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Beşiktaş drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the third week of the UEFA Europa League, recovering from a second-half deficit to extend its unbeaten run in the competition. Wilfred Ndidi put the Turkish side ahead before halftime, only for the English club to score twice within five minutes after the break.

Junior Olaitan equalized in the 73rd minute at Tüpraş Stadium, where Beşiktaş dropped points for the first time this season. The result left Beşiktaş on seven points after winning its opening two matches, while Crystal Palace, last season's Conference League winner, moved up to four.

First half

Crystal Palace went close in the 15th minute when Richards, arriving from defense to meet a free kick taken by Pino, headed just over the crossbar from the left edge of the penalty area. In the 30th minute, goalkeeper Nübel held Mateta's shot from close range at the near post after Wharton's corner from the right.

Beşiktaş took the lead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. Salih Özcan played a long ball behind the defense, Ndidi brought it under control and finished with his left foot into the far corner from the left side of the box, making it 1-0. The home side went into the break with that advantage.

Palace turn the game around

Crystal Palace equalized in the 50th minute. Khalaili cut the ball back from the right, and Pino slid in to direct it past Nübel and into the net. Five minutes later the visitors were ahead, capitalizing on a mistake by Tiago Djalo, whose back pass near the right touchline was intercepted by Mateta. The forward drove into the box from the left and beat Nübel at the near post to make it 2-1.

Beşiktaş responded in the 73rd minute. Olaitan collected a ball the defense had failed to clear, escaped two opponents just outside the arc and struck cleanly into the far corner for 2-2. The match ended level.

First home points dropped

The draw was Beşiktaş's first dropped points at Tüpraş Stadium this season and its first draw in any competition. The club had won all of its previous home matches in Dolmabahçe, against Midtjylland, Hradec Kralove, Eyüpspor, Kauno Zalgiris, Çorum FK, Erzurumspor FK, Marseille and Kocaelispor, and its unbeaten home run continued.

Conceding twice also extended a slide at the other end. Beşiktaş kept clean sheets in its first six matches of the season, winning them all, but has failed to stop its opponents from scoring in the last six: against Marseille, Amed Sportif Faaliyetler, Kocaelispor, Hoffenheim, Trabzonspor and Crystal Palace. Its last clean sheet came in a 3-0 win over Erzurumspor FK, and across the six matches since it has recorded three wins and three defeats.

Olaitan on target, Akdağ sent off

Olaitan's equalizer was his first goal of the season and the first European goal of his career. The forward has been one of the standout performers for Beşiktaş this term.

Ümit Akdağ, signed before the season, was sent off in his first appearance in front of the Beşiktaş fans at Dolmabçe. Akdağ committed a hard foul on Larsen as Crystal Palace launched a dangerous attack and received a red card in the 77th minute, leaving Beşiktaş with ten men.

Fabio Miretti became the latest player to join Beşiktaş's injury list. The Italian midfielder hurt his shoulder in a midfield challenge in the 36th minute and could not continue. After the medical staff assessed Miretti on and off the pitch, head coach Vincenzo Italiano sent on Salih Özcan in the 39th minute.

Coaches assess the draw

Italiano said the point was significant. "We finished the first half well but did not start the second half the same way. If Ümit had not been sent off we might have won. We played against a very good team. We had to rotate because there was a lot of fatigue," he told reporters, adding that the plan had been to bring on Cerny, Olaitan and Murillo after the 70th minute to change the game. "I can say we took a very important point. There is a concentration problem in the team and we have to eliminate it. We are unbeaten in Europe in such a group."

Italiano said a crowded schedule forced rotation and raised the risk of injuries, citing Orkun's loss in the Hoffenheim match last week and Miretti's injury. "Miretti will not be available for the Başakşehir match. We have to rotate," he said, adding that the squad must aim to finish in the top eight or top 24 and that more points would be needed, recalling that 15 or 16 points were not enough to reach the top eight with Bologna last season. On the run without a clean sheet, he said: "We are conceding easy goals and gifting the opponent chances. This is an issue that bothers me. We have to get back to how we were and solve this problem by working hard."

Crystal Palace head coach Pierre Sage said his side had done enough to win. "We controlled the game more than Beşiktaş, but Beşiktaş are a good team. Good teams like Beşiktaş do not need many chances to score. I think we carried out the decisions we made before the match and stuck to our plans," Sage said. "In the end we did not reach the result we wanted. I think we showed enough performance to win. Beşiktaş showed that performance. We tried to stop them from playing, that was our aim."

Key takeaways

• Beşiktaş drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in the UEFA Europa League after leading 1-0 at halftime through Wilfred Ndidi's goal.
• Crystal Palace scored twice in five minutes after the break through Pino and Mateta before Junior Olaitan equalized in the 73rd minute.
• It was Beşiktaş's first home points dropped this season and its first draw in all competitions, leaving the club on seven points.
• Ümit Akdağ was sent off in the 77th minute on his home debut, and Fabio Miretti went off with a shoulder injury in the first half.