Wilfred Ndidi gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time, and Crystal Palace went 2-1 up but could not hold on to their advantage in Istanbul.
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi put Besiktas ahead on the stroke of half-time, against the run of play. Palace still had to settle for a point, as Besiktas and Crystal Palace drew 2-2 at the Vodafone Arena in Istanbul on Thursday in the Europa League.
Palace were looking to bounce back from Sunday's 5-0 defeat at Brighton. Jean-Philippe Mateta thought he had opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but VAR ruled that he had strayed marginally offside.
Yéremy Pino drew Palace level six minutes after the restart. Anan Khalaili's cutback found him, and the offside flag went up before VAR gave the goal. Four minutes later Mateta intercepted a loose back pass, strode into the area and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. It was his first goal since last season's UEFA Conference League final, and his first start since the opening day.
Substitute Junior Olaitan levelled for Besiktas in the 73rd minute, shooting low and hard into the corner. Besiktas defender Umit Akdag was then sent off for a two-footed lunge on Jorgen Strand Larsen, who went off injured late on.
Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage told TNT he was pleased with the performance but a little frustrated with the result. He also pointed to a lack of concentration during one minute at the end of the first half.
Sage told TNT what he made of playing in Istanbul:
"It's really intense, it's crazy to play here, but I would have preferred to say it's crazy to win here."
Sage said his players "gave a lot this evening" and deserved better than the draw.
Ndidi said after the game: "I can say it was a good match. We started slowly in the first half, but we gained momentum and scored the goal." It was his first goal of the season for Besiktas.
The draw ended Palace's two-game losing run, and Besiktas kept their unbeaten run in the Europa League.
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