Romelu Lukaku scores to inspire Roma win, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hits two for Marseille in UEFA Europa League
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Updated 21/09/2023 at 23:34 GMT
The 2023-24 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League seasons got underway on Thursday night and the opening round of fixtures produced some very interesting results. Ajax were held to a 3-3 draw by Marseille thanks to a brace of goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Aberdeen impressed against Frankfurt in their first European group-stage appearance since 2007 despite losing 2-1.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores twice for Marseille
Image credit: Eurosport
The 2023-24 European football season is well underway, with the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League both delivering some interesting results during the opening round of fixtures on Thursday night.
Ajax and Marseille played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Johan Cruyff Arena with the Dutch outfit taking a two-goal lead inside the first 20 minutes.
Nineteen-year-old Carlos Forbes opened the scoring after just nine minutes, taking advantage of a long ball over the top of the Marseille back line to tap past Pau Lopez after going one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Ajax doubled their lead just over ten minutes later, with Steven Berghuis arriving unmarked on the edge of the box to blast a left-footed shot into the back of the goal.
But Marseille hit back less than three minutes later, with Jonathan Clauss weaving his way into the box before driving his shot into the back of the net. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang showed he’s got back to scoring ways now that he has departed Chelsea, following up with the first of two goals to bring the away side level shortly before half-time.
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Ajax took the lead once again after the break through Kenneth Taylor, but it was former the Arsenal and Chelsea man, Auybameyang, who rescued a point for his side in the 78th minute, producing a sublime moment of quality to drive a shot into the far corner to wrap up an enthralling match.
Meanwhile, another former Chelsea player, Romelu Lukaku, also got on the scoresheet, netting his second goal for Roma, during their 2-1 victory against 10-man FC Sheriff.
After being beaten in last season’s Europa League final, Jose Mourinho’s team had a little bit of luck on their side, taking advantage of an own goal to go 1-0 up against their Moldovan opponents on the stroke of half-time.
Cristian Tovar found an equaliser for the home team, tapping in from a corner after the break, but it was Lukaku who would round off a brilliant team move, adding to his excellent scoring record in the tournament, having now found the back of the net in each of his last 12 Europa League appearances.
Elsewhere Bayer Leverkusen got their European campaign off to a very strong start, with Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann all scoring to give Xabi Alonso’s side an emphatic 4-0 victory over Haecken.
Panathinaikos claimed a 2-0 win against La Liga outfit Villarreal, but fellow Greek Super League side Olympiakos could not hold on against Freiburg who scored an 86th-minute winner to claim a 3-2 victory.
Aberdeen impress but can’t hang on
In the Europa Conference League, Eintracht Frankfurt defender Robin Koch scored in the 61st minute to secure a 2-1 victory against Aberdeen in their first group-stage appearance in Europe since the 2007-08 season.
Omar Marmoush gave the 2022 Europa League winners the lead from a penalty after11 minutes, spelling concerns for The Dons early on - but they rallied with Dante Polvara levelling the scores not long after, with Aberdeen breaking on the counter before the American lashed his ball past the Frankfurt goalkeeper.
It would ultimately be heartache for Barry Robson’s side, but after the match, former Scotland striker Ally McCoist lauded the team.
He said: “I thought it was an excellent performance from Aberdeen. They’ll be disappointed. Overall, I think Barry Robson and his players will be very proud of that performance."
Last year’s Conference League finalists Fiorentina were held to a 2-2 draw by Genk, with Luca Ranieri scoring a first-half brace, before Mark McKenzie headed home an equaliser in the 85th minute of the match, making the Serie A side rue their missed chances.
And it was Dinamo Zagreb who pulled off the biggest victory of the night, putting five goals past Kazakhstan side FC Astana, with Bruno Petkovic scoring twice to help Sergej Jakirovic’s side claim a 5-1 win at home.
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