Galatasaray beaten, Beşiktaş draws in friendlies

VIENNA

Beşiktaş is in the last stretch of its preparation before the crucial Champions League third qualifying round first leg game against Feyenoord on July 30. AA Photo

Galatasaray lost to Rapid Vienna while Beşiktaş was held to a draw against Mainz in friendly matches on July 23.

Playing at the Ernst Happel, home to two crucial games in Galatasaray history, the Turkish team failed to capitalize on a lead it acquired through a header from Aurelien Chedjou.

Just a minute after the Cameroonian defender’s goal, Rapid equalized with Dominik Wydra scoring from outside the box in the 28th minute.

Rapid took the lead through German defender Brian Behrendt in the 52nd minute, before forward Deni Alar completed the scoring in the final minute.

It was a disappointing start to the pre-season for Galatasaray, whose wins over Rapid Vienna in 1988 and 1999 set them on the course for two respective high points in the club’s history. Galatasaray advanced to the semifinal of the European Cup in the 1988-89 season, and won the UEFA Cup in the 1999-2000 campaign.

Elsewhere, Beşiktaş and Mainz played out a 1-1 draw, with Atiba Hutchinson scoring the goals for both sides.

Beşiktaş’s Canadian player unluckily put the ball into his own net after hitting Mainz’s Daniel Brosinski’s hard shot from the edge of the corner.

However, Hutchinson redeemed himself by scoring at the right end of the pitch later in the game, which was played at the Moss Rose Stadium, the home of England’s Macclesfield Town FC. The game marked new signing Demba Ba’s Beşiktaş debut. The Senegalese forward, known for his spells at Hoffenheim, Newcastle, Chelsea and West Ham United, completed a six-million euro signing last week.

Beşiktaş will play a crucial Champions League third qualifying round first leg game against Feyenoord on July 30. After finishing the Spor Toto Super League in third spot last season, Beşiktaş acquired a berth in the Champions League qualifiers because champion Fenerbahçe is barred from the top-level European club competition for the 2010-2011 match-fixing scandal. If Beşiktaş survives the round against the Dutch side, it will enter a playoff round, which includes top clubs such as Arsenal, Napoli, Athletic Bilbao, Porto and Bayer Leverkusen.

Galatasaray, the Super League runner-up, has qualified directly for the Champions League group stage in the Yellow Canaries’ stead.