Beşiktaş’s Technical Director Ertuğrul Sağlam made this evaluation regarding our 2-1 Champions League victory over Marseille:

“We made a fine start and jumped out an early lead with a beautiful goal. We could surely score additional goals in the first half to secure our win but somehow we wasted our chances. The second half was more troublesome because we had to play more defensively.  The injury of Cisse disrupted our game plans as they gained a physical edge against us. Having established superiority in midfield, they kept coming at us with extra men. No one can brush Marseilles aside. They are a strong team. After their goal we made some key substitutions and managed to restore our lead.
This was a crucial game for us and we had to win to keep our qualification hopes alive. We also had to win this game for our president and community which we upset recently. Last but not least, this game meant a lot for my player’s future carriers. We had to relieve the pain and take the pressure off by winning. Now, everything depends on the outcome of the last game. No one knows for sure who will get qualified from this group. But one thing is certain that we will go out there and give our best shot.
 
If our president, managers and players didn’t believe in themselves, we could not win this game. Now we have a chance and we want to take advantage of it. Everybody will remember how we lost to Porto with a last minute goal. If we can beat Liverpool and Marseilles, we can also beat Porto regardless of where we play. We’ll do our best to turn the score in our favor. I congratulate my players on their excellent effort.
I also would like to thank our fans, who as usual played a key part in our victory.”