Trabzonspor beat Basel in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout playoffs on Thursday, a game that was marked by an emotional tribute to the victims of devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye’s southeastern region last week.
Jens Stryger Larsen’s second-half goal gave Trabzon a 1-0 win over the Swiss side.
The Danish defender followed a rebound by Basel goalkeeper Marwin Hitz to break the deadlock in the 65th minute at Şenol Güneş Sports Complex Akyazı Stadium.
Following the goal, a group of Trabzonspor players celebrated by holding a Türkiye T-shirt.
Before the match, fans at the stadium commemorated victims who were killed by last week's earthquakes.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck nine hours apart in southeastern Türkiye, and severely hit neigboring Syria, on Feb. 6, razing thousands of buildings and inflicting severe damage on infrastructure.
Authorities on Thursday revised the death toll from the disaster to 38,044.
Fans displayed an emotional choreography depicting a search and rescue responder rescuing a child – next to a German Shepherd named Proteo. A member of a team that arrived from Mexico, Proteo died in search and rescue efforts.
The choreography also showed a massive hand rising from the rubble and holding a Turkish flag symbolizing power and unity.
The players wore black armbands and there was a minute's silence before the match started.
A banner in the stadium said Türkiye will be united to heal the wounds caused by the quakes.
"Our thoughts are with you," read a Basel banner.
The Turkish Süper Lig is currently postponed due to the disaster. Proceeds from Thursday's match will go to victims of the earthquakes.
The two sides will meet for the second leg of their tie in Switzerland on Feb. 23.
The winner will advance to the Round of 16.
