Olaitan salvages Besiktas draw as Crystal Palace collapse late on in Istanbul

Olaitan strikes from the bench to deny Palace

Junior Olaitan came off the bench to help Besiktas come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Europa League, rescuing a point for the hosts despite finishing the game with 10 men.

Wilfred Ndidi had given Besiktas the lead on the stroke of half-time, but quickfire goals from Yeremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta after the break flipped the script. Olaitan had the final say, intercepting a loose Anan Khalaili clearance, skipping past two defenders and sending a skidding shot beyond Walter Benitez in the 73rd minute.

Palace start brightly but cannot see it out

Palace thought they had made a dream start when Mateta picked out the bottom-left corner after six minutes, but he had strayed narrowly offside. Chris Richards' looping header then struck the roof of the net, and Mateta scuffed a volley into Alexander Nubel's gloves from a corner on the half-hour mark.

Besiktas took the lead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, when Ndidi plucked a long ball out of the air and drilled a low shot past Benitez.

Palace started the second half well and were rewarded. Pino was initially flagged offside before a VAR review awarded the equaliser in the 51st minute. Mateta then put Palace in front just four minutes later, pouncing on a loose back pass from Tiago Djalo to rifle in his first goal of the season.

Akdag red card adds late tension

Besiktas set up a nervy ending for themselves four minutes after Olaitan's goal, when Umit Akdag lunged in with a two-footed tackle on Jorgen Strand Larsen and was shown a straight red card. The hosts held on for a point.

Pressure mounts on Sage

The result will do little to ease the pressure on Palace boss Pierre Sage. Reports earlier this week suggested his position was precarious after Palace were thrashed 5-0 by Brighton in the Premier League, meaning Palace would have wanted three points from the Tupras Stadyumu.

Palace have struggled defensively this term, keeping just one clean sheet in their last 16 games on the road in all competitions and conceding 33 goals in that time. Their 0.4 expected goals (xG) from eight attempts also highlighted their lack of bite in attack.

Mateta's goal was a relief, however. It was his first of the season and takes his tally to 63 goals in all competitions for Palace, 26 more than any other player since his debut in February 2021 (Eberechi Eze is next on 37).

Besiktas extended their unbeaten start in the Europa League (W2 D1) and have now gone five games without defeat on home soil in Europe (W4 D1 including qualifiers).