Aston Villa picked up a dominant win over Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday evening and the result hasn’t gone down well in Turkey.
The 6-0 triumph saw Ross Barkley and Nicolas Jackson grab a brace each, as Johan Manzambi and Tammy Abraham got the two others. The Turkish side had stars like Mason Greenwood, Romelu Lukaku, Matteo Guendouzi, Milan Skriniar and Nathan Ake feature, and expected more.
It was Aston Villa’s second win in the competition, better than they’ve been doing in the Premier League so far.
Things look a bit ugly for Fenerbahce, who found themselves in a chaotic situation after their draw against Roma. İsmail Kartal resigned as manager, only for the club to reject his move and eventually persuade him to return.
Turkish football is no stranger to any of it and it broke out again last night.
Romelu Lukaku becomes target
Analyst Sinan Engin was present on Asist Analiz’s coverage of the game and he picked out Romelu Lukaku for his performance and fitness.
Engin made it clear that the 33-year-old Belgian is out of shape and gaining weight, which was clear against Aston Villa.
“Aren’t you a little ashamed? Since you’ve been here, don’t you ever look in the mirror? Don’t you see for yourself what you’re up to?
“I tell you that you shouldn’t eat after six o’clock in the evening. You are gaining weight. Hire a dietitian. Find a personal fitness coach for yourself.
“Look, I really wonder if Lukaku is truly that good. There are so many other names you would mention first. Okay, he has had a great career, no doubt about that, but how on earth did you score so many goals?”
The pundit was also not happy with how Fener fold in European competitions, even if they impress in domestic competition.
“In the Turkish league, we are supposedly great, fantastic, and brilliant. We win by three goals and think we are the best. But as soon as our clubs represent our country in Europe, the reality becomes clear.”
Romelu Lukaku
Last three seasons — all club competitions
| Season / club | Apps | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Mins per goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 Napoli |
38 | 2,897 | 14 | 11 | 206.9 |
| 2025/26 Napoli |
7 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 63.0 |
| 2026/27 Fenerbahçe — ongoing |
10 | 222 | 0 | 1 | — |
Minutes per goal = minutes played divided by goals. A dash indicates no goals scored. The 2025/26 figure is based on one goal in just 63 minutes.
Source: Opta Analyst. Updated: 15 October 2026.
Defeat is clearly embarrassing
Beyond the scoreline, Fenerbahce were facing against Aston Villa when they haven’t been at their best in the Premier League. They have only a single win in the league and that came against Tottenham before the international break.
It was the perfect time to play against them but the opposite stood true. That should be the most disappointing part of the scenario.
On the flipside, Fener still have six games to go through. They were actually the better team against AS Roma in the opening game, which suggests things could yet take a positive turn.
