Wilfred Ndidi put in a decent shift in Besiktas slender 2-1 victory over Eyupspor in the Turkish Super Lig.
The match saw Tammy Abraham give Besiktas the lead with a 19th-minute penalty, but Eyupspor quickly responded through Mame Baba Thiam’s header in the 30th minute.
The game seemed headed for a draw until the 96th minute when Rafa Silva’s right-footed strike from the center of the box beat goalkeeper Marcos Felipe, securing the win for Besiktas and leaving the away fans heartbroken.
Besiktas deserved the victory after dominating possession with 54%, registering 18 shots—9 on target—and completing 377 accurate passes.
In comparison, Eyupspor had 46% possession, 11 total shots with 4 on target, and 300 accurate passes.
Besiktas summer signing Ndidi played 70 minutes in his debut. He completed 31 accurate passes, made two clearances, and was dribbled past just once. He also contributed offensively, with four passes into the final third.
After the match, Besiktas manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised his team’s performance:
“I really liked the team today. We showed great fighting spirit and created a lot of chances. The opposing goalkeeper also played brilliantly, but we didn’t give up and fought until the end.
“Rafa’s beautiful goal gave us a well-deserved victory. I’m very happy for my players and the fans today. We showed our Beşiktaş spirit. All of my players played for their jerseys. We’ll rest for a day or so, and then we’ll get ready for the Lausanne match.”
Besiktas will face Lausanne on Thursday in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Turkish side will need to give their best if they are to get into the competition’s group stage.
They will face a Swiss side that is desperate for redemption following their poor start to the season.
