Football: Besiktas cannot secure win in Greece

ANKARA

Turkey's Besiktas drew against Greek team Asteras 2-2 in UEFA Europa League Group C game played in Tripolis, Greece on Thursday night.

Home team Asteras were close to scoring in 5th minute, Nicolas Fernandez's shot hit the bar.

Ten minutes later, Besiktas took the lead in the game as their Senegalese striker Demba Ba smashed a volley without trapping the ball in the box, 1-0. 

In the 61st minute, Besiktas midfielder Olcay Sahan was brought down in the box, and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Besiktas winger Gokhan Tore scored from the white spot, 2-0.

Home team Asteras narrowed the gap when Jeronimo Barrales scored with a header in the 72nd minute, 2-1. A minute later, Besiktas' Canadian defensive midfielder Atiba Hutchinson was sent off by the referee after arguing with him.

With seven minutes to go, Asteras equalised the levels, 2-2. The shot taken by Tasos Bakasetas hit Facundo Parra and went in.

In stoppage time, Demba Ba missed a chance in the area. The ball went to corner.

In the remaining time, none of the sides could change the score, and thus the game in Greece ended as a draw.

In another match of the same group, English club Tottenham Hotspur defeated Serbian team Partizan 1-0 in London, and now they are on top of the group with 11 points. Besiktas are currently in runner-up position as they have collected nine points in total. Both teams Tottenham and Besiktas have qualified for the Round of 32 in Europa League.

Results are as follows:

Dinamo Moscow 2-1 Panathinaikos

Krasnodar 1-1 Lille

Wolfsburg 0-2 Everton

Slovan Bratislava 1-3 Young Boys

Sparta Prague 0-0 Napoli

Aalborg 1-0 Steaua Bucharest

Dinamo Kiev 2-0 Rio Ave

Dinamo Minsk 0-2 PAOK

Guingamp 1-2 Fiorentina

Trabzonspor 3-1 Metalist Kharkiv

Lokeren 1-0 Legia Warsaw

Rijeka 2-0 Standard Liege

Feyenoord 2-0 Sevilla

Inter 2-1 Dnipro

Saint-Etienne 1-1 Qarabag

Villarreal 2-2 Borussia Monchengladbach

Zurich 3-1 Apollon

Torino 0-0 Club Brugge

HJK 2-1 Copenhagen

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Partizan

Asteras 2-2 Besiktas

Celtic 1-3 Salzburg

Astra 1-0 Dinamo Zagreb

Estoril - PSV Eindhoven (suspended due to weather conditions)

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