Beşiktaş beats RB Leipzig 2-0 to maintain perfect record in Champions League
ISTANBUL
First half goals from Ryan Babel and Talisca earned Beşiktaş a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in a Champions League game on Sept. 26 in Istanbul, making it successive Group G wins for the Turkish champion.
With a 3-1 win a fortnight ago at Porto, Beşiktaş leads Group G with six points while Leipzig is level on one point with last season’s semifinalist AS Monaco, which was beaten 3-0 at home to second-placed Porto.
“Six points from two games is a really good start but it’s still no guarantee,” Beşiktaşcoach Şenol Güneş told a post-game press conference.
“However, if we get two points, or a win, against Monaco in the back-to-back games, we will put ourselves in a really good position,” he added.
Babel told reporters that Beşiktaş took a big step with the victory and “we will have taken a much bigger step if we get a good result in our next match.”
The Istanbul club travels to Monaco for its next match on Oct. 17.
Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhüttl admitted that his players were caught by surprise with the atmosphere at Vodafone Park.
The German club’s forward Timo Werner was reportedly affected by the loud noise created by the fans, first using ear plugs and then requesting to be substituted in the 32nd minute.
The 21-year-old Germany international was seen covering his ears with his hands, before leaving the field.
“It is impossible to prepare your team for an atmosphere like this. There was a deafening noise [and] at the start of the game we were a bit affected,” said Hasenhüttl.
“In the second half, my players stepped up and had chances but it was not enough. I congratulate Beşiktaş for a deserved win.”
The home side looked threatening from the outset and Babel capitalized in the 11th minute when Cenk Tosun cut in from the left and crossed for the Dutch winger to fire a side-footed shot beyond Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Talisca doubled the Istanbul side’s lead in the 43rd minute, meeting a cross from Ricardo Quaresma with a diving header from close range.
The Bundesliga side made a brighter start to the second half but its momentum was interrupted when a floodlight failure brought proceedings to a halt for 10 minutes.
Upon resumption Beşiktaş was content to soak up the pressure and Leipzig was unable to find a way through in its second ever game in the Champions League.
Also in the Champions League on Sept. 26, Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 150th European game with two goals as Real Madrid sealed a 3-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Ronaldo claimed two second-half goals after Gareth Bale’s stunning early volley gave Real the lead at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.
The Germans fought back when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally netted with just over half an hour left, but there was to be no repeat of last year’s 2-2 draw in Dortmund between the teams.
It was the first time Dortmund has lost at home to Real in seven European games while holder Madrid has now scored in 38 successive Champion League games.