Besiktas Istanbul sign Portuguese duo

Ambitious Turkish SüperLig side Besiktas Istanbul have been quite active in the transfer market by signing two Portuguese internationals in Simao Sambrosa and Hugo Almeida, who will join them once the transfer market opens in January. They join fellow Portuguese Ricardo Quaresma at the Bernd Schuster coached club.

31 year old Simao has been signed for a fee of 900,000 Euros from current Europa League champions Atletico Madrid of Spain and has signed a contract until summer 2013. He leaves Atletico after two and a half years and would earn up to 7,2 Million Euros.

On leaving Atletico Simao said, "It is difficult for me, I can hardly speak because since I came to Atletico I have grown and become a better professional. When I arrived I said I would do my best to win a title and I eventually ended up with two in Europe (the Europa League and the European Super Cup)."

26 year old Hugo Almeida leaves German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen and has signed a contract until 2014, which would guarantee him a salary of 9,15 Million Euros. At Bremen Almeida was their top scorer of the season with nine goals, but had recently been send off due to indiscipline against St. Pauli which forced the club to rethink their offer to extend his contract. Almeida joins Besiktas for a transfer fee of 2 Million Euros.

Besiktas' president has money to spend and wants to be the top club not only in Istanbul, but across Turkey and also target the UEFA Champions League. Currently they are only fifth in the Turkish league and had already spend money in the summer to bring in former Real Madrid star Guti, Portuguese talent Ricardo Quaresma, former German international Roberto Hilbert and Turkish international Mehmet Aurelio amongst others. The club had appointed former German international and Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster as their manager.

UEFA Super Cup: Atletico shock Inter

Club Atlético de Madrid scored a shock 2-0 victory against FC Internazionale Milano in the European season opening UEFA Super Cup in Monaco last night. If one had hoped for an entertaining match of football as the usual pressure isn't there, then one would have been heavily disappointed as both sides focused on their defence like in their successful European campaigns last season.

In the end the Europa League champions got the better of the Champions League winners due to two goals from Spaniard José Antonio Reyes and Argentinian Sergio Agüero. It also ended Inter's chances to emulate FC Barcelona by winning six titles in a calendar year. Inter over the weekend had won the Italian Super Cup to win their fourth title, but the fifth would elude them against an Atletico who deservingly took home the Super Cup.

It was interesting to see that both sides only made one change each to the first eleven which won them the trophies in May. Inter's new coach Rafael Benitez brought on Dejan Stanković for Goran Pandev; while his counterpart Quique Sánchez Flores gave new signing Uruguayan Diego Godín a start in defence.

Both sides focused on their defences early on and no chance in the first session would actually force the two keepers to make any saves. But things changed after the break as Atletico would take control and Inter didn't really have an answer. José Antonio Reyes would threaten Júlio César's goal for the first time in the 59th minute with a good shot, but the Brazilian keeper could clear for a corner. But three minutes later Reyes would give his side the lead as he would beat Maicon and César's outstretched hand. Atletico were high and dry in the 83rd minute when Simão beat Lucio on the left to play the ball into the middle with Sergio Agüero only having to push the ball into an empty net. Inter could have come back late in the game, but Diego Milito's penalty was cleared by teenage keeper David de Gea just a minute from time. Thereafter it was celebration time for Atletico and their fans, while there is some home work still to be done by Benitez and his boys.