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Besiktas secured their place in the UEFA Conference League play-offs Thursday night after a dramatic 3-2 home victory over St. Patrick's Athletic, advancing 7-3 on aggregate despite an early shock at Dolmabahce Stadium.
The Turkish giants entered the second leg with a commanding 4-1 advantage from Dublin but found themselves in unexpected trouble when the Irish visitors scored twice in the opening 34 minutes through a third-minute penalty and a strike from Ryan McLaughlin.
Conor Carty converted the early penalty after VAR confirmed a handball by Gabriel Paulista, before McLaughlin doubled the visitors' lead with what match reports described as a "brilliant shot."
The hostile home crowd began whistling their own team as St. Patrick's threatened to complete an unlikely comeback that would have eliminated Besiktas from European competition.
However, Besiktas responded before halftime when Demir Ege scored in the 43rd minute following a scramble in the penalty area after Orkun Kokcu's free kick.
The hosts completed their recovery in the second half with goals from Tammy Abraham in the 49th minute and Joao Mario in the 79th minute. Abraham's strike came after combining with Rafa Silva from Emirhan Topcu's cross, while Mario's goal effectively sealed the tie.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made tactical adjustments at halftime, bringing on Felix Uduokhai and Ernest Muci, with the latter nearly adding a fourth goal late in the match when his shot hit the crossbar after rounding the goalkeeper.
"Today we want to win," Solskjaer had said before kickoff. "We want to improve ourselves compared to last week. We want to gain rhythm. We want to give the team confidence, rhythm and quality at the start of the season."
Türkiye national team coach Vincenzo Montella watched from the stands alongside Besiktas chairman Serdal Adali, while new signing Wilfred Ndidi was also present but unable to participate due to UEFA registration requirements.
The victory sets up a play-off round clash with Swiss side Lausanne-Sport as Besiktas continues their European campaign.
Fans displayed Palestinian solidarity banners before kickoff, with messages reading "Palestine will be free! World will be free! No to war!"
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