Keyliane Abdallah gave Marseille a lift under the European lights on Thursday night, striking his second senior goal for the club to bring OM level against Besiktas in their opening League Phase match of the Europa League.
Key takeaways
- Twenty-year-old Marseille winger Keyliane Abdallah scored the equaliser against Besiktas in the 30th minute.
- The academy product was making his first start for OM and has now made five appearances this season.
- Himad Abdelli supplied the through ball for Abdallah’s low left-footed finish.
- Besiktas had taken the lead through Ilhan Fakili after 16 minutes.
- The teams went into half-time level at 1-1.
Abdallah takes his chance on first start
Marseille were behind early after Fakili put the Turkish side ahead, but Abdallah responded with the calmness of a player refusing to let his first major opportunity pass him by.
Released into space by Abdelli, the young winger drove through a disordered Besiktas defence before guiding a left-footed shot along the ground and beyond the goalkeeper. The finish arrived on the half-hour mark and restored parity in Marseille’s first Europa League League Phase fixture.
It was another step forward for Abdallah, who came through the Marseille academy. He had opened his senior account a month earlier, scoring in OM’s 4-0 Ligue 1 victory over Strasbourg on 21 August.
A growing contribution for Marseille
Abdallah’s goal against Besiktas was his second of the campaign despite limited first-team exposure. Thursday’s match marked his fifth appearance of the season, but the first time he had been selected from the opening whistle.
For Marseille, the interval brought a reset rather than a deficit. Besiktas had struck first through Fakili in the 16th minute, yet Abdallah’s composed response ensured the contest remained finely balanced at the break.
