Newsletters
Besiktas bowed out of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday after a 2-0 defeat to Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in the second qualifying round return leg at Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Poland's Krakow.
Shakhtar took a 2-0 lead into halftime with goals from Kevin in the 12th minute and Elias in stoppage time (45+2). The Ukrainian side held the score through the second half to secure progression in the tournament.
Besiktas made a substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Demir Ege Tiknaz for Amir Hadziahmetovic, but failed to score and were eliminated.
Besiktas’s 2025-26 season began with two challenging matches against Shakhtar Donetsk. The black-and-white side struggled in both legs, conceding four goals in the first match and two in the return leg. Fans criticized the team’s performance following the losses.
After elimination by Shakhtar, Besiktas will continue their European campaign in the UEFA Conference League. Entering at the third qualifying round, Besiktas will face Ireland’s St. Patrick’s in the playoff for a spot in the group stage.
St. Patrick’s reached the third round by eliminating Lithuania’s Hegelmann Litauen in the first round and Estonia’s Kalju in the second.
Shakhtar Donetsk extended its unbeaten record against Turkish clubs to nine wins and one draw in 10 UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches against Fenerbahce, Basaksehir, Konyaspor, and Sivasspor. The Ukrainian club has scored 23 goals and conceded just three in these encounters.
Besiktas has faced Ukrainian teams 16 times in European competitions — 12 matches against Dinamo Kiev and two each against Metalist Kharkiv and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Across UEFA Champions League, European Champion Clubs' Cup, UEFA Cup, Europa League, and Conference League matches, Besiktas has recorded five wins, two draws, and nine losses, scoring 14 goals and conceding 36.
Besiktas has struggled to keep clean sheets in European competitions over the past three seasons, managing only four clean sheets in 24 matches.
In the 2023-24 season, they kept clean sheets against KF Tirana, Dinamo Kiev, and Lugano, and in 2024-25, against Olympique Lyon.
Over their last 24 European matches, Besiktas conceded 44 goals while scoring 41.
1 min read
1 min read
