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Besiktas defeated Marseille 4-1 on Thursday night at Vodafone Park in the opening match of both clubs' Europa League campaign, pulling away in the second half after the two sides had been level at the break.
The match, played before a home crowd in Istanbul, turned decisively across an 18-minute span after halftime, when Besiktas scored three times to put the result out of reach.
Besiktas took an early lead in the 15th minute when Ilhan Fakili converted from the centre of the box off a through ball from Junior Olaitan, giving the home side a 1-0 advantage.
Marseille responded in the 29th minute, as Keyliane Abdallah scored from the right side of the box after a through ball from Himad Abdelli during a fast break, leveling the score at 1-1.
The two teams went into the interval tied, having traded other chances along the way, including a save by Besiktas goalkeeper Alexander Nubel on an Abdallah effort in the 13th minute and a stop by Marseille's Jeffrey de Lange on a shot from Orkun Kokcu just before halftime.
Besiktas made one change at the break, sending on defender Tiago Djalo in place of Emmanuel Agbadou, who had picked up a yellow card in the first half for a rough challenge.
The decisive stretch of the match came after the restart. In the 56th minute, Vaclav Cerny put Besiktas back in front, finishing from the right side of the box off an assist from Kokcu. Three minutes later, Amir Murillo headed home a corner delivery, also set up by Kokcu, to make it 3-1.
Marseille had made a double substitution just before Murillo's goal, bringing on Emerson and Igor Paixao, but the changes did not stem the tide. Besiktas added a fourth in the 81st minute through substitute Ernest Poku, who finished from the centre of the box after being set up by Olaitan, extending the lead to 4-1.
The match featured several stoppages for injuries. Marseille goalkeeper de Lange required treatment in the first half, and defender Derek Cornelius was forced off in the 67th minute, replaced by Nayef Aguerd. For Besiktas, Cerny was withdrawn injured in the 71st minute and replaced by Poku, while defender Emirhan Topcu needed attention deep into stoppage time.
Both managers used the full allotment of substitutions as the match progressed. Besiktas brought on Wilfred Ndidi, Fabio Miretti and Oh Hyeon-Gyu in the second half, while Marseille introduced Amine Gouiri and Tadjidine Mmadi. Besiktas also hit the woodwork through Fakili in the 68th minute and saw further shots from Kokcu and Dusan Vlahovic saved by de Lange.
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Marseille pushed for a consolation goal late in the match, with Amine Harit forcing two efforts on target in stoppage time, including a save by Nubel, and Timothy Weah firing off target in the final minutes. Amine Harit was shown a yellow card in the 72nd minute for a foul on Topcu. Neither side found the net again, and the match ended 4-1 in favor of Besiktas after five minutes of stoppage time.
The match was played at Vodafone Park in Istanbul, Turkiye, and officiated by referee Andrea Colombo. The game was broadcast on Paramount+.
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