Besiktas stun Chelsea with Sergen double
Two goals in five first-half minutes from midfielder Sergen Yalcin gave 10-man Besiktas a shock 2-0 win away at big-spending Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday. It was only Chelsea's second defeat in 41 European home games and threw Group G wide open with both sides on three points from their opening two games. Leaders Lazio have four points while Sparta Prague have one.
Two goals in five first-half minutes from midfielder Sergen Yalcin gave 10-man Besiktas a shock 2-0 win away at big-spending Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday. It was only Chelsea's second defeat in 41 European home games and threw Group G wide open with both sides on three points from their opening two games. Leaders Lazio have four points while Sparta Prague have one.
Besiktas, the Turkish first division leaders who had lost all six of their away Champions League games, weathered early pressure from the home side before taking the lead against the run of play on 24 minutes.
A clever free kick allowed Ibrahim Uzulmez to cross from the left and Sergen forced home via a deflection off defender John Terry's arm.
Besiktas's second goal five minutes later came after two bad blunders in the Chelsea defence.
A long goal kick from Oscar Cordoba was not dealt with by the stumbling Marcel Desailly under pressure from Sergen. Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini raced from his goal but missed the ball completely, allowing Sergen to fire home unchallenged.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men on 50 minutes when Turkey international striker Ilhan Mansiz, booked just before halftime for kicking the ball away after the whistle, was sent off after committing the same offence.
But Chelsea, despite the introduction after the break of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Damien Duff for Hernan Crespo and Adrian Mutu, failed to make their extra man count.
Geremi's shot from distance, comfortably saved by Cordoba, was the nearest they came to a goal.