport The result ended Liverpool's perfect start to the Champions League after four games.

The match was part of the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League. That is the opening stage of the competition, where each club plays a set list of opponents before the knockout rounds begin. Every result counts towards a place in the next round, so a defeat at this stage carries weight beyond the single night.

Liverpool came into the game as one of the sharpest attacking sides in the competition. Before this match they had scored 12 goals in the Champions League this season, according to Liverpool FC's own statistics. Fenerbahce still found a way through, and they did it twice after going behind.

Liverpool travelled with a 22-man squad, as the club announced before the trip. Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was not part of it. Reuters reported that he could return at the weekend.

For Fenerbahce, the build-up had a familiar face at its centre. Dirk Kuyt, the club's technical manager, spoke to the media before the game alongside Romelu Lukaku, the Fenerbahce striker. Kuyt also knows the Liverpool dressing room from the other side. He played for both clubs, a fact the Turkish club highlighted in its own preview of the match. Fenerbahce

Comebacks are hard to pull off against a side with Liverpool's attacking record. Fenerbahce had to answer each time they fell behind, and they did. That is the story of the night in a sentence, and it is why the scoreboard will be read closely in Istanbul and on Merseyside alike.

For neutral fans, the league phase keeps every fixture live. A single loss can shape the rest of the campaign, and a comeback like this one can change how a team sees its own chances. Liverpool have lost their perfect record, and Fenerbahce have a famous win to show for their work.