Galatasaray and Besiktas Won, Fenerbahce Drew
Our representatives Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas played their third matches in the UEFA Europa League, while Basaksehir took to the field in the UEFA Conference League’s second week. With Turkish teams securing 2 wins out of 4 matches, the gap with Czech representatives—who dropped points—narrowed.
In France, Besiktas faced Lyon in the UEFA Europa League’s third week, where they claimed their first points in the tournament with a 1-0 victory. The first half remained goalless at 0-0.
FIRST HALF VAR DECISIONS
In the 26th minute, Lyon’s Lacazette found the net, but VAR ruled the goal offside due to Tolisso’s position. Shortly after, Lyon was awarded a penalty when Lacazette was fouled in the box by Emirhan, but VAR overturned the decision, deeming the foul outside the area.
GEDSON SCORES THE WINNER
At the 71st minute, Gedson Fernandes scored, giving Besiktas a 1-0 lead that held until the final whistle. This victory brought Besiktas their first points in the Europa League, while Lyon remained at 6 points.
FENERBAHCE SHAKES BUT DOESN’T BREAK
Fenerbahce hosted Manchester United in their third match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Manchester United took the lead in the 15th minute with Christian Eriksen’s goal, but Youssef En-Nesyri equalized for Fenerbahce in the 49th minute. Despite their dominance in Kadikoy, Fenerbahce settled for a draw, raising their points to 5, while Manchester United’s three consecutive draws left them with 3 points.
GOAL FEST WIN FOR GALATASARAY
Galatasaray faced Swedish side Elfsborg at RAMS Park, where they led 3-0 at halftime and eventually won 4-3. Goals from Mauro Icardi, an own goal by Pettersson, Baris Alper Yilmaz, and Yunus Akgun secured the victory, bringing Galatasaray to 7 points.
SHOCKING LOSS FOR BASAKSEHIR
In the UEFA Conference League’s second week, Basaksehir played against Celje, coached by Albert Riera, and suffered a 5-1 defeat. The Slovenian side opened the scoring in the 5th minute through Svetlin, with Brnic and Seslar extending the lead in the first half. Basaksehir’s only goal came from Pelkas in the 75th minute, but Kucys finalized the score at 5-1. Basaksehir ended the week point-less, while Celje earned their first points.
FOCUS ON COUNTRY COEFFICIENT
Following the results, attention turned to the UEFA Country Coefficient Ranking. With Czech representatives dropping points, Turkey’s wins helped reduce the gap. Turkey’s country points rose to 38.300, while Czechia stands at 40.650.
Here’s the updated UEFA Country Coefficient Ranking after the week in the Europa and Conference Leagues:
1- ENGLAND 94.303
2- ITALY 82.856
3- SPAIN 77.275
4- GERMANY 75.160
5- FRANCE 62.236
6- NETHERLANDS 57.400
7- PORTUGAL 54.216
8- BELGIUM 47.200
9- CZECHIA 40.650
10- TURKEY 38.300
