"He is a wall - he concedes no goals": Alexander Nübel extends eerie run at Besiktas
Alexander Nübel continues to impress after his move to Besiktas and also kept a clean sheet in his sixth consecutive match.
Vincenzo Italiano's side remain firmly on track. A 3-0 first-leg win over Lithuanian outfit FK Kauno Zalgiris in the Europa League play-offs has already put the Turkish giants within touching distance of the league phase in the 2026/27 competition. Hyeon-Gyu Oh struck in the sixth minute, Michael Amir Murillo added the second in the 12th and Orkun Kökcü wrapped it up in the 59th.
Yet the standout performer this season remains the man in goal. Nübel made his sixth competitive appearance for his new club against the side from Kaunas and kept his sixth straight clean sheet.
Turkey's press once again reacted with delight. "Nübel is a wall - he concedes no goals," the daily newspaper Hürriyet wrote in tribute to the new signing: "He has caused a stir with his performances in the black-and-white shirt."
Besiktas win their first six games of the season without conceding
Nübel was under contract with Bayern Munich from 2020 to 2026, but never managed to establish himself there over the long term and made only four competitive appearances for the record champions in that spell. His loan move to VfB Stuttgart, by contrast, was a success.
Against the outsiders, Besiktas also made it six wins from six under Italiano. Before next Thursday's second leg, they travel to Alanyaspor on matchday two of the Süper Lig. They'll look to keep the run going there, with heavy investment in the transfer market also playing its part.
Club officials have already spent just under €67 million on new players. Alongside Nübel, who joined permanently from Bayern Munich in July for just under €6 million, Besiktas pushed through several other expensive deals.
Who are Besiktas' new signings?
Kökcü, who had previously been on loan from Benfica, completed a permanent move for €30 million. The Istanbul club also added Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus Turin on a free transfer and signed Leandro Trossard from Arsenal for €18 million.
There was, however, a setback in the win over Zalgiris: Trossard picked up an injury during the match and had to go off early.
