Q7 gives Beşiktaş big win against Maccabi

Beşiktaş’s Ricardo Quaresma (C) hardly put a wrong foot against Maccabi Tel Aviv. AA photo

A last-minute goal by Ricardo Quaresma helped Beşiktaş beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-2 on Dec. 1 as the Istanbul team took a major step toward the next round in the Europa League.

The Portuguese winger made the score sheet twice, landing a scorcher from the edge of the box in the first half before completing his brilliant performance with an individual slalom and cool finish during injury time.

With the victory, Beşiktaş is now three points clear of third-spot Dynamo Kyiv in Group E.
Group leader Stoke City of England claimed the point it required to go through with Jones leaping high to nod in Jermaine Pennant’s superb cross from the right. Dynamo had previously been leading due to a goal by Matthew Upson.

Beşiktaş will be through only with a point on the last day of the group on Dec. 14 when it hosts Stoke City in Istanbul. The Ukrainians can only be through if they beat Maccabi and Stoke comes victorious at the Fiyapı İnönü Stadium at the same time. However, Beşiktaş has a four-goal advantage over Dynamo as well.

Predatory striker Raul Gonzalez, who is comfortably the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer, finally opened his account in the Europa League to take his team Schalke into the knockout stage. The former Spanish international scored a winner in the 57th minute, sealing first place in Group J for the German club, and 1996 champs, by beating Steaua Bucharest 2-1 in Gelsenkirchen.

The 34-year-old Gonzalez’s 71 goals across 15 seasons in the Champions League for Real Madrid and then Schalke is a competition record, putting him 11 goals clear of his nearest challenger Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker.

FC Twente and Sporting Lisbon, who have both already qualified, won to secure first place in their groups respectively, but big-spending French club Paris Saint-Germain, Italian side Lazio and 2010 finalists Fulham all missed chances to progress with a match to spare.

Fulham squandered an opportunity to qualify from Group K by losing 1-0 to FC Twente, which had already secured a top-two finish but now goes through as group winner. Austrian substitute Marc Janko tapped home from close range with a minute remaining for the Dutch club.

Wisla Krakow moved a point behind Fulham by beating Odense 2-1 away.

FC Vaslui held Lazio to 0-0 in Romania, leaving them level on points in Group D - six behind Sporting, which beat FC Zurich 2-0 for a fourth win in five group games.

Braga, Atletico Madrid, Metalist Kharkiv, PAOK Thessaloniki, Standard Liege and Hannover all clinched last-32 spots on Nov. 30. Fifteen teams are through altogether, leaving nine places up for grabs in a fortnight.

Eight clubs will drop into the competition from the Champions League.