Beşiktaş Held to Draw! Can They Secure the Win at Home?
Beşiktaş and Lausanne-Sport battled to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off tie. The match, played in Switzerland, saw Beşiktaş take the lead through a Milot Rashica goal in the first half, but Lausanne-Sport equalized late in the second half.
Rashica's First Goal of the Season
Milot Rashica's goal was his first of the season for Beşiktaş. The winger, who started on the right side of midfield, struck in the 45th minute to give his team the lead. This was Rashica's third goal in European competitions for the club.
Beşiktaş's Winning Streak Ends
The draw against Lausanne-Sport ended Beşiktaş's three-match winning streak. After starting the season with two losses against Shakhtar Donetsk, Beşiktaş had won three consecutive games, including two against St. Patrick's in the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds and one against Eyüpspor in the league.
Solskjaer's Post-Match Comments
Beşiktaş coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer acknowledged the challenges of the game, stating, "We saw a standard synthetic pitch match. There were a lot of counter-attacks, dribbling, and the ball moved very fast. We had more possession. Our opponent pressed us and there was a lot of counter-attacking football. I am happy with Rashica's goal and performance. It was disappointing to concede the equalizing goal when we could have found the second goal."
Injury Concerns
Solskjaer also addressed injury concerns regarding Svensson and Mert Günok, saying, "I am not sure about the condition of Svensson and Mert Günok. We will look at their situation. Both are injured. They tried themselves in training yesterday but had to leave. I am very happy with Ersi's performance. We will do our best to treat both players."
The Road Ahead
The second leg of the play-off tie will be played in Istanbul. Beşiktaş will need to win the match to advance to the group stage of the UEFA Conference League. Solskjaer acknowledged the challenge ahead: "1-1 is always an open-ended score, but sometimes you can be happy with this kind of score in Europe. The opponent is a good team, they will come to Istanbul to get something."