Pierre Sage walked into Istanbul with a job that looked shaky and walked out with a point that does him some good. Crystal Palace twice led or levelled in a four-goal draw against Besiktas, and Jean-Philippe Mateta got the goal his performance deserved, even if the three points slipped away in the 73rd minute.
A manager under pressure
Sage is 47 and arrived in the summer to replace Oliver Glasner. He came into the night reeling from a 5-0 beating by Brighton on Sunday, which was his fifth defeat in all competitions. Nobody expected him to respond with a flawless away performance, and Palace did not quite deliver one, but they were far better than they had been at the weekend. Sage made three changes from that game, while Besiktas had made nine after losing to Trabzonspor.
The visitors started well. Mateta thought he had scored in the sixth minute, finishing off a good move, only for VAR to rule him offside. The home side then went in front just before the break. Salih Ozcan sent a pass over the top and Wilfred Ndidi, once of Leicester, strolled from midfield through a Palace defence that did not track him and finished neatly.
VAR gives, Mateta takes
This time the video review fell Palace's way. Six minutes after the restart, Yeremy Pino stretched to turn in an Anan Khalaili cross. The assistant's flag had gone up for an offside in the build-up, but it was overturned and the goal stood, Pino's fourth of the season. Four minutes later Palace were in front. Mateta pounced on a misplaced pass in the Besiktas defence and powered a superb strike in from an angle in the 55th minute. It was his first goal of the season.
Junior Olaitan spoiled it. He hit a shot from outside the area in the 73rd minute and the game was level again. Palace pushed for a winner, and Besiktas made it harder for themselves when Umit Akdag was sent off for a nasty challenge on Jorgen Strand Larsen. Strand Larsen was forced off injured later on. Daichi Kamada then went down in the area and was refused a penalty.
What the point means
It is only Palace's fourth point in this season's European campaign, so the table does not make for happy reading yet. The performance, though, is something Sage can build on after the Brighton hammering. BBC readers picked Mateta as player of the match, with an average rating of 8.13. For a striker waiting a long time to score this season, a goal like that will do his confidence no harm at all, and the manager will be hoping it travels back to the Premier League with them.
Match facts: Besiktas 2-2 Crystal Palace, UEFA Europa League league phase, Thursday 22 October 2026. Goals: Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas, shortly before half-time), Yeremy Pino (Palace, six minutes after the restart), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Palace, 55th minute), Junior Olaitan (Besiktas, 73rd minute). Red card: Umit Akdag (Besiktas). Mateta's earlier goal after six minutes was ruled out for offside.
0 Comments