Europa League early roundup: Arsenal grab narrow win, six-goal thriller in Belgium

Royale Union SG - Braga 3-3

Vitinha’s first-half hat-trick wasn’t enough to prevent a Royale Union Saint-Gilloise comeback as the Belgian side extended their unbeaten run in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) to four matches after a 3-3 draw against Braga. 

Looking to avenge their 2-1 defeat against Saint-Gilloise in the reverse fixture last week, Braga started more positively as the visitors knew a victory could see them leapfrog their Belgian opponents at the top of Group D.

For all their early possession, Braga struggled to break down a rigid Saint-Gilloise rearguard until Vitinha broke on the counterattack and fired a powerful strike that Anthony Moris seemingly had under control until he fumbled and helped into the net.

Galvanised by the buoyant home support, and with confidence flowing from their three-match winning streak in the Europa League, Saint-Gilloise hit back quickly through Bart Nieuwkoop’s cross which found Victor Okoh Boniface, who expertly turned his marker and fired an unstoppable shot low past Matheus.

Determined not to see a fourth consecutive draw away in Belgium, Braga responded and cranked up the pressure.

Vitinha completed a perfect first-half hat-trick when he headed in Nuno Sequeira’s free-kick, before controlling Ricardo Horta’s pass and curling a left-footed strike past Moris just five minutes later.

But it was going to take more than Vitinha’s heroics to prevent Saint-Gilloise from relinquishing top spot to their Portuguese opponents as they pulled level early in the second period.

Dante Vanzeir first scored minutes after the restart with a towering near post header, before Boniface struck his third home goal of the european campaign, glancing in Loic Lapoussin’s whipped cross.

Simon Adingra went closest to a winner for the hosts, but Matheus’ reaction save kept his side in the contest. The comeback result yet again showed the resilience of a Saint-Gilloise side that have lost just once in their last eight in all competitions as the Belgian outfit took another huge step towards winning Group D.

Braga will be glad to see the back of them after the last week as the Portuguese side are now winless in their last four in all competitions.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Vitinha (Braga)

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Bodo/Glimt - Arsenal 0-1

Arsenal’s Saka was the hero on a challenging night in the Arctic Circle, firing home in an occasionally-nervy 1-0 win over FK Bodo/Glimt that maintained the Gunners’ 100% record in Group A of the UEFA Europa League.

A graveyard of several bigger teams last season, the Aspmyra Stadion greeted a much-rotated Arsenal side with fireworks, and the artificial surface initially made the Premier League leaders look like damp squibs, with Bodo enjoying much early momentum.

But the Gunners grew as a unit and went ahead through Bukayo Saka in the 24th minute, when the England winger found space on the right after a succession of passes and played a deft one-two with Fsbio Vieira, before darting into the area and finishing via a deflection.

Proving hot to handle on a cold night, an ever-dangerous Amahl Pellegrino nearly got a quickfire equaliser shortly after the opener. He was played in one-on-one by a long ball that evaded a ponderous Arsenal backline, but Matt Turner – with an 11th win in 12 competitive outings on the line – was quickly out of his area to nullify the threat and do his bit to ensure the Gunners led at the break.

The American was on hand again shortly after the interval to keep Arsenal in front, with Pellegrino once more searing down the left and firing a shot aimed for the opposite corner.

This time he was on target, but Turner made a low save with his teammates’ hearts in their mouths. Any terror Arsenal might have felt in that moment was then repeated two-fold just before the hour mark, with Ola Solbakken firing over the bar from close range after another concentration lapse in the Gunners’ backline.

With Mikel Arteta sensing that his less-experienced first-teamers were struggling, the Spaniard brought on Granit Xhaka in place of Saka in an attempt to stem the worst of the pressure.

The change seemed to work, and Premier League stamina won the night, as Arsenal closed the game out to make it 11 group stage away games unbeaten, additionally ending Bodo’s run of 14 successive home wins in continental action.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

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Elsewhere in the Europa League

Fenerbahce and Rennes secured their place in the knockout stages from Group B. Michy Batshuayi was the hero for the Turkish side as they saw off Cypriot team AEK Larnaca 2-1. For Rennes, they kept a clean sheet against Dynamo Kyiv, with Christopher Wooh scoring the only goal of the game.

Managerial rivals Jose Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini renewed rivalries as Roma and Real Betis played out a 1-1 draw in Seville. Sergio Canales opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half only to see Andrea Belotti fire home to give each side a share of the spoils in Group C. 

Feyernoord and Midtjylland missed an opportunity to strengthen their position in Group F, playing out a 2-2 draw in the Netherlands. 

In Group G, there was joy for Freiburg as they won 4-0 against Nantes to also progress to the knockout stages. Lukas Kubler opened the scoring and the German side never looked back - Woo-Yeong Jeong wrapping up the victory with three minutes to play. Nantes still have a slim chance of qualifying after Olympiacos held Qarabag to a goalless draw in the group's other game.

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