Champions League roundup: PSV stunned by blunder against Rangers, Copenhagen and Bodo win
Bodo/Glimt - Dinamo Zagreb 1-0
A town of just 50,000 people inside the Arctic Circle could soon welcome the continent’s elite, as Kjetil Knutsen’s team know that another hugely-impressive milestone is within reach only six years after being relegated to Norway’s second tier.
Bodø had already played 18 matches in the Norwegian Eliteserien coming into this match, and began the match on the front foot. Hugo Vetlesen tried his luck with an early effort, while Lars-Jørgen Salvesen expressed his anguish after heading wide from an in-swing cross. Zagreb had to soak up some substantial early pressure, but Mislav Oršić nearly scored an opener when his stinging effort was pushed away by Nikita Haikin. The hosts struck first though, as Amahl Pellegrino sent the Aspmyra Stadion into raptures when he powered home a header from Joel Mvuka’s cross for his fourth goal in UCL qualification. That lead was almost doubled when Mvuka stood motionless between the sticks as Salvesen’s header cannoned off the bar shortly before the HT whistle.
Kjetil Knutsen’s side were playing some sublime football, and Pellegrino was hugely unlucky not to double their advantage when his shot went a whisker wide of the post following some beautiful link-up play on the edge of the box. Like they did in the first half, Dinamo had to weather a storm and came close to a well-crafted equaliser when substitute Bruno Petković headed over from Oršić’s perfectly-weighted cross. Dinamo were growing in confidence and were denied a superb equaliser after Martin Baturina’s goal was ruled out for offside, after he lashed the ball into the net at the end of a fine move. Petković wasted a golden opportunity late on to level the scores, taking an outstanding first touch with the back of his heel before firing wide in a one-v-one with just Haikin left to beat.
Despite the defeat, Ante Čačić will be confident his side can overturn a slender first-leg defeat and secure an eighth UCL group stage appearance heading into an intriguing second leg at the Stadion Maksimir on August 24. But Bodø have the ascendancy in their aim to become the first Norwegian side to compete in the UCL proper since Rosenborg in 2007/08.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Amahl Pellegrino (Bodø/Glimt)
FC Copenhagen - Trabzonspor 2-1
Copenhagen did not appear troubled by Trabzonspor’s recent three-match winning streak right from the outset as they stormed to an impressive lead inside ten minutes. After the Turkish outfit lost possession in their own half, a swift counter-attack was set in motion by the hosts, which culminated in Viktor Claesson striking an instinctive first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Backed by a raucous home crowd, the Danes thought they had doubled their lead - twice - just after the half-hour mark. Iceland midfielder Hákon Arnar Haraldsson first belted a close-range effort into the side netting despite being faced with an open goal, before Rasmus Falk Jensen forced Çakır Uğurcan into a crucial save. With Copenhagen conceding ten goals in their past five matches, Trabzonspor will have hoped to cause their opponents problems. However, Abdullah Avcı’s men failed to register a single shot on target before the break. Trabzonspor’s inefficiency means that they have now netted just one first-half goal in their eight previous UCL away matches.
The Lions got off to the perfect start in the second period, doubling their lead within three minutes of the kick-off. Lukas Lerager provided the point-blank finish following a well-hit corner kick that was flicked his way by towering defender Denis Vavro. Perhaps looking to defend their two-goal advantage, the Danish champions saw less of the ball thereafter. Of all the chances that came Trabzonspor’s way across the evening, Abdulkadir Omur will have rued missing his the most, his diving header squirming past the crossbar.
As the final ten minutes beckoned, Trabzonspor made the most of their pressure and earned themselves a lifeline. Greek forward Anastasios Bakasetas unleashed a long-range effort that took a wicked deflection off a defender and wrong-footed Ryan, much to the delight of the visitors.
Parken Stadium remains a relative fortress for FC Copenhagen in European football, with this their 22nd victory from their 40 previous home outings. However, the tie remains far from decided heading into the second leg at Trabzonspor’s cauldron - the Şenol Güneş Stadium - in six days’ time.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rasmus Falk (FC Copenhagen)
Rangers - PSV 2-2
Two friends who shared the pitch as international teammates on 48 occasions were now in opposing dugouts, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side welcomed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s PSV Eindhoven side to a bouncing Ibrox Stadium. It was the visitors who were first to come close to opening the scoring, but Luuk de Jong scuffed Joey Veerman’s cross over the bar despite being free after escaping his marker.
Rangers began to dominate from here but couldn’t turn their possession into clear chances as PSV defended well, making a goalless HT scoreline seem inevitable. But that wasn’t to be, as the home side failed to clear Cody Gakpo’s 37th-minute corner into the box, and the ball fell to Ibrahim Sangaré, who made no mistake on the half-volley to put PSV ahead. There was an almost immediate response from Rangers though, as a brilliant team move ended with James Tavernier cutting the ball into the box for Antonio Čolak who slotted it in.
Čolak had the first chance of the second half with Tavernier once again the provider, but after drifting wide, his effort across goal was comfortably palmed away by Walter Benitez. That was PSV’s cue to ramp up the pressure, and the Eindhoven outfit should have retaken the lead after De Jong’s flick-on from a long ball played Ismael Saibari through on goal, but he poked his effort agonisingly wide.
Despite pressure from the visitors, it was the home side who instead took the lead in a disastrous moment for Benitez. Tom Lawrence lined up a freekick from around 35 yards out, and his effort looked to have been comfortably heading into the goalkeeper’s gloves, but the Argentine spilled the ball into the back of the net to send the Ibrox crowd bouncing.
Rangers’ lead didn’t last long though, as they were undone from a Gakpo corner once again, with Armando Obispo rising highest to nod the ball in off the bar. That set up an intense endgame, but neither side managed to find a winning goal, and the tie remains perfectly balanced for the second leg next Wednesday in Eindhoven.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antonio Čolak (Rangers)