Beşiktaş loses north in Tromso, Trabzonspor eases past Kukasi in Europa League

ISTANBUL

Trabzonspor will play the second leg of the tie next week at their home fortress, the Avni Aker Stadium. DHA photo

Having faced off as rivals in the first week of the Turkish Super League season, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor were on Europa League duty on Aug. 22, experiencing contrasting fortunes.

The Black Sea side, which had disappointed in the league game, beat Albanian opponents Kukesi 2-0 thanks to the extra quality of striker Adrian Mierzejewski.

The Pole opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 31st minute, and assisted the second goal, scored by Henrique, in the 68th minute.

The game was interrupted twice by the referee after spectators threw objects from the stands.

With the result, Trabzonspor should have few problems passing through to the Europa League's group stages, and will play the second leg of the tie next week at their home fortress, the Avni Aker Stadium.

In contrast Beşiktaş are returning to Istanbul after a 2-1 defeat inflicted by Norway's Tromso, in Europe's northernmost city. The Black Eagles, who put in a solid performance to beat Trabzonspor at the weekend, started the game well, with Hugo Almeida scoring in the 9th minute after a good passing sequence in midfield.

However, Tromso's enthusiasm paid off in the second half when Thomas Bendiksen equalized from the penalty spot in the 49th minute.

The Norwegians took the lead in the 68th minute through Welshman Josh Pritchard, who is currently on loan from Fulham, who netted after a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, taking advantage of a huge mistake by Beşiktaş's French defender Julien Escudé.

Not only does Beşiktaş face an uphill task in the second leg, but it is also threatened with being kicked out of the competition by UEFA for alleged match-fixing. The club is currently waiting for a final verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a one-year suspension ruling.