Besiktas hit back from three
goals behind at halftime, scoring twice in the last 10 minutes, to force
a 3-3 draw with Benfica in an enthralling Champions League game on
Wednesday. The Portuguese champions raced to a 3-0 lead in 31
minutes, helped by a sublime effort from Nelson Semedo and a bizarre
goal by Ljubomir Fejsa who scored after the ball hit the woodwork three
times. Cenk Tosun pulled Besikas back into the game with a
scissors kick, Ricardo Quaresma converted a penalty seven minutes from
time and Vincent Aboubakar, like Quaresma a former player for Benfica's
arch-rivals Porto, equalised in the 89th minute. The draw left
Benfica with eight points from five games in Group B and Besiktas on
seven alongside Napoli who were at home to Dynamo Kiev later on
Wednesday. Benfica, who had needed a win to qualify with a game to
spare, were left kicking themselves again, having conceded a late
equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home to the same opponents earlier in the
group. Eliseu had already hit the post for Benfica and Aboubaker
seen a goal chalked off for offside for Besiktas when the visitors went
ahead. Eduardo Salvio slipped the ball to Goncalo Guedes and the
19-year-old held off a defender, rounded Fabricio and slipped the ball
into the net from a tight angle.
Semedo doubled the lead with a
spectacular effort in the 25th minute, collecting the ball, turning and
sending a curling left-foot shot past Fabricio from the edge the area. That
was followed by a bizarre third when Kostas Mitroglou headed against
the crossbar, then headed the rebound against the bar before Salvio sent
a third attempt against the post and Fejsa finally turned the ball in. Despite
the mauling, the Besiktas players went to the centre circle at halftime
to applaud their fans whose faith was repaid in a dramatic second half. Unbeaten
at home since February, a Besiktas comeback was in the air from the
moment that Tosun met Andreas Beck's cross with a perfectly-executed
scissors kick in the 58th minute. The Turkish champions pulled
another back when Nilsson Lindelof handled and Portugal forward Quaresma
sent his penalty into the far corner. Ederson made a superb save
to deny Aboubakar but was powerless in the next attack when the ball
again found the Cameroon forward who scored from close range.
Match Sheet:
3 - Besiktas:
Fabri, Adriano, Dusko Tosic (Atinc Nukan m.60), Ricardo Quaresma,
Vincent Aboubakar, Atiba Hutchinson, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Tolgay Arslan
(Gökhan Inler m.46), Marcelo, Andreas Beck, Gökhan Gönül (Cenk Tösun m.
46).
3 - Benfica: Ederson, Luisao, Ljubomir
Fejsa, Kostas Mitroglou (Raúl Jimenez m.85), Victor Nilsson Lindelöf,
Eduardo Salvio, Eliseu, Gonçalo Guedes (Andrea Samaris m.74), Pizzi,
France Cervi (Rafa Silva m.64), Nélson Semedo.
Goals:
Gonçalo Guedes (m.10) Nélson Semedo (m.25) Ljubomir Fejsa (m.31) Cenk
Tosun (m.58) Ricardo Quaresma (m.82) Vincent Aboubakar (m.89)
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN).
Booked: Arslan and Aboubakar (Besiktas), Pizzi and Luisão (Benfica).
Stadium: Besiktas Vodafone Arena Stadi (Istanbul).
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