Besiktas coach Senol Gunes felt a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from on-loan Benfica midfielder Talisca against his parent club was just rewards for the Turkish team as they secured a 1-1 draw on their return to the Champions League after a six-year absence.
Benfica, who reached the quarterfinals last season, looked on course to start their Group B campaign with all three points following a first-half goal from Franco Cervi.
However, Besiktas produced a late rally and secured what looked an unlikely draw two minutes into stoppage time when Talisca -- who was allowed to leave the Portuguese side last month -- whipped a 25-yard free kick up over the wall and into the top left corner.
"We got the goal that we deserved in the last minute," Gunes told a news conference. "It is crucial to start the campaign well for a team that has been absent from the Champions League for a long time.
"We played against a young team that reached the quarter-finals last season. We tried to use the wings and press in the centre, but conceding the goal made our job harder.
"There were many positive aspects of our game tonight. We salvaged a point with a nice goal, but we could have taken all three points. Therefore it's not something to celebrate wildly about."
Talisca came on to replace Oguzhan Ozyakup for the second half and Gunes believes there is more to come from the 22-year-old Brazilian.
The Besiktas coach added: "Talisca is a very talented player. There was not enough time tonight for him to showcase all his skills and abilities within our team."
Benfica must now regroup ahead of Matchday 2 against Napoli, who beat Dynamo Kiev in their first Group B fixture.
"We were so close to victory, but now there's nothing we can do," goal scorer Cervi said. "We played well, but going forward we have to correct the mistakes we made tonight.
"I don't think this draw can damage our objective, because there are still five games to play."