The Istanbul derby delivered its usual dose of chaos and controversy as Nigerian internationals Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi found themselves at the heart of a gripping 1-1 draw between Galatasaray and Besiktas at Rams Park, Soccernet.ng reports.
Tammy Abraham scored for the visitors, Davinson Sánchez saw red before half-time, and Ndidi’s costly lapse gifted Ilkay Gündoğan the equaliser that preserved Galatasaray’s unbeaten start to the Turkish Super Lig season.
Besiktas struck first through Abraham in the 12th minute, pouncing on Galatasaray’s sluggish start.
But the complexion of the derby changed dramatically when Davinson Sánchez saw red just after the half-hour mark for a reckless challenge, leaving Galatasaray to fight the rest of the match with ten men.
For all of Galatasaray’s spirit, their equaliser owed more to Besiktas’ error than their own invention.
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Ndidi, calm and composed for much of the night, was caught dawdling in possession by Lucas Torreira, who swiftly released Ilkay Gündoğan.
The former Manchester City man made no mistake, driving his finish beyond Mert Günok to level in the 55th minute.
It was a rare lapse in a generally tidy performance for a frustrated Ndidi.
Earlier, the former Leicester City midfielder had stepped in to defuse tensions when Osimhen clashed with Emirhan Topçu following a crunching tackle. Both men were booked, but it was the kind of flashpoint that pointed to the fiery nature of the derby.
Osimhen, meanwhile, cut an isolated figure in attack until he was replaced by Mauro Icardi with four minutes left. The Nigerian forward, fresh off his Champions League heroics against Liverpool, found little service as Besiktas sat deep to preserve their lead.
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk hailed his side’s resilience after the match:
“I’m proud of my players’ fight. They fought all game, ten men against eleven. Despite coming off a very difficult match, they displayed a very important example of fight today. We could have won the match; we created chances. At the end of the day, we were disappointed to drop a point. Still, the fight they put up was crucial.”
The draw ended Galatasaray’s perfect start to the Turkish Super Lig but kept them top on 22 points from eight games. Besiktas, fifth with 13 points, will take heart from a disciplined performance against their city rivals.
Both Osimhen and Ndidi now switch focus to international duty, joining the Super Eagles in Polokwane ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin Republic later this month.