Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş Derby (5 April 2026)

The Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş derby, a pivotal fixture in Turkish football history and the final chapter in the longstanding rivalry between Istanbul’s two most historic sports clubs, took place on 5 April 2026. Trendyol Süper Lig’s 28th matchweek saw this important encounter held at the home team’s stadium, Chobani Stadium.

Historical Rivalry and Pre-Match Statistics

Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş derby infographic (AA)

The century-old rivalry between the two clubs traces its origins to a match played on 28 November 1924, which ended 4–0 in favor of Fenerbahçe. The match played on 5 April 2026 marked the 364th official or unofficial meeting between the two sides in their history. Of the previous 363 encounters, the yellow-and-navy team secured 136 victories, the black-and-white side won 130, and 97 matches ended in draws. In terms of total goals, Fenerbahçe has scored 503 against Beşiktaş, while Beşiktaş has responded with 463 goals.

In Süper Lig history alone, this match was the 140th league meeting between the two teams. In the previous 139 league fixtures, Fenerbahçe won 50, Beşiktaş won 44, and 45 ended in draws. Goal statistics in league matches are also closely matched: Fenerbahçe has scored 161 goals compared to Beşiktaş’s 160. In matches played at Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe has won 23 of the 63 encounters so far—one of them awarded by default—while Beşiktaş has won 22, with 18 matches ending in draws. Fenerbahçe has scored 90 goals at home in these fixtures, while Beşiktaş has netted 86. Focusing solely on league matches, Fenerbahçe has won 17 of the 44 games played in Kadıköy, Beşiktaş has won 12, and Fenerbahçe holds a 63–58 advantage in goals scored.

Team Form and Head Coaches for the Season

Both clubs began the 2025–2026 season with different head coaches but later made changes. Fenerbahçe started under José Mourinho, while Beşiktaş began with Ole Gunnar Solskjær. However, both clubs decided to part ways with their respective coaches following negative results in European competitions. Fenerbahçe appointed Domenico Tedesco as their new head coach, and Beşiktaş brought in Sergen Yalçın.

Domenico Tedesco, during his tenure in Turkey, is now coaching his third derby. He has remained undefeated in his two previous derbies: in the first half of the season, despite his team falling behind 2–0 at Tüpraş Stadium, he led them to a 3–2 comeback win, and in the other match against Galatasaray, his team drew 1–1.

Beşiktaş head coach Sergen Yalçın is facing his 11th derby as a manager. In his previous 10 derbies, he recorded four wins, three draws, and three losses. Against Fenerbahçe specifically, his teams have won two, drawn one, and lost one, scoring nine goals and conceding seven. In their previous meeting this season, in the Ziraat Türkiye Kupası, Beşiktaş under Yalçın defeated their rivals 2–1 in Kadıköy.

Disciplinary Statistics and Firsts Before the Derby

Pre-match statistics highlighting the intensity of the rivalry show that in the last 30 Süper Lig encounters between the two teams, referees issued a total of 20 red cards and 182 yellow cards. Beşiktaş players received 14 red cards and 93 yellow cards—107 in total—showing a more aggressive profile compared to Fenerbahçe players, who received six red cards and 89 yellow cards—95 in total. Fenerbahçe has not received a red card in their last 11 league matches against Beşiktaş; the last red card shown to a Fenerbahçe player against Beşiktaş was to Vedat Muriç in the 2019–2020 season.

Regarding squad composition, 16 players could make their Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş derby debut if selected. On the Fenerbahçe side, these players are Sidiki Cherif, Anthony Musaba, Matteo Guendouzi, N’Golo Kante, Kamil Efe Üregen, and Alaettin Ekici. On the Beşiktaş side, they are Taylan Bulut, Jota Silva, Hyeon-gyu Oh, Amir Murillo, Yasin Özcan, Junior Olaitan, Kristjan Asllani, Emmanuel Agbadou, Devis Vasquez, and Ahmet Sami Bircan. Among the most experienced players, Beşiktaş goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu, with seven derby appearances, and Fenerbahçe’s İsmail Yüksek, with five, are the players who have experienced this atmosphere most frequently for their respective teams.

The goalkeepers’ form was also scrutinized before the match. Fenerbahçe’s Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson has not lost any of the three derbies he has played this season (two in the Süper Lig and one in the TFF Süper Kupa), and has kept clean sheets in 11 of his 31 official appearances. Beşiktaş goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu has kept seven clean sheets in his last 19 Süper Lig matches, but both of Beşiktaş’s league defeats this season came in derbies. In his six league appearances against Fenerbahçe, Destanoğlu has conceded seven goals, with one win, four draws, and one loss.

Pre-Match Preparations and Lineups

The Beşiktaş squad completed their final fitness and tactical training session at the BJK Nevzat Demir Facilities under head coach Sergen Yalçın. The session began with warm-up runs and ball-control drills and concluded with tactical simulations, attended by club president Serdal Adalı and other officials. On the Fenerbahçe side, head coach Domenico Tedesco made a historic decision, naming a starting eleven composed entirely of foreign players—a first in both Süper Lig and club history.

Lineups

Fenerbahçe

Starting elevens before the match (AA)

Ederson, Semedo, Skriniar, Oosterwolde, Brown (substituted by Levent Mercan in the 84th minute), Guendouzi, Kante, Nene, Asensio (substituted by Fred in the 24th minute), Musaba (substituted by Kerem Aktürkoğlu in the 62nd minute), Talisca (substituted by Cherif in the 58th minute)

Beşiktaş

Ersin Destanoğlu, Murillo (substituted by Gökhan Sazdağı in the 46th minute), Agbadou, Uduokhai, Rıdvan Yılmaz, Ndidi (substituted by Salih Uçan in the 86th minute), Asllani (substituted by Rashica in the 67th minute), Orkun Kökçü, Cerny (substituted by Cengiz Ünder in the 67th minute), Olaitan, Oh (substituted by Mustafa Hekimoğlu in the 90th minute)

Match Summary

First Half

The match, refereed by Yasin Kol, kicked off at 20:00. In the first minute, home side Fenerbahçe came close to scoring. After a pass from Asensio, Nene collected the ball near the penalty spot, evaded his marker, and faced the goalkeeper, but his shot narrowly missed the target. In the 10th minute, Beşiktaş launched a dangerous attack: Orkun Kökçü’s cross from the right flank was cleared by Fenerbahçe’s defense, sending the ball out for a corner.

In the 20th minute, Fenerbahçe’s Marco Asensio collided with Beşiktaş’s Hyeon-gyu Oh during a duel and collapsed on the pitch. Asensio received treatment on the field and attempted to return after the 23rd minute, but due to persistent pain, he was substituted by Fred in the 24th minute.

Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş match (AA)

At the 25th minute, a free kick awarded after Semedo was fouled allowed Talisca to strike a powerful shot from the right diagonal toward goal, but goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu deflected it onto the post. Near the end of the first half, in the 36th minute, Beşiktaş’s Amir Murillo suffered an injury after receiving a blow to the face during a challenge with Fenerbahçe’s Archie Brown.

In the 40th minute, Beşiktaş mounted a quick counterattack: Cerny received the ball on the right flank and passed to Orkun Kökçü, who fired a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area. Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Ederson stretched to push the ball onto the post. The first half ended goalless at 0–0.

Second Half

At the start of the second half, Beşiktaş made a mandatory substitution: Amir Murillo, who had been injured in the first half and taken to hospital for evaluation at halftime, was replaced by Gökhan Sazdağı in the 46th minute. In the 52nd minute, Beşiktaş’s Wilfred Ndidi received a yellow card, which ruled him out of the following week’s match against Antalyaspor.

In the 56th minute, Guendouzi received a pass from Talisca and shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Destanoğlu deflected it onto the post. On the resulting corner kick, Kante delivered the ball to Guendouzi, whose cross found the near post. Gökhan Sazdağı headed the ball into his own net. However, after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, referee Yasin Kol disallowed the goal, ruling that the ball had moved before the corner was taken. In the 60th minute, Talisca, visibly fatigued, was replaced by Sidiki Cherif.

Fenerbahçe–Beşiktaş match (AA)

In the 63rd minute, Gökhan Sazdağı’s backheel pass to Agbadou was poorly controlled, allowing Cherif to shoot from inside the penalty area, but Destanoğlu denied the goal. In the 73rd minute, Rıdvan Yılmaz delivered a left-wing pass to Olaitan, who laid it off to Cengiz Ünder entering the penalty area from the right. Ünder’s powerful shot struck the defense and flew over the crossbar.

In the 74th minute, Archie Brown won the ball from Cengiz Ünder and played it behind the defense to Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who faced the goalkeeper and struck a low shot, but Destanoğlu recovered the ball in two quick movements. In the 86th minute, Ndidi was substituted by Salih Uçan due to injury. In the 88th minute, Cherif received a pass from Kerem Aktürkoğlu on the right side of the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper, and shot, but Destanoğlu saved it with his foot, deflecting the ball onto the post.

In the 90+7th minute, Nene chased a long ball behind Beşiktaş’s defense and was brought down by Emmanuel Agbadou inside the penalty area. Referee Yasin Kol immediately pointed to the penalty spot. In the 90+11th minute, Kerem Aktürkoğlu stepped up to take the penalty and scored, sending the ball into the net to give Fenerbahçe a 1–0 lead. No further goals were scored in the remaining time, and Fenerbahçe left the pitch with a 1–0 victory.

Post-Match Statistics and Records Broken

Fenerbahçe’s late winner in stoppage time set several significant records. Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s penalty goal in the 100th minute became the latest goal ever scored in Süper Lig history. Additionally, with this goal, Aktürkoğlu became the third player, after Saffet Sancaklı and Raşit Çetiner, to have scored against Beşiktaş while playing for both Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu (AA)

Fenerbahçe head coach Domenico Tedesco became the first foreign manager since Luis Aragonés in the 2008–09 season to win both league matches against Beşiktaş in a single Süper Lig season. Fenerbahçe won four of their last six Süper Lig matches against Beşiktaş, surpassing the three victories they had achieved in the previous 16 meetings.

Fenerbahçe created five clear goal-scoring opportunities in this match, matching their highest number of such chances in a single home game against Beşiktaş since records began in the 2014–15 season. Fenerbahçe midfielder N’Golo Kante delivered his most productive Süper Lig performance ever, winning 11 duels and recovering 10 possession balls. Meanwhile, Beşiktaş lost both league matches against Fenerbahçe in a single season for the first time since 2015–16, and their 11-match away unbeaten streak in the league came to an end with this defeat in Kadıköy.

Post-Match Statements

Following the final whistle, extensive evaluations were made by coaching staff, club officials, and players regarding key moments of the match, particularly the late penalty decision.

Domenico Tedesco (AA)

Fenerbahçe Side

Fenerbahçe head coach Domenico Tedesco expressed great joy at the final whistle, admitting that the pressure of the match led him to openly display his emotions after the goal. In response to criticism over fielding an entirely foreign starting eleven, Tedesco emphasized that his decisions were based solely on current form, not nationality.

He highlighted that İsmail Yüksek, despite suffering a heavy blow in training, remained in the substitutes’ bench after taking painkillers to support the team, praising his dedication. Tedesco noted that N’Golo Kante’s success in winning second balls was one of the match’s pivotal moments and expressed satisfaction with his team’s disciplined defensive performance against Beşiktaş’s potent attackers. Regarding the penalty, he stated that his team created numerous clear chances and deserved the win, adding that they did not need the penalty to secure victory.

Fenerbahçe Board Member Ertan Torunoğulları stated that a fair match was played on the pitch but accused Beşiktaş of attempting to influence referees and the federation every time they lost points. Torunoğulları revealed that the Turkish Football Federation had accepted Fenerbahçe’s official proposal to allow one club representative in the VAR room, but Beşiktaş had refused to appoint a representative.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu, despite missing numerous chances, said his team earned the win with the last-minute goal. Fred expressed full confidence in Aktürkoğlu’s ability to convert the penalty. Archie Brown credited Tedesco’s tactical instructions for making his job easier on the pitch. After the match, the Fenerbahçe squad returned to the Can Bartu Facilities, where hundreds of fans greeted them with immense celebration and cheers.

Beşiktaş Side

Sergen Yalçın (AA)

Beşiktaş’s post-match focus centered on referee Yasin Kol and the VAR system. Head coach Sergen Yalçın acknowledged that his team performed well in the first half but conceded individual errors in the second half gave Fenerbahçe opportunities. However, he strongly contested the penalty decision, claiming referee Yasin Kol was 50 meters away from the incident and could not have made an accurate assessment, and that the foul occurred outside the penalty area. Yalçın expressed disbelief that VAR did not intervene in such a critical moment, stating that consistent unfavorable decisions in derbies have made winning the cup impossible under these conditions.

Serdal Adalı, who serves as both vice president and CEO of Beşiktaş, delivered strongly worded remarks after the match. He described the VAR system, which functions flawlessly worldwide, as a disaster in Türkiye, and called for the resignation of MHK President Ferhat Gündoğdu and VAR official Abdullah Buğra Taşkınsoy. When asked why Beşiktaş did not accept Fenerbahçe’s proposal for a club representative in the VAR room, Adalı replied, “We did not want to be part of that theater.” Beşiktaş players Emmanuel Agbadou and Rıdvan Yılmaz also insisted the incident was not a penalty, that the foul occurred outside the area, and that VAR’s silence damaged the league’s prestige. Rıdvan Yılmaz added that losing matches due to such unfair decisions deeply hurt the team.