Beşiktaş rout Marseille 4-1 in Europa League opener
Turkish side Beşiktaş defeated France's Olympique Marseille 4-1 in their opening UEFA Europa League match in Istanbul, turning a 1-1 halftime draw into a comfortable second-half victory.
The match
On 17 September, Beşiktaş hosted Olympique Marseille at the Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul in the opening round of the UEFA Europa League. The home side won 4-1.
Beşiktaş took the lead in the 15th minute through young forward İlhan Fakılı, who finished off a pass from Junior Olaitan. Marseille equalized in the 29th minute when Keyliane Abdallah scored to make it 1-1, the score at halftime.
Beşiktaş dominated the second half. In the 56th minute, Vaclav Cerny found the net off the near post to restore the lead at 2-1. Three minutes later, defender Amir Murillo headed in a corner against his former club to make it 3-1. Substitute Ernest Poku sealed the 4-1 result in the 81st minute, scoring his first goal for Beşiktaş.
Coaches' reactions
Beşiktaş head coach Vincenzo Italiano said after the match that his team "did a great job," aside from the final 10 minutes of the first half, and thanked the fans for their support. He also praised young forward İlhan Fakılı for his contribution in both attack and defense.
Marseille coach Bruno Genesio suffered his second defeat in Istanbul: he previously lost 1-2 there with Olympique Lyon in the 2016-17 Europa League, according to Sporx.com.
Context
The match was officiated by an Italian referee. Both teams had eight shots in the first half, two of which were on target for each side. Beşiktaş defender Emanuel Agbadou received a yellow card and was substituted at halftime. The match was broadcast live on TRT 1 in Turkey, according to Haberler.com.
