Besiktas scored an 89th-minute equaliser to rescue a deserved point from tonight's Europa League Group C clash with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
The hosts had taken the lead in the first half when Harry Kane drilled a fine low strike past the keeper and into the bottom corner from outside the box.
Besiktas missed a host of glorious chances throughout, but finally got their goal when Demba Ba converted from the spot following a Vlad Chiriches handball.
You can read how it all unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
7.30pmGood evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Europa League Group C match between Tottenham Hotspur and Besiktas at White Hart Lane. Both teams are still looking for their first win in the group stages of this competition this season, so they will be desperate to get off the mark this evening. Let's start with a look at the two starting lineups on show...
7.32pmSPURS STARTING XI: Lloris, Dier, Chiriches, Fazio, Davies, Bentaleb, Stambouli, Kane, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado
7.32pmSPURS SUBS: Vorm, Kaboul, Naughton, Dembele, Lamela, Lennon, Adebayor
7.34pmBESIKTAS STARTING XI: Tolga; Serdar, Franco, Sivok, Motta, Veli, Atiba, Sosa, Olcay, Gokhan, Demba Ba
7.34pmBESIKTAS SUBS: Pektemek, Ozyakup, Gulum, Uysal, Koybasi, Gonen, Frei
7.36pmWell, we expected changes to the Tottenham lineup, and Mauricio Pochettino has certainly not disappointed on that front. He has brought in 10 new faces from the side that started the North London derby on Saturday, with Hugo Lloris the only one to maintain his place. Kane and Soldado partner each other up front, while the likes of Townsend and Paulinho also return to the side.
7.38pmBesiktas, meanwhile, start Demba Ba up front as expected, and it will be the former Chelsea striker's first taste of Europa League action from the start with his new club having missed out in the opening game. Pektemek, the man who replaced him in the side against Asteras, is on the bench despite concerns over his fitness.
7.40pmTottenham come into this match having made a fairly unspectacular start to life under Mauricio Pochettino. Things started well, with four straight wins in all competitions - including two in the Europa League to qualify for the group stages - but their recent 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest is now their only victory in the six games since that start. They certainly are not in the best form coming into this match, but Pochettino will still be confident of picking up the points.
7.42pmTottenham's most recent outing was the North London derby against Arsenal, and coming away from the Emirates with a point is by no means a bad result for Pochettino's side. They did take the lead in the match through Nacer Chadli, but in truth they will have been happy to come away with a share of the spoils. They didn't really create much in the final third and Arsenal were marginally the better team on the night, so an away draw would have suited Spurs just fine in that match.
7.44pmA draw was all that they could muster in their opening Group C game as well, but that result was a little more disappointing than the derby. Of course, Belgrade is not an easy place to go to, but Spurs would have been confident that they had the better side and could have won against Partizan. As it was, they failed to even score as the hosts held out for a goalless draw.
7.46pmTottenham's general recent record in this competition is a good one, though. Only counting matches inside 90 minutes, they have lost just two of their last 17 outings in the Europa League, keeping eight clean sheets in the process. Those defeats came at the hands of Benfica and Dnipro, the former of whom are also the only side to have beaten Spurs in their last 13 home games in this competition. That run goes back to November 2011 and has seen Tottenham win 10 and draw two in addition to their 3-1 loss at the hands of the Portuguese giants in the last 16 last season.
7.48pmThey have, however, already lost twice at home this season in a shaky start to the campaign - particularly domestically. Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 victory here earlier in the season, while more recently West Brom stunned Pochettino's side with a 1-0 victory. They have won three times in front of their own fans this season, but White Hart Lane is a nervy ground and, should this match still be level around the hour mark, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear the crowd begin to get a little restless.
7.50pmAs for Besiktas, they are slightly less into their domestic season than Spurs having only played four matches in the Super Lig so far. They are, however, already second in the table having won two and drawn two of their matches. Their most recent outing came at the weekend when they were held to a 1-1 draw with Eskisehirspor - a match that saw them give up a one-goal lead.
7.52pmThey were also unable to hold onto a lead in their opening Europa League match a couple of weeks ago, with Asteras Tripolis of Greece scoring in the 88th minute to rescue a point. Manager Slaven Bilic will be desperate for his side to hold on to any advantage they may gain this evening, and on the whole they have been fairly impressive this season. It is still early days, of course, but they have conceded just twice in their opening four league games, a tally no side can beat.
7.54pmStrangely enough, this is not their first trip to North London this season either. Besiktas were one of the teams involved in the Champions League playoffs and, having overcome Feyenoord 5-2 on aggregate - helped by a Ba hat-trick - they drew Arsenal in the playoff round. They drew 0-0 with the Gunners in Istanbul, but Alexis Sanchez got the only goal of the game at the Emirates to put Arsene Wenger's side into the elite competition and send Besiktas packing into the Europa League.
7.56pmTheir recent record in this competition is not great, however. They have only won one of their last six outings in the Europa League, losing four and drawing the other in that time. Their sole victory came against Tromso in August 2013, and that was in Istanbul too. They have lost six of their last eight away games in this competition - including one against Stoke City in 2011 - and have only won two of their last seven European matches in London. Having said that, they have won three of their four matches on the road so far this season, with the only exception being the defeat to Arsenal.
7.58pmLondon is a city that manager Slaven Bilic has fairly close ties with having plied his trade at West Ham United during his time in English football. He is not the only one in the Besiktas set-up to have played in England either, with Demba Ba spending time at West Ham and Chelsea either side of a stint at Newcastle United. Some of their past visits to these shores have not been too successful, however. They lost 8-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League in 2007 and, looking back even further, were hammered 6-0 by Leeds United in 2000.
8pmPREDICTION: We're five minutes from kickoff at White Hart Lane now, which means that it is about time I made a prediction! Spurs have been fairly hard to call at times this season, and it is unlikely that Besiktas will make it easy for them this evening. Arsenal struggled to beat them, and I can see Spurs toiling for a while as well. However, I do think that they have the quality required to overcome their Turkish counterparts, so I'm going for a 2-0 home win.
8.02pmThese two sides have only ever played each other once before, and that meeting came in Istanbul in the UEFA Cup in October 2006. It was a good night Spurs then, with Hossam Ghaly and Dimitar Berbatov netting in a 2-0 victory for the visitors.
8.04pmBoth sides emerge from the tunnel ahead of this match, and three points would give either team a huge boost in their qualification hopes. Spurs are expected to top the group, while Besiktas and Partizan are probably the next two in line for the one remaining qualifying spot. A victory for the visitors tonight, then, would really shake things up in Group C. I will keep you up to date with events from the match between Asteras Tripolis and Partizan as and when they happen.
1 minKICKOFF: Tottenham get us underway in North London as they look to keep up their fine home record in this competition in recent times. Can they pick up their first win of Group C, or will Besiktas claim a valuable away victory?
2 minCHANCE! Big early chance for Besiktas to break the deadlock! It is poor from Chiriches as he gives the ball away carelessly, and the visitors immediately burst forward. Fazio fails to reach the ball before Ba, and it runs through to Sahan, who places an effort narrowly past the post. He probably should have done better!
4 minThat was a very shaky start for Chiriches, who is certainly no stranger to defensive errors. This is a second string Tottenham side, so the players involved should be looking to prove a point to Pochettino and earn a more regular spot in the side, but that was a poor first touch for the Romanian centre-back.
6 minYELLOW CARD! An early card goes the way of Demba Ba, who is penalised for an alleged elbow on Chiriches. In truth, there is not a lot in the challenge, but Chiriches has blood coming from his nose and I think that may have made the referee's mind up for him. Harsh one for the striker.
7 minYELLOW CARD! Another card swiftly follows, and this one is a little more straightforward. Ben Davies came in hard and late on Sosa, upending the Argentine with a poor tackle.
9 minUPDATE: There has been an early goal up in Scotland, where Celtic are facing Dinamo Zagreb. It is the hosts who have got it, with Kris Commons netting after just six minutes.
11 minBoth teams have had decent spells of possession in the last few minutes, but neither have been able to make serious progress into the opposition half. It is Besiktas who are looking slightly more threatening right now, with Spurs struggling to get any joy in the final third.
12 minOFF THE BAR! Some more poor defending from Spurs sees Besiktas create another chance. They want a handball, but the referee waves play on, and a cross from the left finds Ba in the middle. The striker's first touch is poor, but Davies fails to cut it out and Ba collects it the other side of the defender. He turns and hits a rasping striker towards goal, and it rattles off the crossbar.
14 minBa has been a handful already tonight, and Spurs are struggling to deal with him right now. Besiktas are looking very positive when going forward, and so far they have dealt with the Spurs attack with ease. It has been a very good opening 14 minutes for the visitors, who should be ahead already.
16 minSpurs are struggling to keep hold of the ball for long enough to really build a good attack. Their midfield has not been able to get a hold of the match so far, and that is preventing Kane and Soldado from getting any service up front. Still a long way to go, though.
18 minAs expected, the Besiktas fans are making plenty of noise tonight. There was a little bit of trouble in North London when Galatasaray visited the Emirates last night, but there is no doubting the passion of these Turkish supporters.
20 minSpurs have started to get their foot on the ball a bit more often in the last few minutes, and they are beginning to grow into the match now. Besiktas win it back and break quickly, though, and it takes a good claim from Lloris to deny Ba a header inside the box.
22 minUPDATE: There has been a goal in the other game in Group C tonight, and it has gone the way of Asteras Tripolis. Fernando Usero has given the Greek side the lead against Partizan Belgrade which, as things stand, would put Asteras top of the group.
23 minSHOT! Poor defending from Davies as he gets too tight to Tore, who lets the ball go over his head before spinning past the left-back and racing on to it. Davies does manage to get back but fails to prevent the shot from Tore, which is dragged tamely wide of the near post.
25 minSince that bright start from Besiktas, which saw Sahan go close and Ba hit the woodwork, we haven't seen much goalmouth action at either end. Both sides are wrestling for control of this one at the moment, and it is fairly even as things stand.
27 minGOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Besiktas (Harry Kane)
27 minOut of nowhere, Tottenham break the deadlock! Bentaleb turns well in midfield before giving the ball to Kane, who moves to his left before drilling a low ball right into the far corner. It was a superb finish from the striker, who is Tottenham's top scorer now this season. That is exactly what this game needed.
29 minIt can't be long before Kane is given a chance in the Premier League. Adebayor remains Tottenham's number one choice up front, but he has been misfiring this season with just one goal to his name. That is the fourth time that Kane has scored under Pochettino, and he is really pushing for a more regular role in the side now. That was a really good, accurate finish from the youngster.
31 minThat goal was Tottenham's one and only shot on target in this match so far, and Pochettino will know that his side haven't really been good enough despite being in the lead. There hasn't been too much else for the home fans to shout about tonight.
33 minWHAT A SAVE! Huge chance for Besiktas to hit back! Tore slides a lovely pass down the right channel for Sosa, whose low ball across the box is really dangerous. Ba slides in and can't get enough on it, but it carries through to Sahan at the back post, who must think he has scored when he diverts his shot on target. However, Lloris, who is already on the floor having anticipated Ba reaching the delivery, sticks out a foot to make a vital stop.
35 minThat really was lovely football from Besiktas in the build-up to that chance, and they were be wondering just how they are a goal down right now. They have missed two really good chances and hit the woodwork, and deserve to be at least level in this one.
36 minCHANCE! Decent opening for Spurs as Davies marauds down the left flank before drilling a cross into the box. Kane hurls himself at the ball and gets something on it, but he can't steer his header on target as it flies a few yards wide.
38 minSAVE! This is more like it from Spurs. Townsend cuts inside from the right before slipping a clever reverse pass in to Kane down the channel. The young striker looks up for support in the middle but, with only one white shirt in support, choose to go for goal. The angle is against him, but he puts sufficient power behind his shot to ensure that the keeper can only parry it behind for a corner.
40 minSpurs have finally started to grow into this game in the last five minutes or so, and they are beginning to look more like the home team now. They are keeping the ball better and actually going somewhere with their possession, whereas before they were making very little progress up the field.
42 minLovely feet from Townsend on the right as he creates space to cross from deep. His ball into the box is a wicked one that just eludes Soldado and Paulinho before going into the arms of the keeper. Any sort of touch there would have taken that in.
44 minBright play from Stambouli as he mips in to steal possession in midfield before driving forward. He tries a cute little pass in behind the defence, but Sivok does really well to intercept it and scramble it away.
45 minThe fourth official indicates a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Besiktas
9pmThe referee brings an end to proceedings in the first half, and it is Tottenham who go into the break with a rather fortuitous lead. Both sides have had chances, but Besiktas have probably been the better side so far, yet it is Spurs who have broken the deadlock. This one could still very much go either way, though.
9.02pmThe goal came from Harry Kane, and it was one to remember for the youngster. Townsend slid the ball inside for Bentaleb, who turned well in midfield before finding Kane in space. The striker shifted the ball to his left before picking out the bottom corner with a fine strike from around 25 yards. It was a deadly accurate strike from a player who has been Tottenham's most dangerous so far tonight.
9.04pmBesiktas will be wondering quite how they have not found the back of the net yet, however. The closest they have come came when Ba collected a pass inside the area and, despite initially mis-controlling the ball, he still managed to get his shot away. It was a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar, although Lloris did look to have it covered.
9.06pmLloris was also forced into a world-class save shortly after the opening goal as Besiktas again found their way behind the Tottenham defence. Tore and Sosa linked up well to create the chance, but at the back post Sahan saw his finish poked wide by the foot of the French keeper. Lloris reacted incredibly well to get to it as he was already on the floor when the shot came in having anticipated an effort from Demba Ba.
9.08pmSahan also had the first chance of the evening inside two minutes following some poor defensive work from Spurs. Chiriches gave the ball away, while Fazio was easily taken out of the game by Ba, allowing the Besiktas man to race through. However, he chose to take his shot early, placing an effort wide of the target when he really should have done better.
9.10pmTottenham did grow into the match as the half wore on, however, and Kane came close on two other occasions in addition to his goal. The first saw him turn a drilled Ben Davies cross wide of the mark, while the second saw him latch on to a clever Townsend pass before drawing a good save from the keeper despite the angle being against him.
46 minKICKOFF: Besiktas get us back underway at White Hart Lane as they look to restore parity against their hosts.
47 minYELLOW CARD! We had some early yellow cards in the first half, and the same is true of the second as Bentaleb is booked for a tug back on Hutchinson.
49 minDecent football from Besiktas inside the Spurs half as they knock the ball around from the left to the centre. Eventually it arrives back out to Ba on the left, and his cross is flicked over by Hutchinson. The officials award a corner, although it looked to come off the Besiktas head last.
50 minYELLOW CARD! Fazio and Ba are given a talking to by the referee for a tangle before the resulting corner arrives. Soon after, they continue their skirmish, and the referee flashes a card to the Tottenham man.
52 minUPDATE: Facundo Parra, who scored the late equaliser for Asteras Tripolis against Besiktas two weeks ago, has just netted again in Greece to make it 2-0 against Partizan. That would be a big three points for the Greek outfit.
54 minSHOT! Lovely football from Spurs to create a shooting opportunity, but it comes to nothing. Kane works the ball out to Townsend on the right, and the winger exchanges passes with Stambouli around 25 yards from goal. The latter tees Townsend up for a shot with a nice back-heel, but the England international can't keep his shot down as he curls it over the top.
56 minCHANCE! Hugo Lloris comes to Tottenham's rescue once again! Ba does brilliantly to poke the ball past a defender before collecting it on the other side. He slips a pass to Sahan, who takes a touch before drilling an effort towards the roof of the net. However, Lloris reacts really well to tip it over the top with a one-handed save. Another missed opportunity for the visitors!
57 minThe resulting corner is cleared as far as Motta, who can't turn this one down from 35 yards or so. It certainly rolls to him invitingly, but his subsequent effort is a long, long way over the top.
59 minCLOSE! At the other end, Spurs break forward, with Soldado turning well in midfield and darting into the Besiktas half. He pokes a pass out to Bentaleb on the left, but the midfielder's low, drilled effort skims narrowly past the far post.
60 minTOTTENHAM SUB: The hosts make a change as the ineffective Paulinho makes way to be replaced by Aaron Lennon.
61 minBa has been a threat for Besiktas all night, but this would have seen him steal all of the headlines. The ball arrived behind the striker, who tried an acrobatic mid-air backheel to turn the ball goalwards. That was something out of the Ibrahimovic scrapbook, except Ba was nowhere near pulling it off.
63 minSlaven Bilic will still be wondering how his side are not at least level in this match. Spurs have improved since the break, but Besiktas have still had the best chances and really should have scored.
64 minCLOSE! Almost a magnificent equaliser for the visitors! A ball arrives into the box from the right flank, and it is just a bit behind Sahan. He goes for the acrobatic scissor kick, but his sensational effort flies narrowly wide, with Lloris rooted to the spot. That would have been special.
65 minTOTTENHAM SUB: Another change for Spurs as Dembele replaces Stambouli in a straight swap in midfield.
66 minBESIKTAS SUB: The visitors make a change of their own shortly afterwards as Ozyakup comes on in place of Kavlak.
68 minDembele is unlucky not to get a free kick in a dangerous area as he coasts past his man before being tripped. However, referee Manuel Grafe suggests that the sub went to ground too easily and waves the claims away.
70 minKane now goes to ground following a tackle from Sosa, but once again the referee refuses to award a free kick. The home fans are letting the ref know exactly what they think of him right now, while Lloris has also come a long way out of his goal to protest to the ref during a stoppage in play.
71 minGREAT SAVE! Loris has made a few top saves tonight, but it is Zengin's turn this time. Davies comes forward down the left before cutting the ball back to Kane on the edge of the box. The Tottenham man controls it well with his first touch before lashing a good strike towards goal. The Besiktas keeper sees it late but reacts really well to make a fabulous stop.
71 minGREAT SAVE! Loris has made a few top saves tonight, but it is Zengin's turn this time. Davies comes forward down the left before cutting the ball back to Kane on the edge of the box. The Tottenham man controls it well with his first touch before lashing a good strike towards goal. The Besiktas keeper sees it late but reacts really well to make a fabulous stop.
72 minBESIKTAS SUB: The visitors make another change as Pektemek comes on in place of Sahan, who could have had a hat-trick tonight.
73 minCHANCE! Almost an immediate impact from Pektemek. He escapes his marker at a corner and rises unmarked inside the box, but he can't keep his header down, knocking it over the top. He should have at least tested Lloris there!
75 minGood spell for Spurs as they put Besiktas under sustained pressure. They have the ball at the right end of the field as far as they are concerned, but they could really do with a second goal right now. Besiktas have not been clinical tonight, but they have look dangerous enough to suggest that they could still grab a goal.
76 minGREAT SAVE! Another superb stop from Lloris to keep his side ahead! A ball over the top is brilliantly controlled by Ba over his shoulder, and he should really score from close range having brought it under his spell. Lloris is there to tip his effort over the top with a fine reaction stop, though. You'd have to say that Ba should have scored, but take nothing away from the save.
78 minLloris really has kept his side in this match tonight. Without him, Spurs would most likely be two or three behind in this match, but as it is they are on course for a clean sheet. The finishing from Besiktas has been poor, but Lloris has also been in inspired form.
79 minTOTTENHAM SUB: The third and final change of the night for the hosts sees Emmanuel Adebayor introduced in place of Soldado, who hasn't had much joy again tonight.
81 minBright play from Tore as he picks the ball up on the right flank before cutting inside, looking for room to shoot. Spurs do a good job in preventing that, however, and Tore's subsequent backheel is easily mopped up.
82 minBESIKTAS SUB: Besiktas make their final change of the evening as former Fulham player Kerim Frei replaces Tore for the final eight minutes.
84 minUnsurprisingly, Besiktas are enjoying the lion's share of possession right now as the pressure on the Spurs defence begins to build. They have been fortunate not to concede so far, and they know that one more slip-up could see them drop two points in this match.
85 minA ball arrives into the feet of Ba, who holds it up well like he has done all night. He lays it off for Franco, whose effort is deflected behind for another Besiktas corner.
86 minThe first delivery eventually goes behind for another corner, from which Ba manages to reach the ball despite it arriving behind him. However, it is a tough chance as he looks to create power on his header, and he can only loop it over the top.
88 minPENALTY TO BESIKTAS!
89 minGOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Besiktas (Demba Ba, penalty)
89 minLate drama here at White Hart Lane as Besiktas grab an equaliser! It is a shocker from Chiriches that gifts the visitors the chance as he missed the ball when trying to clear it, before handling inside the box when trying to atone for his area. It is a terrible mistake, and the referee has no option but to point to the spot. Up steps Ba, who stutters on the run up before placing it calmly into the bottom corner, with Lloris rooted.
90+1 minWe will have three minutes of added time at the end of this match. Will we see some more late drama? Besiktas are certainly pushing for it.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Besiktas
9.58pmIt is another draw for Spurs in Europa League Group C as they move onto two points from two games having been pegged back by a late Demba Ba penalty. Harry Kane had given the hosts a first-half lead but, in truth, they are fortunate to have come away with anything from this match. That late goal was nothing more than Besiktas deserved, and they go back to Istanbul also on two points from their first two games.
10pmRight, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an action-packed night at White Hart Lane as Tottenham and Besiktas share the spoils in a 1-1 draw. Stick around for our match report, as well as reaction, which will be on site shortly. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
