From Istanbul – Ahmed Hassan (Anadolu Agency)

The victory comes as part of Besiktas's efforts to boost their European campaign this season.

Turkish side Besiktas secured a first-leg victory over Danish visitors Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, beating them 1-0 on Thursday at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul.

The return leg will be held in Denmark on July 30, 2026, to determine who advances to the third round, where the winner will face the victor of the tie between Norwegian Tromso and Czech Hradec Kralove.

Besiktas started the match with an active attack and had several chances, but a strong blow came for the Danish side when their Nigerian player Friday Etim was sent off in the 15th minute for a violent tackle on Portuguese Tiago Dakhalu.

Besiktas took advantage of the numerical disadvantage and opened the scoring in the 26th minute through Orkun Kokcu, who received a pass from Vaclav Cerny and fired an accurate shot from outside the area with his right foot.

Besiktas almost scored a second goal when Ilhan Vakili sent a cross from the left wing into the penalty area, but Panamanian Amir Murillo's shot was saved by goalkeeper Olafsson, hitting the crossbar and bouncing back into play.

In the second half, Besiktas continued their dominance with several attempts but lacked effectiveness, while the visitors almost scored an equalizer in the 79th minute when Filip Billing shot with his left foot from inside the penalty area, but German goalkeeper Alexander Nobel made a brilliant save.

Besiktas, the historic Turkish club, aims to reach the group stage of the Europa League. Midtjylland, the strong Danish opponent, will seek to make up ground at home in the second leg. The return leg scheduled for July 30, 2026, will be decisive in determining who qualifies for the third round. The winner will face the victor of the tie between Norwegian Tromso and Czech Hradec Kralove.