In Istanbul, the most dangerous lead you can hold is 3-0. Just ask AC Milan. 16 years after the original Miracle in Istanbul in the Champions League final, Besiktas mounted their own furious three-goal comeback against Benfica at the Vodafone Arena in the same city.
Goncalo Guedes, Nelsinho and Ljubomir Fejsa put the visitors up 3-0 by the 31st minute, and Besiktas still hadn’t managed to get on the scoresheet by the start of the second half. However, a phenomenal scissor volley from Cenk Tosun, like Steven Gerrard before him, triggered the heartfelt comeback.
Ricardo Quaresma added a penalty in the 83rd minute before assisting, with a patented rabona cross, Vincent Aboubakar for the equalizer. A loss for Besiktas would’ve all but eliminated them from the Champions League, but they’ll go into the final match day with every hope of advancing to the round of 16.
The draw put Napoli in the driver seat of Group B. The Italian side faces Dynamo Kyiv later today.
