Besiktas suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Swiss side Lausanne-Sport, owned by the INEOS group, on the evening of 28/8. Former Arsenal forward Nathan Butler-Oyedeji scored the only goal in the 46th minute. After the break, Besiktas went down to 10 men after Felix Uduokhai received a straight red card. The 2-1 aggregate defeat eliminated Besiktas from European competition. Immediately following the match, the Turkish club announced the dismissal of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
"Following our elimination from the Conference League tonight, the Besiktas board held an emergency meeting and decided to part ways with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer," the statement read. "The board thanks Mr. Solskjaer and wishes him well in his future endeavors."
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Manager Solskjaer in a press conference after Besiktas' 0-1 loss to Lausanne-Sport on the evening of 28/8. Photo: AA |
Manager Solskjaer in a press conference after Besiktas' 0-1 loss to Lausanne-Sport on the evening of 28/8. Photo: AA
Solskjaer joined Besiktas in January, his first job since being sacked by Man Utd in late 2021. The 52-year-old initially had a strong start with the Turkish club, winning eight, drawing one, and losing just three of his first 12 matches, including a 2-1 victory over reigning champions Galatasaray. However, in the subsequent 17 matches, he managed only seven wins, four draws, and six losses, bringing his win percentage down to 51.72%, the lowest of his career.
As a player, Solskjaer was a Man Utd legend. He scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for the Red Devils, including the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
Solskjaer began his coaching career with Man Utd's youth teams from 2007 to 2011. He then managed Molde (Norway) and Cardiff City (Wales). In 2018, Solskjaer returned to Man Utd, leading the team to the Champions League quarterfinals in 2018-2019, the Europa League semifinals in 2019-2020, and the Europa League final in 2020-2021, finishing 6th, 3rd, and 2nd in the Premier League respectively. At the start of the 2021-2022 season, after Man Utd lost 4-1 to Watford and dropped to 7th in the Premier League, Solskjaer was dismissed.
In addition to Lausanne-Sport, the INEOS group also owns Nice, who finished 4th in Ligue 1 last season, and 28.94% of Man Utd. Man Utd's current manager, Ruben Amorim, is also facing pressure after a difficult start to the season, losing 1-0 to Arsenal, drawing 1-1 with Fulham (Premier League), and losing 12-11 on penalties to Grimsby Town (League Cup).
Thanh Quy (according to ESPN)
