Willy Boly struck deep in stoppage time as Wolves won their first game in this season’s Europa League with victory at Besiktas.
The defender was picked out unmarked inside the box by Ruben Neves and took a touch before placing a composed finish into the bottom corner.
It was a dramatic end to what had largely been a cagey affair, with Wolves not managing a shot on target until midway through the second half.
Besiktas, meanwhile, went closest to scoring in the first half when a corner deflected off Wolves defender Conor Coady and on to the post.
The result means Wolves have three points from two games in Group K after losing their opener to Sporting Braga at Molineux last month.
They are just one point behind joint leaders Slovan Bratislava and Braga, who drew 2-2 in the group game, and firmly in the hunt for a top-two finish.
This was a long-awaited and historic victory for Wolves, who are playing in the main stage of a European competition for the first time in 39 years.
It will have been particularly special to have come in Istanbul, where Premier League sides have historically struggled in the competition.
Since the Uefa Cup was rebranded the Europa League in 2009, Besiktas have won all three of their home matches against English sides – defeating Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – and their fans created an intimidating atmosphere from the outset.
Wolves understandably took a cautious approach against their Turkish opponents and first tested Loris Karius in the Besiktas goal in the 67th minute, when Romain Saiss shot straight at the on-loan Liverpool keeper.
But as the game headed into the final 10 minutes, Wolves upped the pressure and Saiss had a strike ruled out for offside.
Nuno Espírito Santo did not settle for the point, however, and with seconds left Boly produced a composed finish to snatch all three points and cap a perfect away performance.
After failing to win any of their first six Premier League games, Wolves’ form is now improving. They are unbeaten in four and have now won back-to-back games after beating Watford in the league at the weekend.
Wolves head to Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday 6 October (14:00 BST).
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Manchester United put in another uninspired performance to draw with AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.
Boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said the plastic pitch was one of the “worst ones I have seen for a long while”.
But it would be hard to blame the surface for United’s failure to have a shot on target, with Jesse Lingard hitting their best chance wide late on. read more
Source – BBC
