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MOTD: Besiktas 1-0 Liverpool (5-4 pens)
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium, almost ten years ago, saw perhaps the greatest European comeback in history: The Miracle of Istanbul, in which Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at halftime to beat AC Milan on penalties. Skill, heart, and some luck guided Liverpool to the Champions League title. This time, Liverpool were on the other end of a comeback, and ready to forget any miracles on the night that resulted in them being knocked out of Europe. Again, the match went to a penalty shoot-out, but whereas four out of nine shots were saved back in 2005, the theme tonight was of great penalty strikes. Nine consecutive spot-kicks were converted between Liverpool and Besiktas, but when Dejan Lovren stepped up for the first make-or-break penalty, Liverpool had no luck when it mattered most: Lovren’s penalty rocketed over the crossbar.
Admittedly, it was a well-deserved comeback from Besiktas. With Liverpool having just edged a 1-0 aggregate advantage in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 tie, they went into the second leg with a defensive bent, but lacked the heart to hold on, much like Milan, and more critically, lacking the spark they had that night ten years ago. For the majority of the match Brendan Rodgers’ men were pinned back into their own half by Besiktas, who were unlucky not to win it in regular time — only the crossbar denied Demba Ba late on.
The result mirrors the theme of Premier League teams in Europe this season: Tottenham crashed out of the Europa League with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina today, while Arsenal and Manchester City face steep uphill battles after respective losses to AS Monaco and Barcelona in the Champions League. Liverpool, though, may be most impacted domestically in the near-term, having played one-hundred-and-twenty minutes of football and suffered a heartbreaking defeat just three days before facing Manchester City in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli also succumbed to injury in the second half.
Liverpool played well in the first half, yet in the second slowly drew back into their own half. It is only a wonder why Brendan Rodgers didn’t go for it more aggressively — a single goal for the visitors and Besiktas would have required three. Moreover, Balotelli was on form, holding the ball up very well. When he was removed, however, it signified the end of Liverpool’s attacking prowess.
Besiktas tested Simon Mignolet multiple times early in the second half, though only from half-chances: Ba didn’t combine well with the midfield, and the majority of Besiktas’ shots came from range. Yet it was Ba who walked away with an assist given his knack for being in the right place at the right time. The former Chelsea forward’s back-flicked layoff set up substitute Tolgay-Ali Arslan on the edge of the box, and the midfielder did not disappoint with a beautiful curler that sailed around Simon Mignolet. From there, Liverpool was content to hold out until extra-time, with a deflected corner in stoppage time falling right to Ba, who smacked the crossbar with a six-yard volley on the turn. Indeed, even in stoppage time Besiktas looked the only side ever close to scoring, but after Mignolet denied Ba the match went into penalties. Manager Slaven Bilić urged Besiktas supporters on, yet none
Manager Slaven Bilić urged Besiktas supporters on, yet no one from the home party at the rocking Ataturk Stadium needed any encouragement. Besiktas expertly buried all five of their penalties, as did Rickie Lambert, Emre Can, Adam Lallana, and Joe Allen for Liverpool, but the first miss of the night spelled the end for Liverpool.
Man of the Match: Tolgay-Ali Arslan
Homepage photo credit: Kamran Hussain on Flickr