Match Report: Besiktas Defeats Porto 3-1

An accurate Besiktas, who took advantage of their opportunities against Porto, took home the three points today at Estadio Do Dragão (1-3) thanks to goals from Brazilian Talisca, Turkish Tosun, and Dutch Babel.

Despite the intensity of the "dragons" at various stages of the match, the Turks, better positioned on the field, outshined Porto tactically and secured victory in their Champions League debut.

The result leaves Besiktas as the leader of Group G and represents a strong setback for Porto, who closes a group where there are no "easy" rivals and where Monaco and Leipzig already have one point each after their draw (1-1).

Do Dragão hosted the Champions League debut as a special match, as it welcomed two old acquaintances of the club, Portuguese Quaresma and Pepe, who could not be cheered on by the Turkish fans as Besiktas had requested their supporters not to travel to Portugal to avoid incidents.

In a very balanced start to the match, it was Talisca, formerly of rival Benfica and jeered by the home crowd every time he touched the ball, who managed to tilt the game in favor of the Turks by heading Quaresma's cross into the net in the 13th minute.

Casillas, who today set a new record by becoming the player with the most matches in UEFA competitions in history, had no chance of stopping the ball and conceded his first goal of the season, as he had managed to keep a clean sheet in the first five league matches.

After conceding the goal, Porto stepped up and sought the equalizer with determination, with a warning from Spanish Óliver Torres, who struck a powerful shot against the post.

The effort paid off and the "dragons" equalized in the 21st minute with an own goal from Tosic in the sequence of a corner kick by Brazilian Alex Telles.

However, despite Porto's refusal to settle and their pursuit of victory, it was Besiktas who quickly regained the lead.

A right-footed shot from outside the box by Tosun, which passed through the white and blue defense, found the back of the net in the 27th minute.

Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição took advantage of half-time to revitalize the midfield and brought on Portuguese André André and Brazilian Otávio, with whom Porto increased intensity and launched an attack on the goal defended by Spanish Fabri.

But as the minutes went by, the numerous corner kicks, the approaches of Brazilian forward Soares, and even a possible penalty not awarded for a handball in the box were not enough to nullify Besiktas' advantage, as they remained well-positioned on the field.

In the absence of goals, the Portuguese crowd applauded Quaresma when he left the field to make way for Spanish Álvaro Negredo, who ultimately contributed to the Turkish victory.

In the 85th minute, the Spanish player received a ball on the right flank and passed it back to Babel, who shot from the penalty area and scored despite Casillas getting a touch on the ball with his gloves.