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Three Turkish teams suffered setbacks in European competition Thursday, with two clubs falling behind in their respective playoff ties while a third managed a crucial away draw.
Istanbul Basaksehir endured their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at home to Romanian side Universitatea Craiova in the UEFA Conference League playoff round first leg. The orange and navy blues, who had been unbeaten through their first five matches across all competitions this season, now face elimination from European competition.
Craiova took control with goals from Alexandru Cicaldau in first-half stoppage time and Carlos Mora in the 61st minute. Basaksehir's lone response came late through Festy Ebosele in the 87th minute, giving the Turkish side a slim lifeline heading into next week's second leg in Romania.
The match was marred by injury concerns for Basaksehir when Brazilian defender Leo Duarte suffered a knee injury in the 43rd minute while defending inside the penalty area. The 29-year-old center-back was stretchered off and replaced by Jerome Opoku.
Samsunspor fell 2-1 to Panathinaikos in Athens in their Europa League playoff first leg. The Turkish side took an early lead through Rick van Drongelen's header in the 51st minute, but the Greek champions responded with second-half goals from Georgios Kiriakopoulos and Palmer-Brown to secure a crucial advantage.
Besiktas salvaged a 1-1 draw away to Swiss side Lausanne in Conference League action. Milot Rashica opened the scoring for the Black Eagles in the 45th minute, marking his first goal of the season, before Lausanne equalized through an 83rd-minute corner that deflected off Okoh's knee.
The result ended Besiktas's three-match winning streak but keeps their European hopes alive heading into the return leg in Istanbul on August 28. However, the draw continued a concerning defensive trend for Besiktas, who have now conceded goals in all six matches they have played this season, allowing 11 goals across those fixtures.
All three Turkish clubs will have another opportunity to advance when the playoff second legs take place on August 28, with Besiktas hosting Lausanne while Basaksehir and Samsunspor face away trips to Romania and Greece respectively.
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