Black Eagles of Beşiktaş continue to soar with 3-0 win in Bursa

ISTANBUL

Beşiktaş moved onto 12 points with the 3-0 victory against Bursaspor while increasing their average to +9. AA photo

Beşiktaş continued its imperious early-season march, easily dispatching Bursaspor 3-0 away to maintain a 100 percent record through the first four games of the season.

Beşiktaş coach Slaven Bilic, who is on a fast track to acquiring legendary status at the Black Eagles despite overseeing just four league games, recently noted his desire to create a “socialist” ethic within the club, and the spirit of sharing was evident from the get-go against Bursaspor, with the club’s passing game frequently causing problems for the hosts’ defense. 

Beşiktaş started the brighter against the 2009-10 champions, probing the Bursaspor defense and firing dangerous balls into the box. In the 14th minute, the Black Eagles stretched the Crocodiles again, with Olcay Şahan latching onto a searching ball over the top of the Bursa defense. He stretched to divert the ball to Hugo Almeida, allowing the Beşiktaş mainstay to slot home past Sebastian Frey.

Bursa’s Pablo Batalla thought he had equalized half-way through the first half, only for his excellent diving header past Beşiktaş goalkeeper Tolga Zengin to be ruled out for offside.

If Frey had little chance on Almeida’s opener, he again appeared to have little chance on the half-hour when Olcay sent a shot curling for the top corner, only for the French goalkeeper to keep the Eagles from padding their advantage.

Beşiktaş did add to their advantage seven minutes later when Tomas Sivok rose highest to head home Manuel Fernandes’ in-swinging corner.

The visitors threatened to extend their lead to three before the break, frequently causing bother in the Bursa end with quality passing that opened space. Despite Beşiktaş’s constant threat, however, it was Bursaspor that should have grabbed a goal before the intermission, as Sebastian Pinto found the ball at his feet directly in front of Tolga after Taye Taiwo’s cross eluded Julien Escude, but the Chilean failed to get a telling touch on the ball.

Fernandes pulls the strings

Bursaspor’s veteran German manager, Christoph Daum, attempted to change things at the break, bringing on a face familiar to Turkish football, Colin Kazım-Richards, but Beşiktaş continued to press forward with the restart.

Despite putting Beşiktaş into the lead, Hugo Almeida provided some evidence for why he has been so maligned over the years by fans of the Portuguese national team, as he contrived to blaze over an empty goal after Frey could only divert a point-blank shot from Olcay into his path early in the second half.

The Fernandes-Sivok connection worked wonders again in the 64th minute, as Sivok turned provider this time, heading a Fernandes free kick into the path of the onrushing Escude to fire past Frey for Beşiktaş’s third of the night.

Disgusted by their team’s performance, Bursaspor supporters then made their feeling evident by turning their backs on the play in the 70th minute. 

For Bursaspor, the heavy defeat marks another low point to the start of the new season, with the club now sitting on four points from four games, just above the drop zone. The club’s Cinderella march to the 2010 title appeared to herald a new horizon for Turkish football, but the club has struggled to find such form again. While the Crocodiles entered the Europa League qualifiers this season, the club crashed out of Europe in the third qualifying round with a loss to unfancied Vojvodina of Serbia. 

Beşiktaş, meanwhile, moved onto 12 points, three ahead of early surprise packet Çaykur Rizespor, while increasing their average to +9 in their best start to a season since 2003-04.

Elsewhere, Gençlerbirliği drew Kayserispor 1-1 at home, Sivasspor saw off Eskişehirspor 3-2 at home, while Elazığspor defeated Konyaspor 2-0. The final match of match day four will be played Monday night when Kasımpaşa hosts Fenerbahçe.