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Played
September 29, 2011 8:05 PM BST
Britannia Stadium — Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Referee: A. Gautier
Attendance: 23551
September 29, 2011 8:05 PM BST
Britannia Stadium — Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Referee: A. Gautier
Attendance: 23551
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| Stoke City | 1.80 | 1.05 | 1.75 | 1.04 | 1.80 | 1.80 | 1.01 | 1.85 | 1.85 |
| Draw | 3.40 | 6.50 | 3.50 | 12.00 | 3.50 | 3.35 | 15.00 | 3.25 | 3.40 |
| Beşiktaş | 4.45 | 67.00 | 4.75 | 66.00 | 4.50 | 4.35 | 250.00 | 3.90 | 4.00 |
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Stoke City 2-1 Besiktas: Jonathan Walters & Peter Crouch on target as Potters come from behind to go top of Group E
The hosts went behind to a sublime goal from the Turkish side, but fought back well to take all three points from an open game after Tomas Sivok gave away a penalty
By Nick Price at the Britannia Stadium
Getty Images
Stoke City marked their first Europa League group stage match at home with a win after they came from a goal down to defeat Besiktas.
The visitors took the lead early on when Roberto Hilbert coolly capped off a fine team move, but Peter Crouch stabbed home from a corner to level things up before Jonathan Walters slammed home from the spot in the second half.
Tony Pulis, as expected, changed things around from the team that pushed Manchester United hard for a point, with Asmir Begovic replaced by Thomas Sorensen, while Robert Huth, Matthew Upson, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome were all given starts. For the visitors, Carlos Carvalhal picked former Chelsea man Ricardo Quaresma as his captain and there was another ex-Premier League loanee involved as Manuel Fernandes – who had two spells with Everton – was included from the off.
It was Quaresma who had the first tentative shot of the match in a fiery, if far from full, Britannia Stadium, after the Portuguese winger pulled out one of his trademark tricks to fool Palacios before hitting a tame shot wide from distance.
But Stoke fought back immediately, with Matthew Etherington causing problems down the left, although French referee Antony Gautier was not standing for any physical stuff in the area from the hosts' set plays, with captain Ryan Shawcross given a firm reminder from the first Rory Delap throw of the night that European football is rather kinder on goalkeepers than the Premier League.
However, from the next dead-ball the veteran shot-stopper was powerless as a corner was swung towards the six-yard area, and was fortunate that Huth could only head wide.
The Turks soon took the lead, however, when a flowing move instigated at left-back by Ismail Koybasi found right-back Hilbert via a sublime through ball from Quaresma, with the German defender slotting round Sorensen with the outside of his boot on the 14-minute mark.
The lead was to be short-lived, however, as the hosts found themselves back in the game within seconds by earning a corner that was swung in by Dean Whitehead, with Recber flapping as Shawcross challenged in the air before Crouch poked in the loose ball from a yard away, with the Turkish goalkeeper seemingly infuriated by the referee's decision not to award a free-kick for a foul.
Recber continued to protest and appeal to the officials whenever the Potters flung balls into the danger area, but his team-mates in front of him were much more composed, stringing passes and working the ball into long-range shooting positions, with Fernandes forcing a save from Sorensen before Quaresma drilled a shot narrowly wide.
Somewhat less subtle but just as threatening were Stoke, who utilised the width provided by Etherington and Shotton to good effect, with Huth turning Hilbert on the edge of the area before fizzing an arrowed howitzer just inches outside the near post.
Quaresma, who interchanged with Simao Sabrosa throughout, continued to cause problems for the hosts, with his unpredictable movement and ability to thread a pass between two or three defenders allowing Hilbert and Koybasi to get forward and in behind their opposite full-backs.
Yet Stoke continued to threaten Besiktas, with centre-backs Tomas Sivok and Egemen Korkmaz misreading many aerial battles with Crouch and Jerome, allowing the home side's wide players to get forward, although it was a man in red and white who went into the book first when Upson woefully misjudged a tackle on Edu, earning a yellow.
At the other end, Necip Uysal timed a tackle on Etherington to perfection as the winger dithered when he had the chance to free Crouch or Jerome, while the former West Ham man also saw a dangerously whipped free-kick flicked away before either of his forwards could get a touch immediately before the referee called time on an open first half.
Unsurprisingly, neither manager made a change after the restart, although Etherington was quickly subbed off for Jermaine Pennant, seemingly as a precaution with one eye on Sunday's game at Swansea.
Stoke threatened moments later as Jerome, who was soon replaced by Jonathan Walters, barrelled through two defenders before being brought to an abrupt halt, while Recber continued to struggle from set plays, going down for treatment after feint contact.
But the goalkeeper showed his quality by reading and safely collecting a stinging Whitehead drive in the 58th minute, before turning a Walters shot onto the bar after the striker was released by Palacios.
The former Tottenham man was soon replaced, however, by Glenn Whelan, while Besiktas would have concerns of their own after Korkmaz keeled over in the box, only to draw the ire of the home fans by jogging off after the stretcher was brought on to carry him to the sidelines.
The hosts should have had the lead when substitute Pennant delivered an inch-perfect free-kick across the face of the goal, but captain Shawcross could not get any direction on his header, which launched high into the night.
Hitting closer to the target was Walters, who provided Stoke with an injection of power and pace before smashing a shot straight at Recber.
However, Quaresma came closest of all to adding a third goal of the night when he found himself in space after producing another moment of magic, with his shot from range clipping Huth before looping up and over Sorensen, causing the Besiktas fans dotted throughout the stadium to begin cheering a goal, before it clipped the inside of the post and was cleared away from danger.
Pennant continued to threaten down the right, and when his looping cross fell to Delap inside the area, the seasoned campaigner shaped to fire one across goal and into the far corner, but he put too much fizz on his shot, blazing over the bar.
But the home side were to get another clear cut opportunity as Sivok felled Crouch in the box, with the referee quickly pointing to the spot, from which Walters smashed home as he did against Liverpool earlier in the month – straight down the middle, leaving Recber, who had dived to the left, with no chance.
The visitors had little in response in the final 10 minutes, and indeed it was Stoke who came closest to finding the net on the counter, with Recber having to produce some neat foot work to deny the impressive Walters from slotting into an empty net before the referee called time on the Midlands club's first ever group stage game at home in the Europa League – a result that will live long in the memory.
The visitors took the lead early on when Roberto Hilbert coolly capped off a fine team move, but Peter Crouch stabbed home from a corner to level things up before Jonathan Walters slammed home from the spot in the second half.
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Tony Pulis, as expected, changed things around from the team that pushed Manchester United hard for a point, with Asmir Begovic replaced by Thomas Sorensen, while Robert Huth, Matthew Upson, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome were all given starts. For the visitors, Carlos Carvalhal picked former Chelsea man Ricardo Quaresma as his captain and there was another ex-Premier League loanee involved as Manuel Fernandes – who had two spells with Everton – was included from the off.
It was Quaresma who had the first tentative shot of the match in a fiery, if far from full, Britannia Stadium, after the Portuguese winger pulled out one of his trademark tricks to fool Palacios before hitting a tame shot wide from distance.
But Stoke fought back immediately, with Matthew Etherington causing problems down the left, although French referee Antony Gautier was not standing for any physical stuff in the area from the hosts' set plays, with captain Ryan Shawcross given a firm reminder from the first Rory Delap throw of the night that European football is rather kinder on goalkeepers than the Premier League.
However, from the next dead-ball the veteran shot-stopper was powerless as a corner was swung towards the six-yard area, and was fortunate that Huth could only head wide.
The Turks soon took the lead, however, when a flowing move instigated at left-back by Ismail Koybasi found right-back Hilbert via a sublime through ball from Quaresma, with the German defender slotting round Sorensen with the outside of his boot on the 14-minute mark.
The lead was to be short-lived, however, as the hosts found themselves back in the game within seconds by earning a corner that was swung in by Dean Whitehead, with Recber flapping as Shawcross challenged in the air before Crouch poked in the loose ball from a yard away, with the Turkish goalkeeper seemingly infuriated by the referee's decision not to award a free-kick for a foul.
Easy does it | Crouch tapped home after Recber's spill
Recber continued to protest and appeal to the officials whenever the Potters flung balls into the danger area, but his team-mates in front of him were much more composed, stringing passes and working the ball into long-range shooting positions, with Fernandes forcing a save from Sorensen before Quaresma drilled a shot narrowly wide.
Somewhat less subtle but just as threatening were Stoke, who utilised the width provided by Etherington and Shotton to good effect, with Huth turning Hilbert on the edge of the area before fizzing an arrowed howitzer just inches outside the near post.
Quaresma, who interchanged with Simao Sabrosa throughout, continued to cause problems for the hosts, with his unpredictable movement and ability to thread a pass between two or three defenders allowing Hilbert and Koybasi to get forward and in behind their opposite full-backs.
Yet Stoke continued to threaten Besiktas, with centre-backs Tomas Sivok and Egemen Korkmaz misreading many aerial battles with Crouch and Jerome, allowing the home side's wide players to get forward, although it was a man in red and white who went into the book first when Upson woefully misjudged a tackle on Edu, earning a yellow.
At the other end, Necip Uysal timed a tackle on Etherington to perfection as the winger dithered when he had the chance to free Crouch or Jerome, while the former West Ham man also saw a dangerously whipped free-kick flicked away before either of his forwards could get a touch immediately before the referee called time on an open first half.
Unsurprisingly, neither manager made a change after the restart, although Etherington was quickly subbed off for Jermaine Pennant, seemingly as a precaution with one eye on Sunday's game at Swansea.
Stoke threatened moments later as Jerome, who was soon replaced by Jonathan Walters, barrelled through two defenders before being brought to an abrupt halt, while Recber continued to struggle from set plays, going down for treatment after feint contact.
But the goalkeeper showed his quality by reading and safely collecting a stinging Whitehead drive in the 58th minute, before turning a Walters shot onto the bar after the striker was released by Palacios.
The former Tottenham man was soon replaced, however, by Glenn Whelan, while Besiktas would have concerns of their own after Korkmaz keeled over in the box, only to draw the ire of the home fans by jogging off after the stretcher was brought on to carry him to the sidelines.
The hosts should have had the lead when substitute Pennant delivered an inch-perfect free-kick across the face of the goal, but captain Shawcross could not get any direction on his header, which launched high into the night.
Hitting closer to the target was Walters, who provided Stoke with an injection of power and pace before smashing a shot straight at Recber.
However, Quaresma came closest of all to adding a third goal of the night when he found himself in space after producing another moment of magic, with his shot from range clipping Huth before looping up and over Sorensen, causing the Besiktas fans dotted throughout the stadium to begin cheering a goal, before it clipped the inside of the post and was cleared away from danger.
Pennant continued to threaten down the right, and when his looping cross fell to Delap inside the area, the seasoned campaigner shaped to fire one across goal and into the far corner, but he put too much fizz on his shot, blazing over the bar.
But the home side were to get another clear cut opportunity as Sivok felled Crouch in the box, with the referee quickly pointing to the spot, from which Walters smashed home as he did against Liverpool earlier in the month – straight down the middle, leaving Recber, who had dived to the left, with no chance.
The visitors had little in response in the final 10 minutes, and indeed it was Stoke who came closest to finding the net on the counter, with Recber having to produce some neat foot work to deny the impressive Walters from slotting into an empty net before the referee called time on the Midlands club's first ever group stage game at home in the Europa League – a result that will live long in the memory.
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Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Striker Schalke |
14 | 3 |
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Radamel Falcao
Striker Atlético Madrid |
12 | 1 |
|
Adrián
Striker Atlético Madrid |
10 | 0 |
|
Fernando Llorente Torres
Striker Bilbao |
7 | 2 |
|
Jonatan Ezequiel Cristaldo
Striker Metalist Kharki |
7 | 0 |
