Spurs celebrate as Berbatov blasts Besiktas
Berbatov set up the first for Hossam Ghaly and then produced a piece of magic to give Spurs the perfect start to their UEFA Cup Group B campaign.
The £10.9 million summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen rounded two defenders and the keeper before completing a spectacular goal with the coolest of finishes.
Jol said: “Berbatov showed some flashes of his quality. We’ve always said if our strikers can make a difference then we will be a good team.
“Berbatov is the extra quality we have up front. It was a terrific goal and hopefully it will break the spell as we have struggled to score this season.”
He added: “Our defence was excellent as well. We were too strong to concede goals. If we score goals as well then that makes us tough to beat.”
Most of the pre-match buildup centred on the hostile reception Spurs could expect at the Inonu Stadium but the Besiktas fans were noisy rather than intimidating.
“Besiktas don’t lose much in Europe, although we knew we’d be the first English team to lose over here so that helped spur us on,” said Jol.
Besiktas coach Jean Tigana felt Berbatov was the difference between the sides.
He said: “His goal was fantastic. When you have a player like that it is a lot easier to win. He can change a game by himself.
“Tottenham were very good. They were strong in midfield and we could not find a solution to that.”
Runje, Kurtulus, Sedef (Bobo 46), Zan, Yilmaz, Mercimek, Marcio Nobre, Ricardinho, Uzulmez, Tatan (Akin 66), Toraman.
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Ghaly (Lennon 83), Huddlestone, Jenas, Murphy (Ziegler 80), Berbatov (Defoe 90), Keane.
Nicolai Vollquartz (Denmark).
Rangers enjoyed a memorable night in Tuscany after an impressive win over Livorno in the UEFA Cup Group A opener.
The Scots produced a classy display with three goals in the first half to earn the club’s first-ever triumph on Italiansoil.
Charlie Adam opened the scoring in the 26th minute before Kris Boyd doubled the lead three minutes later from the penalty spot.
Livorno striker Cristiano Lucarelli reduced the deficit with a spot-kick short after the half-hour.
Paul Le Guen’s decision to start Nacho Novo in place of Dado Prso paid dividends with the Spaniard netting Rangers’ third 10 minutes before the break — concluding a burst of four goals in little more than eight minutes.
Lucarelli gave Livorno a lifeline a minute from time, but time ran out for the UEFA Cup newcomers and Serie A high-flyers.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
