delgado lives up to pre-match promise published: wednesday 29 august 2007, 22.15cet
beşiktaş jk 2-0 fc zürich (agg: 3-1) matías delgado proved the scourge of the visitors again with two goals to take the turkish side through.
by yakir mizrahi
former fc basel 1893 midfielder matías delgado again returned to haunt fc zürich as he lived up to his pre-match promise by scoring twice as beşiktaş jk booked their place in the uefa champions league group stage with a 3-1 aggregate triumph against the swiss champions.
welcome revenge delgado spent two-and-a-half seasons at basel before joining beşiktaş in summer 2006 but he was unable to leave on a high after zürich claimed the title on the final day of the 2005/06 swiss season. it was a disappointment the 24-year-old never forgot and having set out his aim to score at the inönü stadium he went one better, scoring twice. after a first half dominated by the home team, delgado finally broke the deadlock eleven minutes after half-time and soon made progress safe with a second moments later as beşiktaş proved too strong.
beşiktaş threat it took delgado's tally to three over the course of the tie after he had scored in the 1-1 first-leg draw in switzerland, though it was striker bobo that posed much of the early threat in istanbul. the brazilian forward's first real chance came just before the half-hour when he met serdar özkan's exquisite cross, but headed past the post. he miscued again soon after, this time following ricardinho's centre, and as time went on zürich's hopes of an upset rose with hakan arıkan saving from eudi silva de souza before the interval.
double blow beşiktaş reaffirmed their dominance after the restart and on 56 minutes delgado struck, heading serdar özkan's cross into the net via the upright. it was soon 2-0 as the argentinian forward again proved too strong in the air, this time converting ibrahim üzülmez's centre, and there was to be no way back for the visitors. rafael araujo almost struck a late consolation but hakan arıkan was again up to the task and it is beşiktaş that go through to thursday's draw.
