Irish & International Sports News, Fixtures & Results

14 August 2025; Conor Carty of St Patrick's Athletic scores his side's first goal from a penalty during the UEFA Conference League Third Qualifying Round second leg match between Besiktas and St Patrick's Athletic at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye.

St Pat's exit Europe after giving Besiktas a scare

St Patrick's Athletic's hopes of producing one of the greatest comebacks in European football ended in vain as they were downed 3-2 by Besiktas in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League third round tie in Istanbul.

Soccer • 15 Aug

Matt Healy of Shamrock Rovers in action against Ardit Deliu of Ballkani during the UEFA Conference League Third Qualifying Round first leg match between Ballkani and Shamrock Rovers at Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, Kosovo

Conference League qualifiers: All you need to know

Shamrock Rovers welcome Kosovan side Ballkani to Tallaght, while St Pat's are in Istanbul to take on Besiktas. We look ahead to both Conference League third-round qualifier second legs.

Soccer • 14 Aug

7 August 2025; Joe Redmond of St Patrick's Athletic reacts during the UEFA Conference League Third Qualifying Round first leg match between St Patrick's Athletic and Besiktas at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Classy Besiktas make a big impression on Redmond

St Patrick's Athletic captain Joe Redmond was left seriously impressed by the attacking prowess of Tammy Abraham and the all-round quality of Besiktas after the Turkish side coasted to a 4-1 win in their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round first-leg tie at Tallaght Stadium.

Soccer • 08 Aug

Tammy Abraham of Besiktas, right, shoots to score his side's fourth goal against St Pat's Athletic - 2025 Conference League

Abraham stars as Besiktas outclass St Pat's

St Patrick's Athletic were downed by a four-goal blitz in the first half, which included a hat-trick for former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, as Besiktas overpowered Stephen Kenny's side 4-1 in in the first leg of their third qualifying round encounter at Tallaght Stadium.

Soccer • 07 Aug

Tammy Abraham of Besiktas scored his side's second goal against St Pat's Athletic in Conference League - August 2025

Conference League recap: Losses for St Pat's and Rovers

Turkish heavyweights Besiktas hit four first-half goals against St Pat's while Shamrock Rovers lost 1-0 to Ballkani.

Soccer • 07 Aug

31 July 2025; St Patrick's Athletic players celebrate after their first goal, scored by Joe Redmond, second from right, during the UEFA Conference League Second Qualifying Round second leg match between Nõmme Kalju FC and St Patrick's Athletic at Lillekül

Saints come back from brink to set up Besiktas clash

Turkish powerhouse Besiktas await St Patrick's Athletic in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League after a night of remarkable drama in the rain in Estonia.

Soccer • 01 Aug

Dele Alli's short Everton spell looks to be over

Transfer round-up: Dele Alli set for Besiktas switch

Dele Alli's frustrating short spell at Everton looks to be coming to an end after the club agreed a deal to loan him to Besiktas with a view to a permanent move.

Soccer • 17 Aug 22

Wolves win but have to settle for second in Group K

Diogo Jota became the first Wolves player in almost 50 years to score a European hat-trick after his treble beat Besiktas in Europa League Group K.

Soccer • 12 Dec 19

Willy Boly acknowledges the travelling support in Istanbul

Wolves pounce late to beat Besiktas

Willy Boly wrote his name into Wolves folklore as his stoppage-time goal snatched Wolves a 1-0 victory against Besiktas in the Europa League in Istanbul.

Soccer • 03 Oct 19

Liverpool outcast Karius completes Besiktas loan move

Goalkeeper Loris Karius has left Liverpool to join Besiktas on a two-year loan deal.

Soccer • 25 Aug 18

The German was not involved in the matchday squad for the Premier League clash at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Karius set for two-year loan at Besiktas - reports

Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is reportedly set to join Besiktas on a two-year loan.

Soccer • 20 Aug 18

Simon Mignolet looks like he's leaving Merseyside

Besiktas open talks to sign Simon Mignolet

Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas have made an approach to Liverpool for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Soccer • 27 Jul 18

Stray cat costs Besiktas €34,000

Turkish club Besiktas have been fined €34,000 by UEFA after a cat sneaked onto the pitch during the home leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Bayern Munich in March.

Soccer • 07 Jun 18

Five-star Bayern put one foot in quarter-finals

Bayern Munich, helped by two trademark Thomas Muller goals and two from Robert Lewandowski, romped to a 5-0 win over Besiktas in their Champions League tie on Tuesday after the Turkish champions played nearly the whole match with 10 men.

Soccer • 20 Feb 18

Recap: Champions League last 16

Chelsea and Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge while Bayern Munich hammered Besiktas 5-0. Read back on how it happened.

Soccer • 20 Feb 18

Spartak Moscow are right back in the hunt to make the last 16

CL round-up: Spartak stun Sevilla, Monaco lose again

Tuesday's Champions League saw a notable win for Spartak Moscow, while Moanco's dreadful start to the competition continued.

Soccer • 17 Oct 17

Tempers flare on the sideline between Celta Vigo and Genk in Belgium

Ajax, Celta and Lyon join United in Europa League semis

Celta Vigo, Ajax and Lyon are all through to the Europa League semi-finals, where they will join Manchester United, after a dramatic night of action

Soccer • 20 Apr 17

Crowd trouble causes delay to Lyon v Besiktas

The build-up to Lyon's Europa League quarter-final meeting with Besiktas was marred by the throwing of projectiles and firecrackers that forced fans on to the Parc OL pitch on Thursday night.

Soccer • 13 Apr 17

Atletico Madrid's French forward Kevin Gameiro (R) vies with PSV Eindhoven's defender Jordy De Wijs

Champions League: Atletico profit from Bayern slip

Atletico Madrid took full advantage of Bayern Munich's shock defeat to Rostov to ensure they would top Group D.

Soccer • 23 Nov 16

Liverpool are desperate to get Balotelli off their books

Liverpool outcast Balotelli lines up Turkey move

Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli could be sold to Besiktas if his agent can strike a deal with the Turkish club.

Soccer • 16 Jun 16

Besiktas' Tolgay Arslan (R) celebrates after scoring in the second-half to draw the teams level on aggregate

Liverpool go down in penalty shoot-out

Liverpool have been knocked out of the Europa League round of 32 after losing to Besiktas 5-4 on penalties in Istanbul, the match having finished 1-0 in 90mins and after extra-time which left the sides level 1-1 on aggregate.

Soccer • 26 Feb 15

Raheem Sterling looks poised to play an important role in Liverpool's clash against Besiktas

Brendan Rodgers believes in depleted Liverpool

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers may have left eight players at home but he remains confident what remains of his squad can get the job done against Besiktas.

Soccer • 25 Feb 15

Mauricio Pochettino cuts a pensive figure on the touchline at the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino vents frustration

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated by the "laughable" floodlight failures at the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium, although he was more annoyed by his players' profligacy in front of goal in their defeat to Besiktas.

Soccer • 12 Dec 14

Chiriches capped a poor performance by giving away a late penalty kick with a foolish handball

Spurs boss defends hapless Chiriches

Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino defended Vlad Chiriches after his mistake gifted Besiktas a last-gasp leveller in the Europa League.

Soccer • 03 Oct 14

Roberto Soldado celebrates as Harry Kane (not pictured) scores

Spurs held by Besiktas in the Europa League

A calamitous display from Vlad Chiriches eventually undid all of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris' good work as a last-gasp penalty earned Besiktas a hard-fought Europa League draw at Tottenham.

Soccer • 02 Oct 14