The first derby of the 2026-27 season in the Super League was played in Kadıköy. Fenerbahçe lost the match 2-1 against Beşiktaş after leading 1-0 at home.
With this result, Fenerbahçe had 2 wins and 2 losses in the first 4 matches of the season. Beşiktaş continued on its way with 3 wins and 1 loss.
Koray Durkal, one of the sports writers of Hürriyet, evaluated this critical match in his column.
ITALIAN WORK IN KADIKÖY
Vincenzo Italiano successfully passed the most important test of the game transformation he brought to Beşiktaş in Kadıköy.
Derbies have a classic rule: You don't have to control the entire match, you have to manage the critical sections correctly. The Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş match in Kadıköy was one of the good examples of this.
It would be incomplete to read Beşiktaş's 2-1 victory as merely "a derby that came from behind and won". The real story lies in the reaction of the black and white team to the changing game during the match.
Fenerbahçe taking the lead was the first break that changed the plan of the match for Beşiktaş. At such moments, the team that falls behind has two options: It either leaves the control of the game completely to the opponent, or it rebalances the match by increasing the risk level in a controlled manner.
Beşiktaş chose the second path.
The important detail here is this: Beşiktaş did not just attack more after falling behind. He changed the rhythm of the game. He disrupted Fenerbahçe's easy passing connections, started to move the opponent's defensive placement more, and gradually took the psychological advantage of the match.
THE REAL PROBLEM OF FENERBAHÇE
For Fenerbahçe, the point that needs to be emphasized is the game that occurred after 1-0. When a team gets ahead, it doesn't necessarily have to retreat. In fact, a significant portion of the teams that get ahead in modern football look for the second goal by taking advantage of the opponent's having to take risks. What Fenerbahçe could not do was to reorganize the game in its favor after scoring.
In this part of the derby, there was a disconnect between Fenerbahçe's way of possessing the ball and its aim of keeping the score. Here, İsmail Kartal's focus on memorized changes rather than according to the course of the game both knocked Fenerbahçe out of the game even further and made it easier for Beşiktaş to get back into the game.
Game management should be discussed here rather than squad quality. Because the difference of great teams consists not only in their star players, but also in the answers they can give to different scenarios of the match. Vincenzo Italiano also successfully passed the most important test of the game transformation he brought to Beşiktaş in Kadıköy.
THE REAL TEST STARTS NOW
However, it is too early to draw seasonal conclusions from a derby win. Beşiktaş's next test will be to be able to carry this energy and reaction power to Anatolian matches. Because championship races are often determined not by the big matches, but by the seemingly ordinary matches played after the big matches.
The same is true for Fenerbahçe. The reaction after this defeat is more important than the defeat itself. Because the seasons of strong teams are shaped not by a single derby, but by their responses to crisis moments.
I think the most important tactical message of the match won by Beşiktaş in Kadıköy is this:
It is necessary to evaluate the derby with the question "who adapted better to the changing conditions of the game" rather than "who played better?"
Fenerbahçe scored.
Beşiktaş changed the scenario.
And in the end, the side that could change the scenario won the derby.
BEŞİKTAŞ' MOST VALUABLE GAIN
What was more valuable than the three points Fenerbahçe gained against F.Bahçe was the display of a team that could react. When you fall behind in the derby, it is a serious plus that your game does not break down, your players do not rush, and the technical team can read the course of the match.
Moreover, doing this in Kadıköy also increases the psychological value of the victory. In football you win a lot of matches throughout the season. But some wins are three points on the scoreboard and much more in the locker room. This match is in that category for Beşiktaş.
HE WON 8 TIMES IN 10 MATCHES AND CLOSED HIS GOAL 6 TIMES
Beşiktaş played 10 official matches this season and managed to win 8 of them. The black and whites, who played 6 matches in Europe and 4 matches in the league, left the field with one defeat in each of the 2 leagues. Kartal also closed its goal in 6 of 10 matches this season. Kartal, who did not concede a goal in 5 matches in Europe and 1 match in the league, shook the net 17 times and took the ball out of the goal 5 times.
