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Besiktas guaranteed itself continued European competition this season after defeating Czech side Hradec Kralove 1-0 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie, completing a 2-0 aggregate victory at Tupras Stadium.
The result sends the Istanbul club into the Europa League playoff round. Even a loss there would not end Besiktas's European campaign: the club has already secured a direct spot in the Conference League group stage should it fall short of reaching the Europa League's main draw.
Vaclav Cerny scored the only goal of the match in the 40th minute, collecting a pass from Junior Olaitan in midfield and carrying the ball forward before finishing into the net. It was the same 1-0 scoreline that decided the first leg between the two sides.
Besiktas will face Lithuania's Kauno Zalgiris in the playoff round, the last hurdle before the Europa League league phase. Zalgiris was eliminated from Champions League qualifying by Dinamo Zagreb in the third round. The first leg is scheduled for August 20 in Istanbul, with the return leg set for August 27 in Lithuania.
Thursday's win extended Besiktas's shutout streak to four matches to open the season. The club began its campaign with two wins over Midtjylland, 1-0 and 2-0, before beating Hradec Kralove by the same 1-0 scoreline in both legs of their qualifying tie. Across those four matches, Besiktas has scored five goals without conceding once.
Cerny's goal was his first of the new season. The Czech midfielder, who has faced criticism from sections of the Besiktas fan base in recent months, had not scored since the final league match of last season against Caykur Rizespor. He was substituted in the 66th minute, making way for Leandro Trossard.
Trossard, one of Besiktas's marquee signings this offseason, made his first appearance for the club after entering as a substitute, greeted by loud cheers from the home crowd in his first appearance at Tupras Stadium. He played initially on the right before shifting to the left flank following Milot Rashica's introduction.
New signing Dusan Vlahovic, who did not play, watched the match from a stadium box. Fans directed chants of support toward the Serbian striker, who responded with Besiktas's traditional three-finger salute.
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