Europa League: Besiktas game halted twice as floodlights fail

Besiktas's Europa League game at home to Tottenham Hotspur was suspended twice on Thursday after the floodlights failed in each half before the Turkish side won 1-0.

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The lights went out eight minutes after the match started in Istanbul and Swedish referee Stefan Johannesson took the players off the pitch for 15 minutes before play resumed.

With minutes remaining the lights failed again, plunging the Ataturk Stadium into darkness once more and halting play for more than 10 minutes before the last three minutes were played.

Besiktas and Tottenham had already qualified for the last 32 of the competition but Cenk Tosun's 59th minute goal gave the Turkish side top spot in Group C by one point.

Image: Fans stand in darkness in the tribune of the Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium following a power outage during the Europa League Group C soccer match between Besiktas and Tottenham Hotspur, in Istanbul on Thursday

Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters