Besiktas-Midtjylland UEL Second Qualifying Round Summary
- therookiereporters
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
The Danish Wolves met the Turkish Eagles on the way to continental football. In this article, we’ll have a look at the clash between Midtjylland and Besiktas in the Second Qualifying Round of the Europa League.
Despite being mostly left under the domestic shadow of Copenhagen and Brøndby , Midtjylland have been making slow but steady progress in recent years. They achieved their best run yet last season, reaching the Round of 16 in UEL, but they couldn’t prevent Nottingham Forest on Forest Ground from taking them out in penalties and making further progress. Mike Tullberg’s Wolves concluded the Danish Superliga in the second place last season, behind the surprise champions Aarhus GF to earn themselves a spot in UEL Qualifiers and they added a Danish Cup victory to their productive 2025/2026 season.
The 22-year old striker Franculino is highlighted as the team’s most crucial attacking asset in front. With the total 25 goal contributions he made last season, he’s been linked with a move to bigger clubs this summer and yet, he stayed so far. By adding an experienced Rasmus Kristensen from Eintracht Frankfurt to the captaincy role and a young Kjell Waetjen from Borussia Dortmund, the Danish team became a side not to be underestimated, much like most of the Scandinavian sides during early parts of the season.
Meanwhile, the Turkish side Besiktas, who have rather fond memories in this competition, attempts to find their way back to European football. Since their last successful campaign in the Turkish Super League in the 2020/2021 season, the Black Eagles were struggling to find consistency on and off the pitch. Constant changes of coaches and club management left the team and their passionate fans exhausted over the recent years. However, despite the trophyless last season without European football under Sergen Yalcin, they still managed to finish the league in fourth place to secure a UEL Qualifiers spot.
After Yalcin leaving the post at the end of the season, Besiktas have brought Vincenzo Italiano in for managerial role, who helped Bologna win their first domestic cup in 51 years. The Italian manager also reached Conference League Finals with Fiorentina twice without lifting the trophy and gave Spezia their first-ever Italian top flight promotion in the 2019/2020 season. He’s known for playing a high-pressing and disciplined attacking football, which usually suits the Black Eagles’ game philosophies. This matchup marked his official debut with the Turkish side and as much as his own debut, the fans were also excited to see their exciting new arrivals.
Besiktas spent a very active transfer season so far, signing 6 new players including Alexander Nübel, Salih Özcan and part of the most recent Premier League Champions Leandro Trossard. While 5 of these new arrivals were picked into the squad to be ready for their debuts, the Belgian winger was left out for a rest after the World Cup. With their adjusted squad rallied by the captain Orkun Kökcü, Besiktas is prepared to start their season in this close European tie.
In the first-ever matchup between these two teams, here’s how their Europa League Second Qualifying Round went over two games.
First Game:
The first leg of the tie took place at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on 23rd of July. Orkun Kökcü’s technical, curling long-range effort in the 26th minute gave Black Eagles the edge over their Danish opponents for a 1-0 victory at home. Midtjylland found themselves in early trouble after Friday Etim’s red card and Besiktas made good use of it with the home crowd behind. However, the Turkish side could have gone for a way greater gap, if it wasn’t for Elías Ólafsson’s impressive goalkeeping performance and Junior Olaitan’s lack of clinical finishing. The effective role of full-backs in both defensive and attacking display stood out from the first game of Italiano, especially with Amir Murillo, who came very close to scoring goals. Despite being a man down, the Wolves also found some good chances with Franculino and Billing, including a clear opportunity in the closing stages of the second half, but they got denied by the debuting Nübel, who has shown great composure between the posts. Alongside the German keeper, Salih Özcan, Ilhan Fakili and Kassoum Ouattara also played their first game for the Black Eagles.
Second Game:
Exactly one week after the first leg, two teams met at MHC Stadium in Herning, Denmark. With super-sub Milot Rashica’s goal and once again Orkun Kökcü’s penalty, Besiktas took a 2-0 victory in a challenging away game. The first half was mostly under Midtjylland’s control, putting the Black Eagles under serious pressure. The goal posts denied Franculino twice, including a classy left-footed trivela attempt of the young striker. Despite the pressurising hosts, Besiktas did a good job to avoid conceding with their defence led by Tiago Djalo and their resistance paid off later on. Besiktas took the momentum on their side entering the second half and it got worse for the Wolves, as Martin Erlic got sent off due to fouling Hyeon-gyu Oh and left his side 10-men in this game too, which eventually led to the Black Eagles’ goals. Olaitan and Oh redeemed their goalless first leg performance with their presence in the goals’ build-up. The Beninese attacking midfielder did the assist for Rashica’s opening goal and also set up the hard-working Fakili, who caused the penalty for the second goal.
With these results, Besiktas won the two-legged tie against Midtjylland 3-0 on aggregate and got one step closer to a spot at the League Phase of the Europa League. Orkun Kökcü was the standout player for the Black Eagles, as the captain took the responsibility and stepped up with 2 goals for his team to advance. Despite missing important chances, attackers Oh and Olaitan became crucial in setting up the goals, especially in the second game. Wingers Cerny and Fakili also put in hard-working performances in both games, but finishing wasn’t quite there. The debutantes impressed in their first couple of games. Nübel managed to keep clean sheets in both games, giving Besiktas fans the trust between the posts they were waiting for too long. Fakili showed everyone that he can be a decent rotation option once Trossard truly arrives, but he certainly needs to improve his composure in front. Özcan’s strength gave Black Eagles a reassuring defensive presence in midfield, which Ndidi struggled to retain all on his own previously. Although Italiano’s Besiktas showed promising signs in their season opener, the defence may still be in need of reinforcements, considering Emirhan Topcu’s struggles in both games. The full-backs were effective in the Italian manager’s game, but the centre of defence needs some improvements.
On the other hand, the Danish side had the physical advantage, they used it a bit too recklessly. Down to 10-men in both games, the first one was rather unlucky, but Erlic had his red card coming, when Tullberg decided to continue with him into the second half of the second leg. They were good at aerial presence, but when the ball was at the ground, Besiktas’ faster and technical feet lured the Wolves in for fouls. In general, their play wasn’t discouraging, they did well to fend their opponents off in the away game and had them cornered halfway into the home game, but the tiny details of manager’s decision making and the luck not being on their side with the finishing eventually costed them a chance for the next round. This defeat sent Midtjylland down to Conference League Third Qualifying Round to face the Irish team Bohemian FC, in order to keep their hopes alive for European football.
In the end, the Turkish representative Besiktas managed to go through the Danish side Midtjylland in the UEL Second Qualifying Round. Black Eagles will be facing Hradec Kralove of Czechia and if they advance to the Play-Offs, the winner of Benfica and Hearts tie will be the last obstacle standing between them and the UEL League Phase. We’ll see how far Besiktas will be able to progress in continental football this season.
Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026
