Wilfred Ndidi scored his first goal of the season as 10-man Besiktas battled to a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in their UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday.
The Super Eagles captain opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, but Crystal Palace responded with two quick goals after the break to take the lead. Substitute Junior Olaïtan rescued a point for the Turkish side before Besiktas were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages.
Ndidi broke the deadlock with an impressive finish after Salih Özcan picked out his forward run with a perfectly weighted long pass. The midfielder controlled the ball with his right foot before firing a left-footed effort into the bottom corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Crystal Palace responded strongly after the restart and restored parity six minutes into the second half through Yéremi Pino, who slid in to meet Anan Khalaili’s cross and guide the ball beyond goalkeeper Alexander Nübel.
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Although Pino was initially flagged offside, the goal was awarded following a VAR review.
The visitors completed their comeback just four minutes later when Jean-Philippe Mateta capitalised on a loose back pass from Tiago Djalo before rifling the ball into the net to put Palace ahead 2-1.
However, Besiktas refused to surrender on home soil and found their equaliser in the 73rd minute. Olaïtan intercepted a loose clearance from Khalaili, skipped past two defenders and fired a low shot beyond goalkeeper Walter Benítez to restore parity.
The hosts’ task became more difficult four minutes later when Ümit Akdağ was shown a straight red card for a two-footed tackle on Jorgen Strand Larsen, leaving Besiktas to navigate the closing stages with 10 men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Besiktas remained resolute defensively to preserve the draw and extend their unbeaten start in the Europa League. The result also marked their fifth consecutive European home match without defeat.
The draw leaves Besiktas eighth in the Europa League standings with seven points from three matches, while Crystal Palace occupy 15th place with four points.
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