Turkish sides travelled to Greece, Russia and Israel to try and earn precious points ahead of second-leg home fixtures.
Hapoel Beer Sheeva 1-3 Besiktas
Istanbul’s Besiktas defeated Israel's Hapoel Beer Sheeva 3-1 away late on Thursday. The match in Turner Stadium saw Besiktas attacking early, but failing to take their chances. The first goal came on the 42nd minute when Portuguese star Ricardo Quaresma's cross found striker Cenk Tosun whose shot hit his marker William Soares, eventually ending up in the back of the net for an own goal.
Only two minutes later, the Israeli side got an easy equalizer, when Elyaniv Barda found the ball in front of him after a deflection. The second half saw Tosun in action again when he found the net after a cross from Dusko Tosic, giving Besiktas a 2-1 lead.
Controlling the pace throughout, the Turkish league leader wrapped up the match with a counter attack in the 93rd minute, when Brazilian Talisca's low cross was completed by Atiba Hutchinson. The final result gave Besiktas a huge lead going into the second leg.
Istanbul’s Black Eagles are now unbeaten in five games against Israeli teams. Cenk Tosun, the clinical finisher has now scored nine goals in his last nine appearances. The second leg will be played on Feb. 23 at the Vodafone Arena in Istanbul.
Osmanlispor FK 0-0 Olympiacos
Ankara club Osmanlispor FK held Greek powerhouse Olympiacos scoreless in the two sides’ clash at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus -- their first time competing in the tournament. The match saw Olympiacos perform well but they failed to break down a stubborn Osmanlispor.
Olympiacos -- currently 13 points ahead of their nearest rivals in the Greek Super League -- finished the match with only 10 men after Brazilian defender Bruno Viana was shown a straight red in the 74th minute. The second leg will be played on Feb. 23 in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Krasnodar 1–0 Fenerbahce
Fenerbahce, who advanced to the competition's last-32 for a second consecutive year, lost their Europa League clash on Thursday evening. The match in the 34,000-seater Krasnodar Stadium got the home fans going early as midfielder Viktor Claesson scored a header in only the fourth minute, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.
Krasnodar take their narrow advantage into the sides’ next meeting in Istanbul at Fenerbahce's famous Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Feb. 22.
Europa League results:
FC Krasnodar – Fenerbahce: 1-0
Ludogorets Razgrad – FC Copenhagen: 1-2
Olympiacos – Osmanlispor FK: 0-0
FC Rostov – Sparta Prague: 4-0
AZ Alkmaar – Olympique Lyonnais: 1-4
Astra Giurgiu – Genk: 2-2
Borussia Monchengladbach – Fiorentina: 0-1
Celta Vigo – Shakhtar Donetsk: 0-1
Gent – Tottenham: 1-0
Villarreal – Roma: 0-4
Anderlecht – Zenit St. Petersburg: 2-0
PAOK Thessaloniki FC – Schalke 04: 0-3
Manchester United – Saint-Etienne: 3-0
Hapoel Beer Sheeva – Besiktas: 1-3
Athletic Club – APOEL Nicosia: 3-2
Legia Warszawa – Ajax: 0-0