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Chelsea took a step towards the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory over Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday, while Panathinaikos and Fiorentina played out a five-goal thriller.
Reece James and Enzo Fernández struck in the second half before Gabriel Pereira pulled one back for the hosts, as Enzo Maresca’s side did just enough to take control of the tie in the Danish capital.
After an uninspiring first half, Chelsea captain James broke the deadlock just one minute after the restart, latching onto Marc Cucurella’s deep cut-back and rolling a low shot inside the near post.
The goal sparked the match into life, and Copenhagen nearly responded immediately, but Viktor Claesson’s one-on-one effort struck the inside of Robert Sánchez’s post and bounced safely into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Half-time substitute Fernández doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 65th minute with an emphatic finish following excellent work by teenager Tyrique George.
The Premier League side appeared to be cruising until the 79th minute, when Pereira was left unmarked in the box to nod home from a set-piece, keeping Copenhagen’s hopes alive ahead of the second leg.
Elsewhere, last season’s beaten finalists Fiorentina suffered a 3-2 defeat against Greek side Panathinaikos.
The hosts made a blistering start, racing into a 2-0 lead inside 19 minutes through Karol Świderski and Nemanja Maksimović.
However, Fiorentina responded almost immediately, levelling the score within four minutes thanks to quickfire goals from Lucas Beltrán and Nicolò Fagioli.
Tete restored Panathinaikos’ lead in the 55th minute with a sweeping left-footed finish, giving them a slight advantage ahead of the return leg.
Meanwhile, Molde held on to secure a 3-2 victory over Legia Warsaw in Norway.
Eirik Hestad opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Kristian Eriksen doubled the lead six minutes later.
Fredrik Gulbrandsen latched onto a fine through ball from Emil Breivik to add a third shortly before half-time.
Legia fought back in the second half, with Kacper Chodyna and Luquinhas scoring twice in three minutes to pull the Polish side back into the tie.
In Spain, La Liga club Real Betis were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Portuguese side Vitória Guimarães.
Following a goalless first half, Cédric Bakambu put the Andalusians ahead in the 48th minute, only for João Saraiva to equalise three minutes later.
Former Real Madrid star Isco looked to have sealed victory for Betis with 15 minutes remaining, but Vitória hit back through Nélson Oliveira in the closing stages.
Later, Austria’s Rapid Vienna visit Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Swiss side Lugano travel to Slovenia to face Celje.
AFP
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