Beşiktaş fume at rough treatment of Portuguese star Rafa Silva, Gedson goal earns point as João Mário handed debut [video]
It was a busy weekend for the Portuguese contingent at Turkish Super Lig giants Beşiktaş, who were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Trabzonspor on Sunday evening.
Gedson Fernandes scored a first-half equaliser with a nice finish from a slick team move, while recent acquisition João Mário made his debut. The biggest talking point, however, was the ongoing targeting of expensive arrival Rafa Silva from opposition players, which has already seen two red cards issued for fouls on the former Benfica attacker.
The match between Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş was a little over ten minutes old when the hosts’ experienced midfielder Edin Višća hacked down Rafa, which was punished by a red card following a VAR check. It is the second time already this season that a foul on Rafa has led to a straight sending off, with Guray Vural dismissed in Besiktas’ 4-2 win over Alanyaspor last month.
Twice already this season Rafa Silva has been victim of fouls leading to a straight red card.
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) September 16, 2024
Besiktas director Feyyaz Uçar: “We wonder when kicks on Rafa will stop. A red card is not a solution. What if his career ends?” We made a serious investment.”
pic.twitter.com/OLsDzphWPX
“We wonder when the kicks against Rafa will stop,” fumed Beşiktaş director Feyyaz Uçar after the match.” A red card is not a solution. What will we do if this player’s football career ends? We have made a serious investment,” he concluded, referring to Rafa’s deal with the club, which will net the Portuguese a total of €28m in salary and signing-on fee.
Rafa was not forced off the field after either challenge, but Trabzonspor did take the lead despite the numerical deficit when Okay Yokuşlu struck just moments later. Beşiktaş left with a share of the spoils thanks to Gedson Fernandes, who continued his remarkable recent goalscoring form to make it five goals in his last four matches in all competitions.
There aren’t many Portuguese in better form than Gedson Fernandes. He has five goals in his last four matches for Beşiktaş pic.twitter.com/m6lfdFoD23
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) September 16, 2024
The contest also saw João Mário make his first appearance for the Black Eagles since his move from Benfica. The midfielder played the full ninety minutes for Beşiktaş, who dropped points for the first time this season and are 4th in the standings – three points behind Jose Mourinho’s leaders Fenerbahçe.
By @SeanGillen9