Besiktas’s Cenk Tosun turns Tottenham’s lights off in Europa League
Besiktas 1 - 0 SpursFirst the lights went out at the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium and then Tottenham’s hopes of topping their Europa League group were extinguished. A Cenk Tosun goal gave Besiktas victory on a night when Spurs had to overcome play being suspended for their second successive match in European competition.
Play was halted during last month’s clash with Partizan Belgrade after three individuals encroached on to the pitch at White Hart Lane. Uefa handed down a €15,000 (£11,870) fine for Tottenham hours before this match, which had been going for less than eight minutes before the floodlights failed at Besiktas’s temporary home.
Spurs responded strongly to the impromptu 17-minute break, with Roberto Soldado having several chances. But their inability to find the net allowed Besiktas to go ahead when Tosun turned home from close range.
After the game suffered another break in play due to a floodlight failure in stoppage time, the visitors’ 18-match unbeaten run in Europa League group matches came to an end. “We deserved more tonight, we created many chances,” Mauricio Pochettino said. “We didn’t score and in football you need to score.” The Tottenham manager described the floodlight failures as “laughable”.
“It is always bad when you need to stop two times for the floodlights. If all the stadium switched off the lights, then maybe you would understand because something wrong has happened. But all the stadium was with light, except the pitch. But it is not an excuse.”
The buildup to the game was dominated by the omission of one player and the return of another as Emmanuel Adebayor was given compassionate leave and Kyle Walker made his comeback after a ninth-month injury layoff.
The right-back, fully recovered from a pelvic injury, was part of much-changed Spurs starting line-up in which Soldado was the only survivor from Saturday’s 0-0 home draw with Crystal Palace.
Only seven minutes and 40 seconds in, the lights went off and the players were led off the field. Play eventually resumed with Spurs returning strongly and after Nacer Chadli saw a tame effort easily held, the Besiktas goalkeeper, Tolga Zengin, did well to prevent Soldado turning home from close range. A scooped Chadli effort did find the net but it was ruled out for offside.
Serdar Kurtulus had an effort from distance early in the second half but Spurs looked the most likely to find the breakthrough, with Danny Rose forcing Zengin to palm wide.
Besiktas by now, though, were enjoying more of the game and Tosun hit a fine, long-range effort which rattled Michel Vorm’s crossbar. It was a warning shot that the visitors failed to heed as moments later Olcay Sahan squared impressively for Tosun to turn into the Tottenham net from close range.
Soldado had an effort blocked before Rose forced Zengin, the Besiktas captain, into another save as Spurs looked to get back into the match. However, their attacking focus was leaving them exposed defensively and Tosun wasted a fine chance to wrap up victory, hitting the side-netting.
José Sosa shot over after wriggling free as Besiktas, who ran Arsenal close in the Champions League play-offs, looked to put the game out of sight. But as the game entered stoppage time, the floodlights failed again. The players were forced back down the tunnel for a break before normal service was resumed. Spurs piled on the pressure but could not find an equaliser.
Walker said he was pleased to be back but disappointed by the result. “I still feel a little rusty but that will come with time.”
