Asmir Begovic does not believe Stoke's Europa League hopes have been damaged by Wednesday night's defeat against Besiktas.

The 3-1 loss in Istanbul ended the Potters' nine-match unbeaten run in Europe this season and also meant they conceded top spot in Group E to their Turkish opponents.

That could result in a more difficult tie when the draw for the last 32 is made on Friday afternoon, but Begovic played down its significance.

The Bosnian goalkeeper said: "Once you get to the last 32, if you finish top or second you're going to get tough opposition so we'll see who we get.

"It's disappointing obviously not to finish top, it would have been a great achievement, but our main goal was to qualify and we achieved that."

The clash at the intimidating Inonu Stadium was arguably Stoke's toughest of the group, and manager Tony Pulis' decision to leave most of his star names behind stacked the odds further in Besiktas' favour.

Although the visitors led at half-time, they were under huge pressure for most of the game, particularly after Matthew Upson was sent off just before the hour mark, conceding the penalty from which the Turkish side equalised.

That they were limited to three goals was thanks largely to the performance of Begovic, who made a string of fine saves, most notably plunging to his right to keep out a sharp volley from the influential Manuel Fernandes in the second half.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper began the season as Stoke's first choice in the Barclays Premier League but paid for a number of mistakes by losing his place to Thomas Sorensen last month.

He has done his cause no harm with his performances in the Europa League, though, and has vowed to do everything possible to try to regain his regular spot.

"It was pleasing," Begovic said of his display on Wednesday. "It's one of those things that when the teams loses it's disappointing all around. It was good to play again, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the occasion so we'll see what happens next.

"I enjoy every time I play and that's the main thing. I love playing and I'll keep working hard to get back in the team."

Begovic felt the penalty incident swung the game decisively in Besiktas' favour, with Fernandes netting from the spot before substitutes Mustafa Pektemek and Edu added further goals in the final 16 minutes.

The goalkeeper said: "We knew it was going to be a difficult game, they're very strong at home with the backing they have and the players they have so it was one of those things. But we gave it a good go.

"The decisions didn't go our way and once we went down to 10 men it was very difficult to keep going at the level we had before.

"We have to learn from it and keep going. We're so new in this competition so these are big lessons to be learned."

The Inonu Stadium has been tagged officially the loudest in the world - after a decibel reading of the noise generated by supporters - and it certainly lived up to its reputation on Wednesday night.

Although the result did not go Stoke's way, Begovic relished the occasion, and he said: "I've been to Turkey before so it wasn't a surprise at all but obviously it's amazing.

"It's a fantastic thing to be involved in and it was just disappointing we couldn't get the result in the end. It's the reason you play European football to come to great clubs like this."

It was an eventful trip all round for the Potters, who endured a tortuous journey from Manchester on Tuesday that included landing at the wrong airport on the Asian side of the city.

The squad did not arrive at their hotel until nearly midnight, and Begovic added: "It wasn't ideal, obviously. We've had a few long trips before but it's all experience nonetheless."