Nine-man Beşiktaş crumble in Kyiv
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Article summary
Beşiktaş's hopes of a historic qualification from Group B were ruined as they lost four first-half goals to Dynamo Kyiv, and Andreas Beck to a red card, on their way to a resounding 6-0 defeat.
Article top media content
Article body
Beşiktaş's UEFA Champions League ambitions were wrecked by Dynamo Kyiv, whose belated first victory in Group B consigned the visitors to third place behind Napoli and Benfica.
Hitherto unbeaten Beşiktaş were hoping to become the third Turkish club to reach the last 16 after previous qualifications by Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, but requiring a win to guarantee progress from a starting position of third in the section, they foundered in snowy Kyiv.
Dynamo struck first when Yarmolenko picked out 20-year-old Artem Besedin. Having come from three down to hold Benfica, Beşiktaş still had hope until Andreas Beck was red-carded for impeding Derlis González and Yarmolenko converted the penalty. Now the odds were stacked irretrievably against Şenol Güneş's team.
Fatal defensive hesitancy cost the Turkish champions a third, chipped in by Vitaliy Buyalskiy. Then González's shot was deflected in moments before half-time, and after the interval goals from Serhiy Sydorchuk and Júnior Moraes capped a consolation win for Serhiy Rebrov's side. Vincent Aboubakar's second-half dismissal merely salted the Beşiktaş wound.
Key player: Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo)
The winger was the danger man for already eliminated Dynamo, creating goals for Besedin, González and Júnior Moraes and adding his own strike from the spot. Beşiktaş could do almost nothing to thwart his pace and movement down the right, which was sprinkled with regular switches to the left.
Defensive subsidence
Beşiktaş have never been a reliable defensive unit in this UEFA Champions League campaign, but until tonight their attack has made up for it. However, there comes a point when a team simply cannot afford this many errors. Beşiktaş's back four – their fourth different set-up in as many games – never looked assured, and the Black Eagles paid a heavy price.
Wide boys take centre stage
Dynamo's plan, provided they got the first goal, was to play on the counter – a tactic they used so ruthlessly last term but seldom seen this campaign. Here it was absolutely the right decision. Having quality wingers in Yarmolenko and González, the hosts utilised the flanks to great effect and regularly cut through the Beşiktaş rearguard.
Reporters' views
Bogdan Buga, Dynamo (@UEFAcomBogdanB)
Pride was at stake tonight but Dynamo got more than just that. After so much criticism the Ukrainian champions finally showed what they are capable of. It is hard to believe that the team that ended Beşiktaş's 20-game unbeaten run in such style will not play in Europe come the spring.
Çetin Cem Yılmaz, Beşiktaş (@UEFAcomCetinCY)
Beşiktaş had a real chance of making the knockout rounds for the first time, in what was their sixth UEFA Champions League foray, but their campaign unravelled quite horribly. They never recovered from the first goal, and after Beck's red card and the second goal, it was pretty much game over. It is a pity their five-match unbeaten streak in the section came to nothing. It will hurt even more that this eventual defeat came in such emphatic fashion.