Turkish side Besiktas eliminated from Europa League after 1-0 loss to Twente

Decisive moment comes in 76th minute when Twente's Daan Rots scores with close-range shot

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish side Besiktas’ European campaign came to an end after a 1-0 away defeat against Dutch club Twente in the eighth matchday of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

The decisive moment came in the 76th minute when Twente’s midfielder Daan Rots scored with a close-range shot after Besiktas failed to clear the ball from their penalty area. Assisted by Anass Salah-Eddine, Rots sealed the victory for the hosts.

With the result, Besiktas finished the group stage in 28th place with nine points, exiting the competition. Twente, on the other hand, climbed to 23rd place with 10 points, securing a spot in the playoff round for the final 16 matches.

The first half saw Twente dominate possession and create chances, including efforts from Michel Vlap in the 18th minute and Ricky van Wolfswinkel in the 22nd, but neither found the net.

Besiktas relied on counterattacks, with Arthur Masuaku coming close in the 29th minute, only for his shot to be deflected for a corner.

In the dying moments, Besiktas pushed forward, including goalkeeper Mert Gunok joining the attack during a 90+3 free-kick, but their efforts went unrewarded.

Twente held on for the narrow win, ending Besiktas’ European journey.

- 1st stage results

With the group stage in the new format of the organization coming to an end, Lazio, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United, Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiakos and Rangers finished as the top eight teams, respectively. These teams qualified for the final 16 round.

Bodo/Glimt, Anderlecht, FCSB, Ajax, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Roma, Plzen, Ferencvaros, Porto, AZ Alkmaar, Midtjylland, Union Saint-Gilloise, PAOK, Twente and Fenerbahce finished among the top 24 teams, qualifying for playoffs for the final 16 round.

Meanwhile, Braga, Elfsborg, Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Slavia Prague, Malmo, RFS, Ludogorets, Dynamo Kyiv, OGC Nice and Qarabag were eliminated from the European League.

- Other results

Ajax 2-1 Galatasaray

Midtjylland 2 - 2 Fenerbahce

Anderlecht 3 - 4 Hoffenheim

Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 RFS

Slavia Prague 2 - 2 Malmo

Real Sociedad 2 - 0 PAOK

Olympiakos 3 - 0 Qarabag

Lyon 1 - 1 Ludogorets

Maccabi Tel Aviv 0 - 1 Porto

Roma 2 - 0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Athletic Club 3 - 1 Viktoria Plzen