F91 Dudelange defeated Apoel Nicosia after a see-saw thriller in Cyprus, with the side from Luxembourg losing a two-goal lead before rallying to win 4-3.
Apoel, former Champions League quarter-finalists, were booed off at half-time after Danel Sinani had given Dudelange the lead at the break – and Antoine Bernier pounced on a defensive error to double the visitors’ lead after 51 minutes.
The hosts then rallied dramatically, scoring four goals in three minutes. Andrija Pavlovic netted either side of Tomas de Vincenti’s penalty to put the Cypriot side 3-2 ahead in the Group A match.
Dudelange’s hopes of a shock looked over, but goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert made a string of saves to keep them within one goal before Dominik Stolz grabbed an equaliser on 71 minutes. Both sides then pushed for the win, and Sinani’s second goal eight minutes from time secured it.
In the other Group A game, Javier Hernández’s free-kick broke the deadlock for Sevilla just after the hour mark at Qarabag, before Munir El-Haddadi and Óliver Torres added late goals.
Lazio suffered an embarrassing defeat at CFR Cluj in their opening Group E game. Bastos put Simone Inzaghi’s side ahead in the 25th minute, but the hosts equalised four minutes before half-time through Ciprian Ioan’s penalty.
After a hard-fought second half, Billel Omrani won it for Cluj in bizarre fashion, heading home at the second attempt in the 75th minute after his initial effort struck the bar. The result is a boost for Celtic, who drew 1-1 in Rennes.
Elsewhere, PSV beat Sporting 3-2 in a battle of European giants. Goals from Donyeli Malen, Timo Baumgartl and an own goal from Sebastián Coates gave the hosts victory in Eindhoven, with a Bruno Fernandes penalty and Pedro Mendes strike not enough for the visitors.
You might also like – Rennes 1 – 1 Celtic
Ryan Christie’s second-half penalty earned Celtic a deserved draw in Rennes in a frenetic opening Group E match in the Europa League.
M’Baye Niang fired the hosts in front from the spot after Kristoffer Ajer’s lunge brought him down in the box.
But James Forrest won Celtic the penalty for Christie to convert. read more
Source – The Guardian
