Early exit: bitter embarrassment for ex-BVB coach Sahin | OneFootball

Former BVB coach Nuri Sahin has suffered a major setback with Istanbul Basaksehir. After an early exit from Conference League qualifying, the 37-year-old took full responsibility.

The start to competitive action with Istanbul Basaksehir could hardly have gone worse for Nuri Sahin. The former Borussia Dortmund coach has already been knocked out with his new club in the second qualifying round of the Conference League and must bury the dream of international competition early.

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Basaksehir suffered a deserved 0-2 defeat in the return leg against Finnish side Inter Turku. Jasse Tuominen gave the hosts the lead in the first half, and Clinton Jephta added another shortly after the break. Basaksehir had no answer and made a surprisingly early exit from the competition.

After the final whistle, Sahin did not mince his words and openly stood up for his team. “The truth always comes out on the pitch. At no point in the game today did we deserve to advance to the next round.” The 37-year-old made it clear that the disappointment runs deep, adding: “We should feel this disappointment today. This was a very painful experience for all of us.”

Former BVB coach Sahin takes responsibility

Sahin also did not shift the blame for the disappointing performance onto his players. Instead, he blamed himself. “We did not play the way we had trained. That means I did not communicate it well enough. The responsibility lies with me.”

Photo: IMAGO

What makes it especially bitter is that Basaksehir had earned their place in Conference League qualifying with a strong fifth-place finish in last season’s Süper Lig. Since taking over in September, Sahin had stabilized the club and earned plenty of praise. That makes the early exit against the Finnish runners-up all the more surprising.

In the second leg, Sahin among others named former Bundesliga striker Davie Selke in the starting lineup. But the former Werder Bremen, Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV forward was also unable to prevent the defeat and was substituted at halftime. With their European campaign now over, the focus shifts fully to the domestic league. There, Sahin will look to help Basaksehir quickly put this poor start behind them and get back on track at the start of the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.