2021-22 UEFA Europa League matchday one recap
Midweek action resumes with UEFA Europa League group stage matches. Here is Sports Mania Asia‘s recap of some matches.
Leverkusen, Real Betis lead Group G
German club Leverkusen and La Liga squad Real Betis lorded over their respective competition on Group G.
Leverkusen dealt Hungarian side Ferencváros a 2-1 result at BayArena. Exequiel Palacios and Florian Wirtz found the back of the net to secure the victory. This was after Ryan Mmaee scored for the visitors at the eighth minute.
Real Betis defeated Scotland’s Celtic, 4-3. Juanmi’s brace followed goals from teammates Juan Miranda and Borja Iglesias to edge the Scottish team. Albian Ajeti, Josip Juranović, and Anthony Ralston of Celtic complete the cast of goalscorers in this high-scoring contest.
West Ham set the pace on Group H
West Ham United of the English Premier League blanked Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia, 2-0. Michel Antonio netted the ball at the 21st minute with Declan Rice doubling the count at the 50th minute.
The other Group H match had Genk winning against Rapid Wien, 1-0. Ebere Paul Onuachu handed his camp the win two minutes into the stoppage period.
Draws greet big clubs
Clubs from smaller leagues put up a stand against their more recognizable counterparts.
Over at Group B, Real Sociedad and PSV Eindhoven settled to a 2-2 deadlock after regulation. Adnan Januzaj scored a goal two minutes after Mario Götze made one to tie the tally.
Alexander Isak’s score gave the Spanish side the upper hand, but this proved to be brief. Cody Gakpo recorded the only goal at the second half to finalize the outcome.
Meanwhile at Group C, Leicester City squandered a two-goal lead against Napoli to finish in a 2-2 equilibrium. Victor Osimhen negated Ayoze Pérez’ and Harvey Barnes’ contribution, the two opponents ended up sharing points.
Finally at Group D, Eintracht Frankfurt salvaged a draw against Fenerbahçe, 1-1. Sam Lammers found the target at the 41st minute. This countered former German Bundesliga star Mesut Özil’s goal earlier in the contest.
Author Details
JP Abcede is a veteran sportswriter who has covered football, basketball, pro wrestling, and other sports for a variety of publications. Aside from sports, he also likes music and reading.
