Leeds United will not be returning to Istanbul in a hurry, but the vitriol here last night did little to put them out of their stride. With the Inonu stadium drenched with bilious tension, David O'Leary's team set about the job in hand with admirable measures of dignity and composure to nullify their opponents and suffocated this match into a draw.
As Besiktas became increasingly frustrated, there were outbreaks of violence in one of the stands but thankfully there were no Leeds fans involved and the police soon broke up the trouble.
With an average age of only 22, here was the evidence that Leeds have come of age under O'Leary's paternal stewardship and if they did not dare before, they can now harbour serious aspirations of qualifying for the second phase. A daunting fortnight lies ahead, but Leeds will qualify if they beat Barcelona at Elland Road next week.
With the deaths of two Leeds fans in Taksim Square in April making for a macabre sub-plot, last night's tie was always going to be as much a test of nerve as ability.
The people of Istanbul are warm and generous to tourists but when it comes to football their hostility knows no boundaries and while Besiktas's fans may not be quite so intimidating as Galatasaray's, the Inonu stadium was dripping with venom all the same.
However, having embarrassed the Besiktas defence three weeks earlier, O'Leary's youthful team had an air of composure to their play that swiftly dispelled any lingering fears about how they would react to the caustic atmosphere. The only cause for consternation was that they could not turn their early superiority into the hard currency of goals and, for that, an accusatory finger can be pointed at Eirik Bakke with a feeble shot after Ian Harte's free-kick found its way to him six yards out.
Their enterprising start was rudely interrupted, however, by a cynical challenge from Sulun Yasin that prompted Michael Bridges's departure on a stretcher. Things were becoming increasingly fractious and the delay caused by the injury disrupted Leeds while giving their hosts the opportunity to regroup.
Even so, Besiktas seldom threatened to trouble Paul Robinson, the 21-year-old goalkeeper given the arduous task of deputising for the injured Nigel Martyn.
When the Dutch referee Jan Wegereef wet his lips to sound the half-time whistle there was more bile from the Turkish supporters, only this time for their own team.
Chances continued to be at a premium when play resumed, with the game degenerating into a turgid contest for midfield supremacy and neither side gambling on attack.
Besiktas: Shorunmu, Beserler (Alacayir 63), Bozkurt, Khlestov, Kahveci, Kahran, Ozdilek (Uzulmez 81), Havutcu, Munch, Sulun, Dursun (Akman 81). Subs Not Used: Tuncay, Zafer, Bektas, Sahin.
Leeds: Robinson, Kelly, Woodgate, Mills, Harte, Bakke, Bowyer, Burns, Matteo, Bridges (Huckerby 27), Viduka, Huckerby (McPhail 86). Subs Not Used: Milosevic, Jones, Hay, Evans, Hackworth. Att: 20,000.
Referee: J Wegereef (Holland).
