Kartal was sent off in Fenerbahçe's 7-1. As coach he has now lost 6-1 and 6-0

By the Data Desk · Published 15 OCT 08:30

İsmail Kartal was the right-back sent off before half-time when Fenerbahçe lost 7-1 at Sigma Olomouc in 1992, and on Wednesday he was the coach on the bench at Villa Park for the club's first six-goal defeat in Europe since that night. Aston Villa won 6-0, the travelling fans called for his resignation in the 78th minute, and Kartal told Habertürk: "We apologise to our club and our supporters for this score."

• Fenerbahçe have lost five European matches by five goals or more; Kartal was on the pitch or on the bench for three of them: 7-1 at Sigma Olomouc (1992), 6-1 at Nordsjælland (2023) and 6-0 at Aston Villa.
• Only Benfica's 7-0 in 1975 was bigger; it is also Fenerbahçe's heaviest Champions League defeat, in their 42nd match in the competition (Sky Sports, Habertürk).
• Fenerbahçe have one point from two league-phase games and host sixth-placed Alanyaspor, one point behind them, on Saturday.

The match turned on mistakes, and Kartal said so. Johan Manzambi's 12th-minute shot deflected in off captain Milan Škriniar, Nicolas Jackson scored twice before the break, and Ross Barkley added two more after İsmail Yüksek gave away a penalty at 68 minutes; Tammy Abraham made it six in the 90th. "At this level you must not make such simple passing mistakes; when you do, they punish you very quickly," Kartal said. Then, more bluntly: "We could not have imagined a defeat like this; it is not acceptable."

Behind the scenes, Kartal explained one decision that will be argued over in Istanbul. He wanted N'Golo Kanté in central midfield at half-time, he told Habertürk, but Kanté said he was not 100 per cent ready: "If I play, it is a risk." Kartal kept his team and says it reacted well until the penalty: "After one mistake there was a penalty and the game broke." Unai Emery agreed in part: "They did not deserve 6-0," he told Sky Sports, pointing out that Oğuz Aydın hit the crossbar at 3-0.

The history explains why the defeat hit so hard in Turkey. On 4 November 1992 Fenerbahçe had won the first leg 1-0, then lost 7-1 in Olomouc and finished with eight men; Kartal's red card came at 3-1, Sözcü recalls. In November 2023 he was the coach when Nordsjælland won 6-1 in the Conference League. PSV's 6-1 in 1978 and Benfica's 7-0 in 1975 are the only other defeats of that size in the club's European record.

There is no official word on his position: Haberler.com notes the board has made no statement, and this is his fourth spell, which began on 18 June. What happens next: Fenerbahçe, fourth in the Süper Lig with 13 points and a 19-6 goal difference, host Alanyaspor at 19:00 Turkish time on Saturday 17 October. "We must forget this match," Kartal said.