Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi made his highly-anticipated debut for Besiktas on Sunday, as the Turkish giants secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Eyupsor in their Super Lig clash at the Tüpraş Stadyumu, Bold Sports reports.
The Nigerian international, who had previously only watched from the bench as a guest during Besiktas’ 3-2 playoff triumph over St Patrick’s, trained fully with the squad last week and was handed a starting role by head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Besiktas showed little sign of fatigue despite their Conference League game on Thursday and quickly imposed themselves on the contest. Their bright start was rewarded in the 17th minute when Orkun Kokcu won a penalty, coolly dispatched by former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham.
Eyupsor, however, responded with resilience and drew level by the half-hour mark as Senegalese forward Mame Baba Thiam opened his scoring account for the season. Ndidi soon picked up a yellow card but remained on the pitch until midway through the second half.
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The 28-year-old was substituted in the 70th minute, and just when the game seemed destined to finish level, Rafa Silva struck late on. The Portuguese midfielder latched onto a clever pass from Gabriel Paulista and fired home to seal victory for the hosts.
The defeat leaves Eyupsor rooted to the bottom end of the table, having lost their opening two league fixtures. They will thus be desperate to bounce back when they take on Alanyaspor in their next outing.
Besiktas, meanwhile, will shift their focus back to Europe as they prepare to face Lausanne in the first leg of their decisive Conference League qualifier later this week.
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