Istanbul: Turkish clubs experienced mixed fortunes during the Europa League playoff first legs on Thursday, as Besiktas secured a commanding 3-0 victory against Kauno Zalgiris, while Trabzonspor faced a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Ferencvaros.

According to Anadolu Agency, Besiktas displayed dominance from the onset, taking control of their match against Kauno Zalgiris. Oh Hyeon-gyu opened the scoring in the sixth minute by heading in Ridvan Yilmaz's cross. The Turkish side extended their lead shortly after, with Amir Murillo converting another cross from Ridvan Yilmaz. Despite several attempts at a third goal before halftime, Besiktas had to wait until the 57th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Oh was fouled. Orkun Kokcu successfully converted the spot-kick for a 3-0 advantage. New signing Dusan Vlahovic made his debut, replacing Oh in the 60th minute, and almost scored with a header. Besiktas maintained control for the remainder of the match to secure the win, carrying a strong lead into the second leg in Kaunas.

Conversely, Trabzonspor faced challenges in their home fixture against Ferencvaros. Trabzonspor's Mohamed Salah had an early opportunity, but his shot was saved. Ferencvaros capitalized on their first chance in the 17th minute when Kristoffer Zachariassen scored with a header. Despite Trabzonspor's efforts, including a close attempt by Paul Onuachu that hit the crossbar, they failed to equalize. The match intensified late on, resulting in Trabzonspor's Chibuike Nwaiwu receiving a red card in stoppage time. Ferencvaros now holds a one-goal lead ahead of the return leg in Hungary.