Besiktas fans are known for their passion, always creating a fervent atmosphere for visiting teams at their Vodafone Arena base.

But for once, supporters of the Turkish side fell briefly silent as they marked their thrilling Champions League draw with Benfica with a minute of 'silent cheer'.

In the 3-3 draw between the two sides, home supporters choreographed a 'cheer' using only sign language for one minute as the game began. The initiative formed part of a charitable attempt to raise awareness against racism and for the hearing impaired ahead of International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3.

Besiktas fans marked their Champions League draw with Benfica with a 'silent cheer'

Home supporters urged on the Turkish side using sign language in an innovative idea

It formed part of an attempt to raise awareness against racism and for the hearing impaired

Following the 60 seconds of 'silent cheer', in which supporters signed 'Say No To Racism' and then 'Black Eagle' - the club's symbol - the stadium reverberated to a cauldron of noise to inspire their team.

Following the early exchanges of the game in which what went on in the stands dominated proceedings, those in the crowd were then treated to quite the tie.

Up against it, Besiktas came from three goals down to snatch a draw with a sublime piece of skill from Ricardo Quaresma helping to complete the fightback.

Besiktas came from behind to stage an unlikely comeback after Benfica had moved ahead

The Besiktas players salute the home supporters after an enthralling second half in Istanbul

Besiktas still have a chance of reaching the Champions League knock-out stage after the draw

The Turkish side scored twice in the final 10 minutes to keep their hopes of reaching the knock-out stage alive heading into the final round of fixtures following an enthralling six-goal thriller.

The Portuguese champions raced into a 3-0 lead inside 31 minutes, with Goncalo Guedes keeping his balance brilliantly to round goalkeeper Fabricio for the opener.

A sublime effort from Nelson Semedo doubled the visitors' lead before a bizarre goal by Ljubomir Fejsa looked to have put the game to bed.