Besiktas end with win
Besiktas wrapped up their successful Group L campaign with a routine 2-0 victory over Rapid Vienna.
First-half goals from Ricardo Quaresma and Fabian Ernst secured the points for the hosts, who finished second, 10 points clear of Rapid in third.
They may have already qualified before this match began, but Besiktas signalled their intent to seek another victory immediately, as Quaresma flashed a shot over the crossbar with less than a minute gone.
Quaresma then tried his luck from further out, but found only the hands of Rapid goalkeeper Helge Payer.
Markus Katzer failed to keep down a shot for Rapid while at the other end Tomas Zapotocny's shot sailed wide of the left-hand upright.
A header from Rapid's Ragnvald Soma brought a comfortable save for Cenk Gonen and Christopher Drazan then blazed over as the visitors struggled to threaten the Besiktas goal.
Rodrigo Tabata saw his shot charged down by Soma on the half-hour mark, but moments later, Besiktas had their lead.
It came from a corner, swung in by Guti, which was cleared but only as far as Quaresma who fired home from the edge of the area.
The Portuguese striker could have doubled his tally moments later, but his shot was blocked by Tanju Kayhan and went out for a corner.
Rapid were still failing to test Gonen, and Mario Sonnleitner sent a shot over from long range.
Quaresma, meanwhile, was doing much better, and he forced a parry from Payer five minutes before the break.
Gonen was finally called on moments later, getting a good block in to keep out Drazan's shot.
It was end-to-end stuff as half-time approached, with Roberto Hilbert's shot parried by Payer before Gonen held Rene Gartler's volleyed effort.
Besiktas then doubled their lead moments before the break, again from a Guti corner, as Ernst met it at the near-post to beat Payer from close range.
The second half was a far tamer affair.
It took until just before the hour mark for the first chance to come, and Payer was never threatened by Quaresma's rising effort.
Ten minutes later, Ernst's shot was held by the visiting goalkeeper.
While Drazan blazed over for Rapid, Rodrigo Tabata was inches away from adding a third for the hosts with 12 minutes left as his shot struck the post.
Even with the result beyond doubt, there was still time for a frantic finish, with Christoph Saurer wasting a chance for Rapid before Mert Nobre, twice, and then Ernst went close for Besiktas in the final five minutes.
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Besiktas 2-0 Rapid Vienna: Match Report - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game as it happened.
Source: DSG
