Stepping out with an offensive line-up, it was obvious Schuster had plans for Beşiktaş to seal the deal in the first round. Eight foreign players (Guti, Quaresma, Zapotocny, Ferrari, Ernst, Tabata, Bobo and Hilbert) were in the rotation amongst last night's starting line-up. Meanwhile, Helsinki was a great guest indeed; they did nothing at all to bother Beşiktaş. With the exception of a sole attempt towards the end of the game after Beşiktaş goalie Hakan suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Cenk, the ball didn't even come close to the hosts' goalpost.
After last night, Beşiktaş has a 90% chance of having secured a ticket to pass through the Europa League Play-Offs. When it comes to the game… Bobo was the first to move in the 5th minute of the game. A center pass by Quaresma was headed by Bobo only to be stopped by the goalpost. Just as in the weekend's match against Bucaspor, Quaresma's leadership brought on a number of positions in the game's beginning minutes. The Portuguese player's attempts at shots in the 14th and 17th minutes were unsuccessful however. In the 29th minute, Guti initiated an attack that he passed on to Quaresma, however it was Bobo that was unable to complete the shot this time. In the 32nd minute, Zapotocny staged his own attack; however the ball remained with Wallen. In the 35th minute however, Beşiktaş reaped the benefits of their efforts with what started as an excellent pass by Quaresma, followed with a header by Tabata to the goalpost, which Hilbert completed at the line, marking the first goal scored with Beşiktaş by the German. The first half ended at 1-0. The second half of the game started off the same, with Beşiktaş attacking and Helsinki remaining in their side of the field, the only change from the first half of the game being there was a decrease in speed.
In the 66th minute, Quaresma brought the stands to a cheer, when an amazing volley brought on the hosts' second goal. Guti came close to a goal in the 82nd minute; however the ball changed direction when it hit a defense player. In the 86th minute, an attempt by Holosko was tied up by Helsinki's goalkeeper Wallen. In the end, as Beşiktaş walked away with a strong advantage for the return leg, the poor condition of the field at İnönü was most definitely one of the most unforgettable aspects of last night's game.
