ISTANBUL (Interstat) — Besiktas and Crystal Palace played to a 2-2 draw on Thursday at İBB GOP Halit Kıvanç Şehir Stadı, with a late equalizer and a sending-off shaping the finish. Besiktas took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Wilfred Ndidi scored in the 45+2nd minute. Crystal Palace answered with two goals in four minutes early in the second half. Yeremi Santos leveled in the 51st minute, and Jean Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead in the 55th. Besiktas found the equalizer in the 73rd through Junior Olaitan. The home side finished with 10 men after Akdag was sent off in the 77th minute.

The first half was physical and tightly contested. Ndidi was booked in the 15th minute for Besiktas, and Santos received a yellow card in first-half stoppage time, in the 45+1st, for Crystal Palace. Besiktas broke through just before the break when Ndidi scored. The goal gave Besiktas a 1-0 halftime lead. Crystal Palace changed the match after the interval. Santos scored in the 51st minute, and Mateta scored four minutes later to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage. Mateta was substituted in the 61st minute after his goal. Palace also made a substitution at that point, with McNeil coming on. Besiktas made changes in the 64th and 75th minutes as it sought a response. Besiktas brought on Miretti in the 39th minute before the opening goal, then used substitutions in the 64th and 75th minutes to refresh its attack.

Olaitan leveled in the 73rd minute, and the goal changed the closing stage. Besiktas’s Akdag was booked in the 66th minute and then sent off in the 77th, leaving Besiktas to protect the draw with 10 men. Crystal Palace made a late substitution in the 85th minute, but neither side found a winner. The final minutes were tense as Palace tried to use the extra man. Besiktas dropped into a low block and limited clear chances, while Palace pushed numbers forward without producing a decisive finish. The draw left Crystal Palace at 0-1-1 in the competition and 2-6-2 across all competitions. Besiktas moved to 1-0-1 in the competition and 2-1-1 across all competitions. Crystal Palace had lost 5-0 at Brighton and 3-2 at Lyon in its previous two matches, while Besiktas had lost 2-0 at Trabzonspor and won 3-2 at Hoffenheim. Crystal Palace next hosts Newcastle, and Besiktas next hosts Basaksehir.

Among the key performances, Mateta finished with a goal in 61 minutes. Ndidi scored and was booked in 90 minutes. Olaitan scored. Santos scored and was booked in 72 minutes. Anan Khalaili played 90 minutes and recorded an assist for Crystal Palace. Salih Ozcan had an assist for Besiktas in 51 minutes. Khalaili’s assist and Ozcan’s assist were part of the attacking play that produced four goals. Besiktas’s red card forced the home side to defend deeper over the final minutes, while Palace could not convert its man advantage into a winning goal. Palace also used substitutions in the 61st, 72nd and 85th minutes, while Besiktas made changes in the 39th, 64th and 75th minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Besiktas 2, Crystal Palace 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Besiktas with a 73.3 percent probability to win. Besiktas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.25. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 3.5.