Fenerbahce staged a sensational comeback to defeat 10-man Besiktas 3-2 in a heated Turkish Super Lig derby on Sunday, with substitute Jhon Duran netting the decisive goal in the 83rd minute.
The Colombian forward’s late strike completed a remarkable turnaround for the visitors, who found themselves 2-0 down early in the game before the hosts imploded following a red card to Orkun Kokcu midway through the first half.
Early Control Turns to Chaos for Besiktas
Besiktas looked firmly in command after El Bilal Toure opened the scoring in the fifth minute and Emir Han Topcu doubled the advantage in the 22nd.
But the contest took a dramatic twist four minutes later when Kokcu was dismissed for a reckless tackle on Edson Álvarez.
Referee Ali Yilmaz initially brandished a yellow card but changed it to a straight red after a VAR review, a decision that sparked fury from Besiktas manager Sergen Yalcin, who was also sent off for his vehement protests.
Fenerbahce’s Fightback Begins
With their opponents reduced to 10 men, Fenerbahce seized control of the game. Ismail Yuksek pulled one back in the 32nd minute, and Marco Asensio brought them level just before halftime, smashing home in the 48th minute of first-half stoppage time.
Asensio’s contribution was even more remarkable given that he had earlier been struck on the head by an object thrown from the stands while preparing to take a corner in the 30th minute.
Tactical Changes Pay Off
Fenerbahce manager İsmail Kartal reshaped his team after the break, introducing Talisca for added creativity. Further substitutions saw Oguz Aydin come on in the 72nd minute, with Duran and Sebastian Szymanski also joining the fray in the 66th and 80th minutes respectively.
The pressure eventually told as Duran, with fresh legs and sharp instinct, struck the winner seven minutes from time, sending the away fans into raptures and sealing all three points for Fenerbahce.
Stats Tell the Story
The numerical advantage proved decisive as Fenerbahce dominated the second half, recording 23 shots to Besiktas’s nine and enjoying nearly 69% of possession.
The win lifted them to 22 points (6-4-0 record), while Besiktas remained on 17 points (5-2-3).
Penalty Drama and Heated Moments
The derby wasn’t without controversy, with Fenerbahce denied two penalty appeals involving Kerem Akturkoglu in the first half. In the 13th minute, Akturkoglu appeared to be clipped by Gabriel Paulista, but VAR chose not to intervene.
Later, in stoppage time, he was again brought down by Salih Ucan, but referee Yilmaz waved play on despite initially signaling a potential review.
Tensions flared late on, with several yellow cards handed out, including bookings for Duran, Akturkoglu, Álvarez, and Nelson Semedo of Fenerbahce, while Topcu was cautioned for Besiktas.
Despite late introductions of Tammy Abraham (86’) and Milot Rashica (58’), Besiktas could not prevent Fenerbahce from snatching a stunning derby victory in Istanbul.
