The pressure may still be on Pierre Sage, but Palace showed plenty of character in Istanbul as they battled back to claim a hard-earned draw against Besiktas in the Europa Conference League.
MATCH INFORMATION
| 22 October 2026 – 8pm |
| Besiktas 2-2 Crystal Palace |
| Europa League |
| Tupras Stadium |
OFFICIALS
| Referee | Danny MAKKELIE (NED) |
| VAR | Jeroen MANSCHOT (NED) |
| Assistant Referees | Hessel STEEGSTRA (NED), Jan de VRIES (NED) |
| Fourth Official | Martjin VOS (NED) |
| Assistant VAR | Stan TEUBEN (NED) |
PLAYER RATINGS
Crystal Palace
| 44 | Walter BENITEZ | 5.6 |
| 25 | Anan KHALAILI | 7.2 |
| 3 | Tyrick MITCHELL | 6.7 |
| 26 | Chris RICHARDS | 6.5 |
| 5 | Axel DISASI | 7.1 |
| 6 | Jaydee CANVOT | 6.7 |
| 18 | Daichi KAMADA | 6.0 |
| 20 | Adam WHARTON © | 6.8 |
| 11 | Dwight MCNEIL | 6.9 |
| 10 | Yeremy PINO | 7.8 |
| 14 | Jean-Philippe MATETA | 7.3 |
| 7 | Ismaila SARR (MCNEIL 61 mins) | 6.1 |
| 9 | Eddie NKETIAH (LARSEN (85 mins) | 6.0 |
| 19 | Will HUGHES | – |
| 21 | Honest AHANOR | – |
| 22 | Jorgen Strand LARSEN (MATETA 61 mins) | 5.9 |
| 24 | Dario OSORIO (PINO 72 mins) | 5.9 |
| 30 | Oscar MINGUEZA | – |
| 31 | Remi MATTHEWS | – |
| 33 | Ben CHILWELL | – |
| 37 | George KING | – |
| 54 | Dean BENEMAR | – |
| 81 | Lucca BENETTON | – |
Besiktas
| 1 | Alexander NUBEL | 6.0 |
| 22 | Taylan BULUT | 6.4 |
| 35 | Tiago DJALO | 5.8 |
| 50 | Umit AKDAG | 5.6 |
| 11 | Kassoum OUATTARA | 6.1 |
| 8 | Kartal YILMAZ | 6.2 |
| 4 | Wilfred NDIDI © | 7.6 |
| 21 | Fabio MIRETTI | 6.4 |
| 29 | Ilhan FAKILI | 6.1 |
| 19 | Leandro TROSSARD | 6.5 |
| 9 | Hyeongyu OH | 6.2 |
| 6 | Salih OZCAN (MIRETTI 39 mins) | 7.2 |
| 12 | Emmanuel AGBADOU | – |
| 15 | Junior OLAITAN (YILMAZ 64 mins) | 7.6 |
| 17 | Ernest POKU | – |
| 18 | Vaclav CERNY (FAKILI 75 mins) | 6.2 |
| 28 | Dusan VLAHOVIC (OH 75 mins) | 6.1 |
| 33 | Ridvan YILMAZ | – |
| 53 | Emirhan TOPCU | – |
| 58 | Yasin OZCAN | – |
| 62 | Michael MURILLO (BULUT 64 mins) | 6.0 |
| 90 | Semih KILICSOY | – |
POST GAME QUOTES
PIERRE SAGE
“I am happy and I am proud of the players. We have shown a good performance. Sometimes you create the right conditions for winning but you do not get the result you expect.”
JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA
“I feel good for scoring but we could not win in the end. We deserved more but we had a draw. We will take the point and work on building on this result.”
MATCH STATISTICS
| Star Man | Yeremy PINO (7.8) |
| Goals | Wilfred NDIDI (45+1), Yeremy PINO (51), Jean-Philippe MATETA (55), Junior OLAITAN (73) |
| Assists | Salih OZCAN (45+1). Anan KHALAILI (51) |
| Most shots | Jean-Philippe MATETA (2) |
| Most tackles | Dwight MCNEIL (6) |
| Most dribbles | Junior OLAITAN, Adam WHARTON (2) |
| Team rating | 6.37 – 6.56 |
| Total shots | 5 – 8 |
| Shots on target | 2 – 3 |
| Yellow cards | Wilfred NDIDI (15), Yeremy PINO (46), Umit AKDAG (66) |
| Red cards | Umit AKDAG (77) |
| Possession | 59.1% – 40.9% |
| Pass success | 82% – 74% |
| Passes | 4 – 6 |
| Dribbles | 17 – 13 |
| Aerials won | 17 – 17 |
| Tackles | 18 – 19 |
| Fouls | 11 – 16 |
| Corners | 1 – 3 |
| Saves | 1 – 0 |
| Dispossessed | 9 – 11 |
TEB VERDICT
Palace’s European adventure remains very much alive after a spirited draw in Istanbul, but this was another evening that highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of Sage’s side.
In one of the most intimidating atmospheres they will face all season, the Eagles showed resilience, personality and no shortage of attacking threat to come away with a valuable point. Twice Palace responded to adversity, refusing to let the occasion or the home crowd overwhelm them, and there was a determination about their play that has sometimes been missing in recent weeks.
However, the same old defensive questions continue to linger. Palace once again looked vulnerable when put under sustained pressure, and while four points from three European fixtures represents excellent business, fans remain concerned by how easily opponents are finding opportunities against them.
Ultimately, this was a night to take positives. A draw away to Besiktas is a result many would have accepted before kick-off, and Palace’s character ensured they got exactly what they deserved. The pressure on Sage has not disappeared, but this felt like a step in the right direction rather than another stumble.
TEB RATING – 7.5/10; Not perfect, but encouraging. Palace showed fight, quality and togetherness in a hostile environment, earning a point that could prove crucial in their quest to progress in Europe.
LEAGUE POSITION
| P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
| 14 | Real Sociedad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 16 | Sparta Prague | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
UPCOMING FIXTURES
| DATE | TEAM | LOCATION | COMPETITION | KICK OFF TIME |
| 25/10/2026 | Newcastle United | Home | Premier League | 2pm |
| 28/10/2026 | Fulham | Away | League Cup | 7.45pm |
| 31/10/2026 | Tottenham Hotspur | Away | Premier League | 5.30pm |
