Turkish Football-Soccer by AHMET 'BOB' TURGUT

Besiktas match on Fox Sports 1 in the United States !

2017-03-16T11:36:00.001-04:00

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Good score for Besiktas! Olympiacos 1 - Besiktas 1

2017-03-09T19:50:00.001-05:00

Vincent Aboubakar bagged a potentially vital away goal for Besiktas as they fought out a 1-1 draw at managerless Olympiacos in their Europa League last-16 first leg clash.

Olympiacos made the questionable decision to sack head coach Paulo Bento on Monday despite the club leading the Greek Superleague by seven points.

The home side - who have lost three straight home league games - did not appear to be lifted by Bento's dismissal and it was somewhat undeserved when veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso headed Olympiacos into an undeserved lead nine minutes before the end of a forgettable first half at a rain-lashed Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis.

It was a lead on which Olympiacos - who had Vasilis Vouzas in interim charge - failed to build, though, and an error from goalkeeper Nicola Leali allowed Aboubakar to level for the visitors early in the second half.

Clear-cut chances were at a premium in a forgettable opening, with Tarik Elyounoussi's 20-yard shot that was easily saved by Besiktas goalkeeper Fabricio the only effort of note.

Besiktas were dominant in terms of possession, but aside from two long-range efforts that missed the target from Ricardo Quaresma they did little to trouble the hosts.

Olympiacos had offered little, but provided the game with a much-needed spark in the 36th minute.

Karim Ansarifard's teasing left-foot cross from the right flank picked out Cambiasso and the he powered his header past Fabricio.

The home side almost doubled their lead just after the break as Alberto Botia's diving header flashed narrowly wide, but moments later, the left-back was inadvertently involved in gifting Besiktas an equaliser.

It was his routine backpass that goalkeeper Leali scuffed straight to Aboubakar and the Cameroon striker raced to the edge of the box before rifling home a low shot.

The visitors should then have taken the lead on the hour-mark, but Leali at least partially redeemed himself by making a fine save at the feet of Babel who had been played in by the increasingly influential Quaresma.

And the Portuguese winger linked up well with Babel again two minutes later, this time the Dutchman just failing to convert his cross at the far post.

Dusko Tosic then drew another save from Leali with a header from a Quaresma cross and Anderson Talisca also went close late on, firing wastefully over from just inside the box, but they at least have an away goal to protect.

Besiktas won the derby match against Galatasaray!

2017-02-28T00:43:00.002-05:00

Besiktas beat Galatasaray 0-1 on Monday and extending their lead at the top of the Turkish Super League .

Anderson Talisca's deflected free-kick deceived goalkeeper Fernando Muslera on the 47th minute, giving his team a vital 1-0 lead.

Besiktas started the match at a controlled pace, but Galatasaray was the more attacking outfit, with contributions from winger Armindo Bruma and German striker Lukas Podolski.

After important derby victory in Galatasaray's nest , Besiktas increased their points haul to 50 and continue to lead the league, four points ahead of second-placed Basaksehir.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, with 40 points, and 10 points behind Besiktas on third place !

After the league's weekend matches, second-placed Basaksehir managed to beat Osmanlispor 1-0 in Ankara to increase their points total to 46.

On Sunday, Fenerbahce could not halt their run of poor performances and dropped two more points, drawing with bottom-placed Gaziantepspor 1-1.

Fenerbahce and Galatasaray well behind Besiktas after this weekend

12 weeks to go ,the title race , pretty much between Besiktas and Buyuksehir !

Basaksehir is four points behind Besiktas ...

Clearly, this was a huge win for Besiktas but nothing is guaranteed yet!

Besiktas has the advantage but they can't letdown and be comfortable...

Between Europa League matches and domestic matches , they need to be focused all the time .

As coach Senol Gunes said, there work is not done yet !

"It's to early to claim the championship " he said...

I agree with Senol Gunes .

UEFA Europa League: #Besiktas advance to last 16

2017-02-23T23:50:00.000-05:00

UEFA Europa League: #Besiktas advance to last 16

Turkish league champions Besiktas eliminated Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva 5-2 on aggregate on Thursday evening in Istanbul to advance to last 16 in UEFA Europa League competition .

The match in Besiktas's Vodafone Arena saw the Black Eagles control the game from the very start, earning a comfortable 2-1 victory over the Israeli visitors.

Besiktas, who won the first leg 3-1 last Thursday, scored on the 17th minute when Cameroonian forward Vincent Aboubakar's superb strike found the net.

Thanks to Aboubakar's first ever Europa League goal, Besiktas managed to control the pace and did not let Hapoel Beer Sheva threaten the home side’s goal.

However, despite leading the first half 1-0, Besiktas could not hold on and the visitors equalized on the 64th minute when Anthony Nwakaeme completed a left-wing cross with a low left-footed shot.

Brought on in the 79th minute, in-form striker Cenk Tosun made the score 2-1 near the end of normal time minute with a shot delivered after driving into the edge of penalty area.

With the win, Besiktas moved into the last 16 and are the only Turkish team left in European club competitions.

Turkish football fans unite after Istanbul attacks !

2016-12-15T01:30:00.003-05:00

Photo: Courtesy of @bjkmedya1903

Thousands of football fans came out in a show of solidarity on Wednesday for an emotionally-charged first match after twin bombings outside the Istanbul stadium of top Turkish team Besiktas.

Waving Turkish flags and whistling, fans made their way to the stadium after 44 people were killed on Saturday in an attack claimed by Kurdish militants.

Besiktas was playing on Wednesday against Kayserispor in a Turkish cup match at its new arena, on the shores of the Bosphorus.

A mournful silence was broken by fans making their way to the game, chanting "martyrs never die, homeland not divided" -- slogans of solidarity and patriotism rather than the usual team slogans, an AFP correspondent said.

Later inside the stadium, the slogans were repeated as fans sought to pay tribute to those killed and show a united front.

A car bomb exploded on Saturday outside the stadium and less than a minute later, a suicide attacker blew himself up next to a group of police officers at a nearby park.

Some 37 police officers and seven civilians were killed in the blasts claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), which is seen as a radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

One of the Besiktas coaches Veyiz Oguz said Turkish football fans were united in mourning.

"Right now, Galatasaray fans are with us, Fenerbahce fans are with us," referring to Istanbul's two other big teams.

'All united'

Kayserispor fan Mehmet said he came all the way from the central Turkish city of Kayseri for Wednesday's match.

"Today, we Trabzonspor fans, Besiktas fans, Galatasaray fans are all united," he told AFP.

"God willing these incidents end and our matches can occur peacefully," he added.

Seyma, a female fan of Istanbul top flight Galatasaray, said: "Today is the day to show unity," adding that she hoped "friendship will win today. Turkey will win."

Besiktas midfielder Olcay Sahan took two Turkish police officers by the hand to the field and the audience applauded, an AFP photographer said.

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes and goalkeeper Tolga Zengin also laid wreathes on the players' benches.

A sea of flowers, including carnations coloured the red and white of the Turkish flag, have been left outside the stadium, along with scarves from all of the Turkish teams. An imam recited from the Koran at the site on Wednesday evening.

Besiktas said this week that money from tickets sold for Wednesday's match would go to victims' families.

Anil Akbulut, a fan of one of the other Istanbul giants Fenerbahce, said what mattered was not the match but the solidarity.

"What we experienced was painful," he said. "It doesn't matter which team I support. I know that the ticket proceeds would go to martyrs' families and that's why I came with my fiancee to watch the game."

"We invited fans from all teams," Hakan Ozkose, a Besiktas board member, told AFP. "We made the decision in order to show we are one heart against terror."

Source : AFP

Turkish Super League 14th weekend standings

2016-12-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

#TurkishSuperLig #STSL 14th weekend results,standings and top scorers !

Besiktas caught up with Basaksehir in the 14th week , they both have 32 points on top .

While Galatasaray won at home, Fenerbahce went down in Antalya !

Fenerbahce's Sow scored bicycle kick goal but it was called back by controversial referee Cuneyt Cakir ....

Results...............

Top scorers ........

Blasts kill dozens near Istanbul's Besiktas stadium

2016-12-11T03:02:00.001-05:00

Turkey declares day's mourning after blasts possibly targeting police kill at least 29 and injure 160 others.

Two explosions have hit the city of Istanbul, near Besiktas stadium, killing at least 29 people, mostly police personnel, and wounding more than 160 .

They have detained 10 people in connection with the bombings.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 27 of those killed were police and two were civilians, according to AFP news agency.

"I heard two loud explosions within 30 seconds of each other," Omer Yilmaz, a cleaner at the nearby Dolmabahce Mosque, told Al Jazeera.

"I saw flames. I walked towards the police bus which was on fire and and I saw policemen inside."

Turkey declared a one-day morning after the twin blasts ripped through the heart of Istanbul, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also ordered flags to fly at half mast, Anadolu said.

Source : News Wires

Three teams will represent Turkey in the Europa League

2016-12-10T02:37:00.000-05:00

After Fenerbahce and Osmanlispor finished their group in the first place , the earned to be in the knockout stage games ...

Besiktas who said good bye to Champions League after losing in Kiev, they also will play in the Europa League .

Fenerbahce surpassed one of the world soccer powers Manchester United in the group and finished first place !

In their last match they beat Feyenoord team in Netherlands 1-0

TURKISH Super Lig's most form team Fenerbahce has been looking good lately in the domestic league and in the Europa League matches...h

Saw scored Fenerbahce's only goal with amazing bicycle kick again...

Moussa Sow has been the scoring power for Fenerbahce !

Fenerbahce coach Dick Advocaat , was happy getting out of the group A ,on top of the Manchester United ...

Fenerbahce finished the group with 13 points while Manchester United finished in second place with 12 points .

That's is a huge acomplisment for Fenerbahce team !

On the other hand Osmanlispor made history .......

First time ever in clubs history , they have gone to knockout stages in the Europa League ..

Osmanlispor coach Mustafa Resit Akcay deserves a lot of credit for this success !

They also finished in first place with 10 points while Spain's soccer power Villarreal finished second place with 9 points in the group L ....

They beat Zurich at home with two goal in their last match .

One disappointed, Konyaspor said good bye to Europa League after finishing last place in their group

So, Besiktas ,Fenerhace and Osmanlispor will represent Turkey in the Europa League knockout stages...

The draw will be on Monday,December 12th, 2016....

Turkish teams will be seeded in the draw....

Nightmare for Besiktas in Kiev !

2016-12-07T02:41:00.000-05:00

Disaster penalty call by Craig Thomson .....

All Besiktas need it to win in Kiev so they could qualify to knockout stage in the Champions League

Against the last team in the group , they could not do that !

In the very beginning of the match (9th minute) they went down 1-0 ...

That was big surprise for Senol Gunes who was bundled up on the sideline with heavy coat hood covering his head !

After the goal Besiktas , Besiktas was pushing up to find the equalizer goal to tie the match ..

Quarezma and Olcay Sahan missed a couple good chances before the disaster penalty kick call by referee Craig Thomson !

In the 30th minute, counterattack by Kiev led the awful penalty call and red card by referee Craig Thomson ..

That was never penalty and with new rule change was not red card !

Craig Thomson butchered Besiktas's dream with that call ...

Besiktas never recovered after that !

Two minutes later Kiev scored again ..

Besiktas closed the first half with four goals and a man down ...

In the beginning of the second half , Besiktas' s Vincent Aboubakar was send off the filed with red card ...

Nine man Besiktas, was pretty much done in Kiev !

After that Kiev scored two more goal and match finish with the score of 6-0 !

Besiktas went into match with high expectations but, thouse expectations turn into nightmare thanks to Craig Thomson and his linesman AND the Besiktas defense ...

Although Referee was huge factor in this match but we can't overlook how Besiktas defense played poorly!

Also Besiktas could create attacks on Kiev goal ...

While Kiev had 17 attempts on Besiktas goal , Besiktas had only 6 !

Besiktas had a really good chance to make it to knockout round but their dream vanished by Craig Thomson and not playing well as a team !

After the match, Besiktas coach said " I am taking the blame for not playing good "

A must win for Besiktas !

2016-12-06T14:23:00.001-05:00

As Besiktas coach Senol Gunes said this is the most important match in Besiktas's history ..

I agree with a win Besiktas will gain respect and earn money for the club ..

That's why this is a must win !

Besiktas, with one win and four draws so far in Group B, are close to qualifying from the group stages for the first time in the Istanbul club’s history.

Dynamo Kiev have no hope of advancing further, the Ukrainians will provide a stern test for Besiktas, who recently came back from 3-0 down against Portuguese group rivals Benfica to earn a hard-won draw.

A Besiktas win -- coupled with a Benfica-Napoli draw on Tuesday -- will see the Black Eagles go through as group leaders. Lose, and Besiktas will finish third and be demoted to the Europa League competition.

A draw in Kiev will see Besiktas relying on the result of the Benfica-Napoli match. Besiktas would need one side to win as well as needing to finish the group with a better goal difference than the loser in Lisbon.

Vincent Aboubakar and Ricardo Quaresma will be at the forefront of Besiktas's attack in one of the side’s most critical matches.

Both players have scored three times so far, helping Besiktas to bag nine goals so far in the group. Cenk Tosun, Adriano Correia and Anderson Talisca recorded also scored for Istanbul's Black Eagles.

Turkish Super Lig standings,results and top scorer !

2016-12-05T17:21:00.003-05:00

Good weekend for #Galatasaray while #Basaksehir #Besiktas and #Fenerbahce did not win in the 13th weekend in#STSL !

Super Saturday in the Turkish Super Lig ! #STSL

2016-12-03T02:01:00.000-05:00

YES IT'S GOING TO BE SUPER SATURDAY .....

13th week in the #STSL will take a start with two important matches on Saturday ! Basaksehir vs Antalya and Fenerbahce vs Besiktas !

First place #Basaksehir will host Antalya in a early game before the derby match ! Fenerbahce vs Besiktas match will be after that match !

It's very crucial two matches on Saturday ..,

Fenerbahce and Antalya are the most form teams in the last six matches ! While Fenerbahce won their last five matches ,Basaksehir won four.

Most formed team Fenerbahce which has won its last eight games, will host historic rival Besiktas on Dec. 3 looking to maintain an 11-year undefeated record in derby games.

Besiktas, meanwhile, is out to extend its unbeaten run in three competitions – Turkish Super League, Champions League and the Turkish Cup.

But Fenerbahce fans are entertaining great expectations from Moussa Sow, its prolific Senegalese striker who scored a hat-trick against Rizespor last week, pacing his side to a 5-1 win.

Sow, who returned to the Istanbul side last summer following one year away with the United Arab Emirates’ al-Ahli, has scored seven goals against Besiktas in eight appearances.

Fenerbahce stores now sell Sow jerseys with his name and number written upside-down in honor of recent bicycle-kick goals against Rize and Manchester United .

Sow has scored 65 goals for Fenerbahce in 160 games, while assisting on 28 others.

Fener coach Dick Advocaat, who has received great praise in the Turkish media for the recent performance of the team following a bad start, also has confidence in his countryman Robin van Persie. The Dutch international, who scored in a derby against Galatasaray on Nov. 20 “is a very important player,” Advocaat said, adding that he should return to the national team.

Besiktas visits Fenerbahce at Sukru Saracoglu two points behind leader Basaksehir, another Istanbul team which it drew 1-1 last week, and four points ahead of third-place Fenerbahce

The Black and Whites will be lucky to have Ricardo Quaresma on the pitch after the Portuguese midfielder escaped a booking and suspension in the Basaksehir game in the dying minutes.

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes said after the game on Nov. 26 that he and his side were tired. The visitors, which engineered a historic comeback from three goals down against Benfica on Nov. 23 before appearing in the Turkey Cup on Nov. 29, will fly to Ukraine to meet Dynamo Kyiv to guarantee a qualification spot in the Champions League.

In the last 52 games of between the rivals, Fener have won 19, one more than Beşiktaş. It has also won 14 out of 35 games at the Sukru Saracoglu against Besiktas nine wins.

Besiktas's last away victory in the fixture was on April 17, 2005, a 4-3 game for the ages when the 10-men Eagles scored the winner after seeing goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba sent off.

So , Saturday 's results may just change the top team in the #STSL ! #Galatasaray plays on Sunday while #Trabzon waits until Monday.

Amazing comeback by Besiktas !

2016-11-24T14:50:00.001-05:00

This has to be the best comeback match for Besiktas in their history !

Going down three goals to nil in the first half and coming back from that was amazing ...

It was Amazing second half by Besiktas and Besiktas fans all game along !

The 12th man kept them in the match whole match

Watch this Besiktas vs Benfica excitement matche highlight here.....Watch it here

Besiktas's Boss Fikret Orman : "We want to be in the Champions League !"

2016-11-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

Turkey's only team in the Champions League this season Besiktas president Fikret Orman is confident that his team is good enough to be in the Champions League tournament .

Orman was in New York last week and I had a chance to be with him at Besiktas USA Championship GALA !

Fikret Orman brought the domestic league trophy to celebrations along with close to thousand Besiktas fans in the United States .

Besiktas president said, he believes Benfica match will be difficult but with home advantage Besiktas will beat Benfica .

He said ,over his four years with Besiktas ,they went through a lot of rough times and played their most of their matches on the road because construction on a new stadium !

But at the end , Bringing in Senol Gunes brought Besiktas the Turkey's title in the Turkish Super Lig.

He went on to say, he believes in his players and coach Senol Gunes ...

He spoke very highly about Gunes saying he is not just a coach ,he is a teacher also on our team .

Orman said, " We want to keep going on in the Champions League as far as we can"

This will be good for TURKISH football too, he said.

Besiktas boss Fikret Orman enjoyed the BESIKTAS USA GALA in New York and thanked the Besiktas USA organization .

Besiktas will face Benfica on Wendsday in Istanbul...

Napoli and Benfica both have 7 points while Besiktas is only one point behind with 6 points .

That's why this is a huge match for Besiktas a win will pretty much will secure second place for them .

Besiktas's last match will be against Kiev while Benfica will host Napoli ...

Worst case a draw against Benfica will keep them in the race but a loss will say goodbye to Champions League !

Tomorrow's match against Benfica is like Do or die ...or Must Win match for Besiktas .

Fenerbahce beat Galatasaray 2-0 !

2016-11-20T20:53:00.005-05:00

Robin van Persie from being goat to hero !

Yes, until this match , RVP was underfire along with his coach Dick Advocaat from Fenerbahce media and Fenerbahce fans in Turkey .

There were even talks if Fenerbahce were to lose this match in Kadikoy, Advocaat and RVP's days were going to be over !

Well. that did not happaned ....

The hungary side was Fenerbahce and Robin van Persie ...

Galatasaray looked very flat !

Robin van Persie scored twice to give Fenerbahce a famous 2-0 home victory over rivals Galatasaray in the Super League.

Dick Advocaat's side had failed to win in the last three Rivalry matches, but ended that run with a comfortable triumph at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Van Persie scored just before half-time before sealing the victory with a late penalty as the hosts made it eight Super League games unbeaten.

The win means Fenerbahce leapfrog Galatasaray – who have now lost three of their last four league games – in the table, moving up to third and reducing the gap to leaders Besiktas to six points.

Volkan Demirel made an early save from Galatasaray winger Bruma, while Van Persie – one of five players booked in a feisty opening period – curled a free-kick narrowly over at the other end.
But home fans were delighted in the last minute of the half when Alper Potuk set Sener Ozbayrakli free down the right, with his cut-back allowing Van Persie to divert a right-footed strike past Fernando Muslera and into the top corner.

Souza headed Potuk's corner inches wide as Fener pushed for a second after the break, Gala boss Jan Olde Riekerink sending Lukas Podolski on for Wesley Sneijder in a bid to turn the match in his side's favour
But the visitors suffered a blow when their top league goalscorer Eren Derdiyok had to be taken off on a stretcher after a blow to his head and it was game over with 12 minutes remaining as Fener struck through a controversial penalty.

Serdar Aziz lost possession to Souza in a dangerous area and the midfielder immediately went down under his opponent's challenge in the area, leading to referee Cuneyt Cakir pointing to the spot.
Van Persie stepped up and beat Muslera despite the goalkeeper correctly diving to his left, sending the home crowd wild.

The veteran striker came off to a hero's reception in the closing stages, as Galatasaray failed to register a second-half shot on target.

Turkey beat Kosovo 2-0 !

2016-11-13T02:54:00.000-05:00

Turkey revived its hope of making the way to 2018 Russia World Cup competition with a 2-0 home victory over Kosovo in southern Turkish city of Antalya on Saturday.

After a goalless first-half, Kosovo conceded two goals in quick succession from Burak Yilmaz, the central forward of Beijing Guoan, and Volkan Sen shortly after the break.

The defeat leaves Kosovo bottom on just a solitary point.

Turkey are now fourth in the Group I with five points, while Kosovo is sixth and last with only a single point.

Croatia moved to 10 points, with Iceland on seven and Ukraine could advance to eight with a win over Finland later in the evening.

Turkey' s star midfielder Arda Turan of Barcelona was recalled to the national team on Nov. 5 for the World Cup qualifier against Kosovo after apparently healing a rift with coach Fatih Terim.

Arda Turan, one of Turkey' s most successful players, had last month been sensationally dropped from the side.

The rift between Terim and Arda Turan reportedly stemmed from a debate over the distribution of the bonuses to be paid by the federation to the players for reaching to the Euro 2016 finals.

BESIKTAS'S FIKRET ORMAN COMING TO NEW YORK WITH THE TROPHY !

2016-11-10T13:57:00.001-05:00

Besiktas soccer team President Fikret Orman is bringing Besiktas's 2015-2016 season Championship

trophy to Besiktas USA's Championship Gala in New York !

The Gala will take place on Sunday November 13th, in Long Island .

Besiktas USA President Ferruh Zor said, Championship Gala has been sold out .

There will be about thousand people will celebrate the Besiktas's Championship along with Turkish entertainers from Turkey.

Also, Turkish TV stations and Besiktas TV will be there to follow this big event in New York.

This will be Fikret Orman's third time attending the Besiktas USA event in New York City .

Historical win for Fenerbahce against Manchester United !

2016-11-04T01:15:00.000-04:00

Fenerbahce beat Manchester United 2-1 on Thursday in a Europa League group stage game.

On a historical night , Fenerbahce defeated the English club thanks to goals from Moussa Sow in the 2nd minute and Jeremain Lens in the 59th.

English forward Wayne Rooney scored Manchester United only goal in the 89th minute.

Fenerbahce currently stand in first place of Group A with 7 points in four matches. Dutch team Feyenoord are second with 7 points. Manchester United find themselves in third place with six points.

Also, Osmanlispor beat Villarreal in Spain 2-1 and moved to first place in their group !

On the other hand , Konya went down in Braga 3-1 and they are pretty much out of the next stage in the Europ League !

Overall , it's has been good week for TURKISH teams in the European competitions ...

Besiktas blew the win in the last ten minutes of the match!

2016-11-02T01:38:00.001-04:00

Besiktas almost beat Napoli in Istanbul but right after Quaresma's penalty kick goal , they did not hold as a team and after very bad throwing by Besiktas and defensive big error ,Napoli scored in the 82th minute!

Managing the last minutes , has been a big problem for Besiktas ...

Giving away the win In Istabul last night,just might come back to bite them...

The had a chance to capture the first place in the group and they let it go out of their hand !

Napoli is on top of the group B with 7 points and Benfica moved to second place with same points .

Besiktas is third with 6 points and Kiev is only with one point !

That's what Besiktas need it to win this match last night ,they blew it ....

One point good but, now Besiktas has to win their next matches .

**************

A brilliant late goal from Napoli captain Marek Hamsik secured a 1-1 draw at Besiktas to keep the Italians a point ahead of their opponents in Champions League Group B.

Besiktas went ahead with just 11 minutes left through a penalty from Ricardo Quaresma.

However, Hamsik hauled the visitors level on 82 minutes when he cracked a 20-yard effort into the top corner.

Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri was out to make amends for the 3-2 home defeat by Besiktas two weeks ago, which had prompted skipper Hamsik to issue an apology.

Sarri made three changes, bringing in Manolo Gabbiadini, Nikola Maksimovic and Jorginho as the visitors looked to put a reshuffled Black Eagles defence under pressure.

Besiktas were looking to recover from a poor run that had seen them suffer four defeats in their last six matches in all competitions.

the Italians as Faouzi Ghoulam and Lorenzo Insigne combined to put Gabbiadini through, but he shot straight at Besiktas goalkeeper Agosto Fabri.

Besiktas then saw an effort from Vincent Aboubakar ruled out for a foul in the buildup.

Gabbiadini was in behind the home defence again on 11 minutes, with Fabri this time saving with his legs.

Cameroon front man Aboubakar remained a threat for Besiktas as he sent a cross from Tolgay Arslan wide.

Home coach Senol Gunes had to make a change midway through the first half when defender Dusko Tosic hobbled off and was replaced by winger Cenk Tosun.

Atiba Hutchinson came close for the home side when he latched on to a clearance from Kalidou Koulibaly and sent a curling shot against the outside of a post.

Napoli started the second half brightly and on 56 minutes Jose Maria Callejon fired just wide after collecting a through ball from Insigne.

On 79 minutes Besiktas took the lead from the penalty spot after English referee Mark Clattenburg ruled Maksimovic had handled a cross from Aboubakar.

Quaresma converted, with Napoli keeper Pepe Reina only able to push the ball inside the right-hand post.

The home supporters' joy was short-lived, however, as Slovakian playmaker Hamsik netted a superb equaliser.

Dries Mertens set him up with a cushioned header outside the penalty area and he dispatched a wonderful curling effort into the top corner.

Mertens and Insigne both tried their luck from distance during the closing stages, but Besiktas held on for a deserved share of the points, leaving both teams with all to play for in the last two matches of the group stage.

***********

With a win Besiktas could capture the first pace in group B !

2016-11-01T00:26:00.000-04:00

Besiktas's victory in Napoli, has put the Black Eagles within a point of the Group B leaders.

On Tuesday, Besiktas could capture the first place in the group with a win in Istanbul !

In the first competitive meeting between the teams, Besiktas twice let the lead slip before Vincent Aboubakar struck a late winner, his second goal of the game, to secure a 3-2 victory. Adriano Correia Claro had opened the scoring in the 12th minute for Besiktas but Napoli's Dries Mertens scored in the 30th minute to equalize.

A Manolo Gabbiadini penalty in the 69th minute, with Lorenzo Insigne having earlier missed from the spot, kept Napoli in the hunt before Aboubakar gave the Turkish Super League champions their first victory over Italian rivals in 12 tries.

A 1-1 draw at S.L. Benfica on matchday one came courtesy of a player from the Lisbon club, Anderson Talisca, loaned to Besiktas in August, as he struck a last-gasp equalizer.,

They were then involved in another 1-1 draw when Dynamo Kyiv pulled level in the 65th minute to cancel out Ricardo Quaresma's free-kick goal in the first half.

Back in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2009/10, the Turkish Super League champions are hoping to negotiate the group stage hurdle for the first time in six attempts. In that 2009 campaign they lost all three home fixtures and finished at the bottom of the section.

They have won one of their last five home games in UEFA competition, and are on a four-game winless home run in the UEFA Champions League proper. Before winning in Naples, Besiktas had drawn two and lost nine of their past 11 meetings with opponents from Serie A.

As for the match facts:

Beşiktaş's star Gökhan İnler played for and captained Napoli between 2011 and 2015, helping the Partenopei to win the Coppa Italia twice and the Italian Super Cup once. İnler played for Udinese Calcio for four seasons before that and on April 17, 2011 scored the opening goal in their 2-1 win over Napoli in Serie A. Ricardo Quaresma scored the second goal in F.C. Porto's 2-2 away draw with Beşiktaş in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League Round of 16 to earn a 3-2 aggregate win. Quaresma was at F.C. Internazionale Milano from 2008 to 2010, making 24 Serie A appearances. Caner Erkin is on loan from Inter after joining the Nerazzurri this summer from Fenerbahçe. Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş was in charge of Turkey for the 1-1 friendly draw with Italy in Pescara on 20 November 2002. Quaresma scored an extra-time winner as Portugal defeated Ivan Strinic's Croatia in the UEFA EURO 2016 Round of 16 in Lens.

Adriano and Caner are each one booking away from a match ban. Beşiktaş are unbeaten in 13 games in regulation time in 2016/17 (W7 D6), though they did lose the Turkish Super Cup 3-0 in penalties to Galatasaray in August. Beşiktaş have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, keeping three clean sheets. The Black Eagles have won 13 of their past 14 home league fixtures. Oğuzhan Özyakup has not played since sustaining an ankle injury against Galatasaray in late September, although he is back in full training. Caner will be out for six months after tearing his left Achilles tendon in a 3-0 defeat of Antalyaspor on October 23. Talisca underwent surgery on Saturday after breaking a metatarsal bone in Friday's game against Gençlerbirliği, having earlier scored in a 1-1 draw. Necip Uysal went off after 14 minutes with a hamstring injury. İnler missed the Antalyaspor match due to an undisclosed injury and was not part of the squad which travelled to Gençlerbirliği.

Napoli ended a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions by winning 2-1 at Crotone on October 23, despite Gabbiadini being sent off after only half an hour.

Europa League : Manchester United beat Fenerbahce 4-1 !

2016-10-21T01:40:00.003-04:00

Manchester United beat Fenerbahce 4-1 in a UEFA Europa League Group A match late Thursday.

The hosts took the lead in the 31st minute when French star Paul Pogba converted a penalty kick.

Manchester United doubled the score three minutes later after another Frenchman, forward Anthony Martial, was successful on another penalty.

A strike by Pogba from 25 meters out in injury time that beat goalkeeper Volkan Demirel put Manchester up by three goals heading to the dressing room at Old Trafford.

Red Devils' English midfielder Jesse Lingard added a fourth goal for good measure as he smashed a shot from outside the penalty box in the second half.

His two goals helped Pogba to be named player of the match by UEFA.

Meanwhile, other Turkish teams in the Europa League each drew against their opponents.

Atiker Konyaspor played to a 1-1 draw against Portugal's Braga in a Group H match in Konya while Osmanlispor and Spanish team Villarreal ended 2-2 in Group L play in Ankara.

- Group A

Manchester United (England) - Fenerbahce (Turkey): 4-1

Feyenoord (Netherlands) - Zorya (Ukraine): 1-0

Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
Feyenoord	3	2	0	1	2	1	1	6
Manchester United	3	2	0	1	5	2	3	6
Fenerbahce	3	1	1	1	3	5	-2	4
Zorya	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1

- Group H

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - Gent (Belgium) : 5-0

Atiker Konyaspor (Turkey) - Braga (Portugal): 1-1

Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
Shakhtar Donetsk	3	3	0	0	8	0	8	9
Gent	3	1	1	1	3	6	-3	4
Braga	3	0	2	1	2	4	-2	2
Atiker Konyaspor	3	0	1	2	1	4	-3	1

- Group L

Osmanlispor (Turkey) - Villarreal (Spain): 2-2

Steaua Bucharest (Romania) - Zurich (Switzerland): 1-1

Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
Villarreal	3	1	2	0	5	4	1	5
Osmanlispor	3	1	1	1	5	4	1	4
Zurich	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
Steaua Bucharest	3	0	2	1	2	4	-2	2

Besiktas beat Napoli in Italy ..First CL win in 7 years !

2016-10-20T01:29:00.002-04:00

Senol Gunes feels Besiktas deserved their 3-2 win over Napoli following their courageous display, but says they must remain humble.

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes was quick to stress they cannot afford to get carried away after beating Napoli 3-2 in Wednesday's Champions League encounter.

The Istanbul side now sit second in Group B - trailing Napoli by a point - following Vincent Aboubakar's late winner at Stadio San Paolo, but Gunes made it clear they have achieved nothing yet.

"If we had lost the game, we would have been very upset because our players really fought well," Gunes told reporters.

"However, winning does not mean that we are comfortable in the group now.

"It was an enjoyable game but we could have taken more goalscoring chances.

"We were up against a good team who are leaders of our group. They had some dangerous attacks, we struggled to neutralise their quick players in the first half."

Aboubakar scored the decisive goal four minutes from time to help Besiktas to maximum points having previously put the visitors 2-1 to the good after Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne missed a penalty.

"We did an excellent job. Thanks to all our efforts we were able to get the three points," Aboubakar said.

"I am not the only player who needs to be congratulated - the team deserves the praise. My goals tonight were very important, not just for the team but also from a self-confidence point of view.

"The win has taken us to a key position in the group."

Besiktas beat Napoli in Italy ..First CL win in 7 years !

2016-10-20T01:29:00.000-04:00