Beşiktaş gain advantage in the tie with 3-0 win over Kauno Zalgiris

Beşiktaş gained an important advantage on their way to the next round by defeating Lithuanian representative Kauno Zalgiris 3-0 at home in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round. The black-and-whites, managed by Vincenzo Italiano, made three changes to the starting eleven that faced Eyüpspor in the Süper Lig; Murillo and Emirhan Topçu played in defense, while Oh featured in attack. The return leg between the two teams will be played in Lithuania on Thursday, August 27.

Beşiktaş started the match quickly and took the lead as early as the 6th minute. Oh met a corner taken from the left by Rıdvan Yılmaz and headed the ball into the net. The Eagle doubled their lead in the 12th minute; Murillo rose well to another cross from Rıdvan and scored his first goal of the season, making it 2-0. In the second half, a penalty was awarded after Oh was fouled by an opposing player, and captain Orkun Kökçü converted it in the 59th minute to make it 3-0, largely deciding the outcome of the match.

The black-and-whites' star signing Dusan Vlahovic was included in the matchday squad for the first time in the game against Zalgiris. The Serbian striker started on the bench and came on in the second half, receiving a great show of affection from the fans both during warm-up and when he entered the pitch. In the 71st minute, Trossard had to leave the field injured following a challenge from an opposing player; the Belgian was replaced by Rashica.

Since the visiting team's fans showed no interest in attending the match, Beşiktaş's management put the away stand tickets up for sale to their own supporters, and the stands were largely filled. With this victory, Beşiktaş managed to score three goals against an opponent in European competitions for the first time this season. If the black-and-whites protect their advantage in the return leg in Lithuania, the team will advance to the Europa League league phase.