West Ham’s impressive 17-match unbeaten streak in European competitions was brought to a halt on Thursday when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Olympiakos. In another Europa League fixture, Rangers fought for a hard-earned point in a goalless draw against Sparta Prague. The match summary is as follows:
Kostas Fortounis, with a remarkable long-range strike, opened the scoring for Olympiakos, and Rodinei extended their lead with a deflected effort just before half-time. Although Lucas Paqueta managed to volley in a late consolation goal for West Ham, the British team remains at the top of Group A with six points from three matches. Freiburg, following their 3-1 victory against Serbia’s Backa Topola, shares the same point tally.
Rangers, on the other hand, relied on an outstanding performance by their goalkeeper, Jack Butland, to secure a goalless draw in the Czech Republic. Currently, they occupy the third spot in Group C, with Real Betis leading after a 1-0 away victory against Aris Limassol, thanks to a goal from Ayoze Perez.
In another encounter, Marseille secured their first victory in the competition by defeating AEK Athens 3-1. Although Orbelin Pineda canceled out Vitinha’s initial goal for Marseille, a moment of recklessness from AEK’s goalkeeper, Cican Stankovic, had significant consequences. Stankovic inadvertently delivered the ball to Vitinha and then grappled with the Portuguese forward, conceding a penalty and receiving a red card.
Amine Harit converted the spot-kick, and Jordan Veretout added another penalty for Gennaro Gattuso’s team, propelling them to the top of Group B. In the other match, Brighton hosted the struggling Ajax.
Atalanta’s Luis Muriel, a Colombian international, scored both goals in a 2-2 draw against Austria’s Sturm Graz in Group D. Sporting, playing most of their match with only 10 players after Viktor Gyokeres was sent off, managed a 1-1 draw against Polish champions Rakow Czestochowa.
Later in the day, Liverpool faced Toulouse, seeking their third consecutive victory in Group E.
In the Europa Conference League, in-form Aston Villa enjoyed a comfortable 4-1 victory against the highly-rated AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands. Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans secured a two-goal lead for Villa in the first half, against a team that has lost just two points in the Eredivisie this season. Ollie Watkins and John McGinn extended their lead, and although Ibrahim Sadiq pulled one goal back for the opposition, Villa’s victory was comprehensive.
