Fenerbahce began their Europa League campaign under Jose Mourinho with a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise, both teams finishing with ten players. Çağlar Söyüncü scored the opener in the 26th minute, followed by an own goal from Christian Burgess that made it 2-0 in the 82nd minute. Ross Sykes netted a stoppage-time goal for Union, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome. Union's Kevin Mac Allister and Fenerbahce's Bright Osayi-Samuel were both sent off during the match. This new Europa League format features all 36 teams in a single standings, with each team playing eight matches through January. Mourinho, familiar with the competition after past successes, emphasized the importance of accumulating points in this format.