beşiktaş beat tottenham to top group c published: thursday 11 december 2014, 21.20cet beşiktaş jk 1-0 tottenham hotspur fc cenk tosun's goal just before the hour was enough for the turkish super league leaders to leapfrog spurs at the group c summit.
• beşiktaş beat tottenham 1-0 to finish top of group c, above their visitors • spurs lose for first time in 19 uefa europa league group stage games • cenk tosun goal just before the hour proves decisive in ıstanbul • round of 32 draw takes place in nyon at 13.00cet on 15 december
beşiktaş jk beat tottenham hotspur fc 1-0 to leapfrog the premier league side and finish top of uefa europa league group c.
there were temporary floodlight failures early in the first half and late in the second, but that did not prevent slaven bilić's team from recording a seventh win in their last eight fixtures in all competitions. the turkish super league leaders' latest triumph came courtesy of cenk tosun's 59th-minute goal.
spurs, for their part, came to turkey having not found the net since a 2-1 league win against everton fc at the end of last month. ıt was perhaps little surprise, therefore, when roberto soldado failed to make a clean connection with only tolga zengin to beat after younès kaboul had headed a paulinho free-kick across goal.
though olcay şahan made far firmer contact not once, but twice, on the half-hour, his first shot was blocked and his second went narrowly over. however, the beşiktaş no10 showed more deftness of touch on 59 minutes when he cut gökhan töre's clipped pass across goal for cenk to turn in from close range.
such clinical finishing was conspicuous by its absence at the other end, with soldado's scruffy effort from a corner deflected wide. kerim koyunlu was equally profligate when his neat one-two left him only visiting keeper michel vorm to beat, but it mattered not.
