Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi scored his first goal of the season as Besiktas fought back to secure a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in an entertaining UEFA Europa League encounter at Tupras Stadium.

The Super Eagles midfielder opened the scoring in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, finishing after running onto a pass from substitute Salih Ozcan to give the Turkish side a 1-0 lead at the break.

Crystal Palace responded strongly after the restart, with Yeremy Pino drawing the visitors level in the 52nd minute after connecting with Anan Khalaili’s low cross.

Just two minutes later, Jean-Philippe Mateta capitalised on a poor pass from Tiago Djalo to put Palace ahead with a powerful finish, marking his first goal since the Conference League final.

Besiktas refused to surrender, however, and substitute Junior Olaitan restored parity in the 73rd minute with a superb strike from outside the penalty area that found the bottom corner.

The hosts’ hopes of completing the comeback suffered a setback five minutes later when Umit Akdag was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jorgen Strand Larsen, who was subsequently forced off with an injury.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Besiktas held on to secure a point against their English opponents.

The result ended Besiktas’ run of four consecutive home victories in continental competition, although the Turkish side maintained their unbeaten record in this season’s Europa League league phase.

The encounter came after both teams suffered disappointing domestic defeats. Besiktas had lost 2-0 to Trabzonspor, while Palace were looking to respond to consecutive competitive losses.

For Ndidi, the goal represented a significant personal milestone as the Super Eagles captain made his mark in a crucial European fixture.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, earned a positive response to their recent setbacks and moved to four points in the Europa League standings.