AI-generated illustration

Beşiktaş defeated İstanbul Başakşehir 2-0 in week nine of the Trendyol Süper Lig at Tüpraş Stadı, with Hyeon-gyu Oh and Junior Olaitan scoring in the second half. The win lifted Beşiktaş to 18 points, while Başakşehir stayed on 11.

The match was goalless until the 76th minute, when Oh opened the scoring after coming on as a substitute. Olaitan added a second in the 89th minute, and Beşiktaş kept its first clean sheet in six matches before facing the derby between title rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.

Second-half goals settle a tight match

Neither side found the net before the break in a first half short on clear chances. Ndidi headed over from Emirhan Topçu's cross in the 26th minute, and earlier had seen a header come back off the crossbar from Cerny's pass in the 17th. Olsen fired just wide in first-half stoppage time, and the teams went in level at 0-0.

The visitors created danger after the interval, with Nübel denying Kemen in the 48th minute and tipping a Shomurodov strike over the bar in the 63rd. Oh forced a difficult save from Muhammed Şengezer in the 66th before breaking the deadlock ten minutes later. Vlahovic nodded the ball into Oh's path, the South Korea international reached it ahead of the defence, rounded the goalkeeper and rolled it into the empty net.

Poku was denied by Şengezer in the 80th minute, but Beşiktaş added a second late on. Olaitan collected a ball the Başakşehir defence failed to clear and sent a precise finish into the far corner from the edge of the area in the 89th minute to make it 2-0.

Oh scores first league goal of the season

Oh, who replaced Ndidi in the 65th minute, opened his league account for the campaign with his 76th-minute goal. The forward has scored four goals in all competitions this season, including two in Beşiktaş's 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in Germany, and one against Kauno Zalgiris.

Olaitan also continued his recent scoring form. Having netted in the UEFA Europa League match against Crystal Palace earlier in the week, the winger struck from outside the box to register his first league goal of the season and seal the victory.

Oh celebrated after the final whistle by leading the traditional triple chant from the stands, then climbed into the supporters' area known as the 'set' and led the fans there in the celebration.

Home run extended and clean sheet restored

The result extended Beşiktaş's unbeaten home run this season to 10 matches at Tüpraş Stadı in Dolmabahçe, with nine wins and one draw. In the league, the team has beaten Eyüpspor, Çorum FK, Erzurumspor FK, Kocaelispor and now Başakşehir at home. In Europe the run began against Midtjylland and continued with wins over Hradec Kralove, Kauno Zalgiris and Marseille, along with a draw against Crystal Palace.

Beşiktaş also kept a clean sheet for the first time in six matches. After beginning the season with six straight shutouts, the team conceded in every game from the 3-0 victory over Erzurumspor FK onward, shipping 11 goals across matches against Marseille, Amed Sportif Faaliyetler, Kocaelispor, Hoffenheim, Trabzonspor and Crystal Palace while posting three wins, two defeats and one draw in that stretch.

Ernest Poku, signed before the season, made his first appearance in four matches. The forward had not played since the week-six game against Amed Sportif Faaliyetler, missing the Kocaelispor and Trabzonspor league fixtures and the European ties with Hoffenheim and Crystal Palace. Introduced for Vaclav Cerny in the 56th minute, Poku was head coach Vincenzo Italiano's first substitution.

Italiano praises team for winning without key players

Beşiktaş head coach Vincenzo Italiano said he was happy to win despite being unable to call on several important players. "Orkun will be back soon but I am really sorry that I could not use him and all our important weapons," Italiano told the post-match press conference. "I think the team performed great today. Winning without important names is an important thing for us. We had to be patient in the second half and we were. We found chances, scored goals and showed how dangerous we are when we switch to two strikers."

On the clean sheet, Italiano said he had told the players they lacked their former anger and had been too relaxed, giving away chances and conceding goals. "Our attention level was high today. To stay at the top you have to win every match, and your concentration has to be at the highest level. We did that well today. We played with quality, we had played on Thursday and our physical level was good. The substitutes did a good job too. We did not concede."

The Italian coach declined to put a date on Orkun Kökçü's return from treatment, saying the midfielder improves every day and is badly needed. He added that Cerny took a knock near a tendon but did not appear to have a serious problem. Italiano also said he had asked Wilfred Ndidi to join the attack and push five players forward, praising Ndidi for carrying out the plan with very little training.

Şahin accepts defeat and looks to Samsunspor

İstanbul Başakşehir head coach Nuri Şahin said Beşiktaş deserved the win. "There were positive things from our side, but we conceded from two individual mistakes and that upset me. We played far from our habits. Apart from 15 minutes I can say our defensive plan held up, but there is no room for individual mistakes against quality teams. We are sorry but we will look ahead. The Samsunspor match next week is very important. I congratulate Beşiktaş and wish them success in Europe," Şahin said.

Asked about suggestions that teams taking points off Beşiktaş do so by neutralising Salih Özcan, Şahin said it would be wrong to frame it that way, noting that he has worked with Özcan and is pleased with the midfielder's season. "Salih has been the player who wins the most ball in the league for weeks. We did not want to play around him much. Today we wanted to play more in behind the defence," Şahin said.

Key takeaways

• Beşiktaş beat İstanbul Başakşehir 2-0 to reach 18 points in the Trendyol Süper Lig, while Başakşehir stayed on 11.
• Hyeon-gyu Oh scored his first league goal of the season after coming on in the 65th minute, and Junior Olaitan added a second in the 89th.
• Beşiktaş extended its unbeaten home run to 10 matches at Tüpraş Stadı and kept its first clean sheet in six games.
• Head coach Vincenzo Italiano said winning without important players was significant, while Nuri Şahin accepted Beşiktaş deserved the victory.