Football: Beşiktaş edge out Yeni Malatyaspor 2-1
Second half goals give Besiktas 3 points, morale ahead of tight fixture, but Gary Medel sent off to miss Fenerbahce derby
Istanbul heavyweights Besiktas defeated Yeni Malatyaspor 2-1 on Saturday evening at Vodafone Arena to bag three points in Turkey's Spor Toto Super Lig.
After a goalless first half, Besiktas opened the goal tally with its in-form defender Pepe. The Portuguese defender added to his recent goals with another header to a corner kick in the 51st minute.
Despite applying high pressure to Yeni Malatyaspor goal, Besiktas were left with 10-men on the field after Gary Medel was shown a second yellow card in the 74th minute.
The box-to-box midfielder will miss next week's Fenerbahce derby.
Playing with 10-men, Besiktas did not stop attacking as they found the second goal in the 81st minute after a counter-attack. Striker Alvaro Negredo's low cross found Dutch winger Ryan Babel, he made no mistake inside the six-yard box.
Yeni Malatyaspor's late goal with Guilherme Marques did not change the outcome as Besiktas increased their points total to 10 after five games played.
Besiktas' next two matches will be against Sarpsborg at home on Sept. 20 in UEFA Europa League and vs. Fenerbahce in an away match in Turkish league on Sept. 24.
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