Benfica flavour as Besiktas disappoint in Conference League play-off | OneFootball

Besiktas suffered a setback in their trip to Lausanne, Switzerland, last Thursday, August 21, after drawing one-all (1-1) in the first leg of the play-off to access the regular phase of the Conference League. Despite lining up with four players who have been through Benfica in the starting eleven, the Turks could not confirm their favoritism.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Besiktas coach, started with four players with recent stints at Luz: Rafa, João Mário, Orkun Kökçü, and Jurásek, the latter being only on loan from Benfica. Still, none of them managed to stand out in the first leg of the play-off and avoid the draw.

Besiktas took the field with all its favoritism but, however, the game was only going the Swiss's way. Before the referee's whistle for the break, the Turks managed to counter the trend of the match and, even at 45 minutes, opened the scoring through Rashica. The Kosovar winger put the Turks ahead still in the first half.

The goal scored by Besiktas only served to push the Turks more towards their goal. Lausanne continued on top and, close to the final whistle, at 83 minutes, equalized the game through Bryan Okoh. The Turks, who struggled throughout the match, still managed to hold the draw and take the tie home.

Besiktas will decide the tie next Thursday, August 28, and do everything to secure a place in the regular phase of the Conference League, after the setback suffered in the Europa League. Rafa, João Mário, Orkun Kökçü, and Jurásek are expected to play, as they have been regularly in the starting eleven launched by Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.