Besiktas Dominates in Europe with Nübel's Stellar Start
Besiktas have wasted no time announcing themselves under Vincenzo Italiano. Six games, six wins, not a single goal conceded. The latest chapter: a cold, clinical 3-0 dismantling of FK Kauno Zalgiris in the Europa League play-off first leg that leaves the Turkish side with one foot in the league phase of the 2026/27 competition.
Early blitz, job done
The tie was effectively killed inside 12 minutes.
Hyeon-Gyu Oh struck first, finishing in the 6th minute to settle any early nerves and set the tone. Before Zalgiris could regroup, Michael Amir Murillo arrived to double the lead in the 12th minute, turning the evening into a controlled exercise rather than a contest.
After the break, Orkun Kökcü underlined the gulf in class. His goal in the 59th minute made it 3-0 and wrapped up a scoreline that reflected Besiktas’ authority but still didn’t quite capture their control.
Zalgiris, heavy underdogs on paper, never found a way through. And that brings us to the man who has quietly become the face of this new Besiktas.
Nübel the wall
The headlines in Turkey say it plainly: “Nübel is a wall – he does not concede any goals.”
Alexander Nübel, signed permanently from Bayern Munich in July for just under €6 million, made his sixth competitive appearance for Besiktas against the club from Kaunas. He also kept his sixth straight clean sheet. Six games, zero goals allowed. A perfect record.
The Turkish press has embraced him quickly, with Hürriyet praising the new signing and noting how he has “caused a stir with his performances in the black-and-white shirt.” It is a sharp contrast to his time in Germany. Under contract at Bayern from 2020 to 2026, Nübel never truly broke through there, making only four competitive appearances for the record champions. His loan spell at Stuttgart worked far better, but even that didn’t hint at a start like this in Istanbul.
At Besiktas, he looks like a goalkeeper reborn.
Italiano’s instant impact
Nübel’s form is part of a wider surge.
Besiktas have now won all six of their matches under Italiano, and the 3-0 against Zalgiris only deepened the sense that something is building. Confidence is high, the structure looks clear, and the squad has been reshaped with serious money.
Before the second leg in Lithuania next Thursday, Besiktas head to Alanyaspor on matchday two of the Süper Lig. They travel not just with momentum, but with expectation. Six wins from six and no goals conceded will do that to a club.
Big spending, big names
This is not a quiet rebuild. Club officials have already committed just under €67 million on new players in this window.
Kökcü, who had previously been on loan from Benfica, is now theirs outright after a €30 million deal. The club also moved aggressively in attack, securing Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus Turin on a free transfer and landing Leandro Trossard from Arsenal for €18 million.
Add Nübel’s bargain fee to that list, and Besiktas’ recruitment drive looks both expensive and ambitious. The spine has been upgraded, the depth improved, and the dressing room now features players accustomed to Champions League and top-five league pressure.
A sting in the tale
Not everything went Besiktas’ way against Zalgiris.
Trossard, one of the marquee arrivals, suffered an injury during the match and was forced off early. It was the one dark cloud on a night otherwise dominated by control, goals and another clean sheet.
How serious that setback proves to be will shape the coming weeks. For now, though, Italiano’s side march on, unbeaten, unbreached, and already playing like a team intent on making this season in Istanbul feel very different from the last.
