Prague: Turkish side Besiktas secured a valuable away victory, defeating Czech hosts Hradec Kr¡lov© 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie at the Malsovica Arena last night.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Turkish team has one foot in the play-off round, needing only a win or a draw in the return leg in Istanbul next Wednesday to face the loser of the Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) vs. Žalgiris (Lithuania) tie.

The first half ended goalless, with Besiktas enjoying a slight advantage. They came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute when a Hradec defender nearly deflected Ilhan Fakili's cross into his own net, but the ball struck the crossbar. The crossbar denied the Turkish team another goal in the 42nd minute, deflecting a shot from South Korean Hyun-Gyu Oh. Amirhan Topcu then saved Besiktas from a certain goal a minute before halftime, clearing the ball off the line.

In the second half, Besiktas suffered a blow when their French defender, Kassoum Ouattara, was sent off in the 71st minute after receiving his second yellow card for a foul on substitute Abdullahi Omar, leaving the team to finish the match with ten men. Despite being a man down, the Turkish side managed to snatch the winning goal in the 80th minute. Nigerian Wilfred Ndidi sent in a cross that Hradec Kr¡lov©'s defense failed to clear, allowing Semih Kili§soy to head it into the net from close range, giving Besiktas a crucial advantage ahead of the second leg.