Besiktas Sack Solskjaer After Conference League Exit as Crystal Palace Reach Group Stage

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been dismissed by Besiktas following the club’s shock exit from the UEFA Conference League on Thursday. The Turkish side lost 1-0 at home to Lausanne, crashing out 2-1 on aggregate in the qualification playoff.

The decisive goal came in first-half stoppage time, courtesy of English striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, while Besiktas were reduced to 10 men early in the second half after Felix Uduokhai was sent off for a foul on Brandon Soppy.

Following the defeat, Besiktas released a statement confirming Solskjaer’s departure:

“Our contract with head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been terminated as a result of the decision made during the board meeting. Our president Serdal Adali expressed his gratitude to Solskjaer for his services.”

Solskjaer, who previously managed Manchester United, Cardiff City, and Molde, took over at Besiktas in January and helped the team climb from sixth to fourth in the Turkish Super Lig. The club had won its only league game of the current season prior to the European disappointment.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace secured their place in the Conference League group stage after a 0-0 draw away to Fredrikstad in Norway. The result sees them advance 1-0 on aggregate after a narrow home win in the first leg.

“It is a huge achievement to go into the group stage,” said Palace manager Oliver Glasner, speaking to Channel 5. “We had to accept the conditions and the players defended excellently. We know we can and must improve in possession.”

On his 51st birthday, Glasner made only three changes from the side that drew with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Despite a lackluster performance on Fredrikstad’s artificial pitch, Palace extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches across all competitions.

Glasner also addressed ongoing transfer speculation, particularly around Marc Guehi, who captained the team amid links to Liverpool:

“I told everyone at the club I didn’t want to talk about transfers today. Our job is to be successful going into the group stage. I cannot be deflecting to this transfer noise.”

Elsewhere in the qualifiers, AZ Alkmaar, Fiorentina, Rayo Vallecano, and Mainz all advanced comfortably. Strasbourg held on for a tense win in Brondby, while in the Europa League, Dynamo Kyiv managed a 1-0 win in Poland but couldn’t overturn a first-leg deficit, allowing Maccabi Tel Aviv to progress.