Main man: Karim Benzema denied scored a brace against Athletic Bilbao
Cristiano Ronaldo was denied the opportunity to score his 500th career goal on Wednesday night - by his own teammate. The Portuguese star needs just one more to reach the milestone, but has failed to find the back of the net in Real Madrid's last two matches.
Ronaldo did come within inches of finally achieving the feat against Athletic Bilbao, but Karim Benzema sneaked in to steal his moment.
With the scores tied at 1-1, Isco burst down the right flank and fired a cross into the box.
Sky Sports
One: Isco prepares to cross with Ronaldo and Karim Benzema competing for the ball
Sky Sports
Two: As the ball comes in, the two forward vie for the ball
Sky Sports
Three: Benzema sneaks in ahead of Ronaldo to deny his teammate a certain goal
Sky Sports
Four: Benzema wheels away in celebration
The ball curled round the defence and appeared to be heading straight to Ronaldo, giving him an easy tap in.
But, at the final moment, Benzema stuck out a foot to prod the ball home and steal the plaudits.
Ronaldo
is, however, likely to forgive the Frenchman, who has assisted more of
his goals (31) than any other footballer he has played alongside.
The 2-1 win saw Madrid go top of the table after Barcelona lost 4-1 away to Celta Vigo.
Celta steamroll Barca, while Benzema leads Real Madrid to tough win
The
ESPN FC panel review Barcelona's abysmal player ratings against Celta
Vigo, who Gab Marcotti praises for their swashbuckling play.
Week five of La Liga saw Celta deal champions Barcelona a heavy
defeat, while Real Madrid gutted out a tough win over Athletic Bilbao at
San Mames. 1. Barca totally outplayed by Celta
Iago Aspas scoring twice as Celta Vigo beat Barcelona 4-1 will take
some beating as the result of the season in La Liga. And the way Aspas
and attacking partner Nolito ran riot against a sorry Barca defence must
be very worrying for Blaugrana coach Luis Enrique.
Ex-La Masia attacker Nolito started the scoring at Balaidos by
curling in his fifth of the season. Aspas then took over by twice racing
behind a flat-footed defence to coolly score. Neymar's late strike
counted for little then when Celta sub John Guidetti slammed in his
first La Liga goal after another breakdown by the Barca back line, which
was not at all stiffened by Gerard Pique and Dani Alves returning to
the starting XI.
Barca had not been beaten by three clear goals in any La Liga game
since May 2008. But this was not a fluke result. Celta are always
competitive against the top teams -- and the way Barca were taken apart
was also pretty reminiscent of their 4-0 defeat in the Spanish Super
Copa at San Mames back in August. Plus there had also been defensive
holes when Sevilla were barely seen off 5-4 in that month's European
Super Cup. Those results were written off as preseason blips -- but this
loss cannot be.
Luis Enrique preferred to concentrate on praising Celta after the game, but the always honest Javier Mascherano fronted up
in the Balaidos mixed zone. "When you feel totally outplayed in the
game, it's an ugly feeling," Mascherano said. "It is an ugly feeling."
Barca's Treble win last year was built on a solid defence and
intensity through the team. They need to work out what has gone wrong --
and quickly. Celta sit second in La Liga following their 4-1 hammering of Barcelona.2. Benzema double as Madrid tough out big win
As Barca were shambling to defeat in Galicia, Real Madrid were
toughing things out in the Basque Country for a 2-1 win at Athletic
Bilbao, which sent Rafa Benitez's side top of the early season table [on
goal difference with Celta and Villarreal].
Madrid were handed a present when Mikel San Jose's short back pass
let in Karim Benzema to open the scoring. But Benitez's side showed
character by bouncing straight back from conceding an equaliser to Sabin
Merino -- they went right up the other end and Benzema knocked in the
winner from Isco's precise cross.
The France international has now scored in each of his last five
games -- and is currently the leading scorer in La Liga, alongside his
teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Celta's Nolito. Also impressive was
Madrid's centre-backs Pepe and Raphael Varane standing firm to the late
aerial onslaught from Athletic, while Luka Modric gave another display
of control in the centre of the park.
Benitez's players keep talking about how much they are putting in on
the training ground, and he himself took evident pride in the team's
tactical intelligence when speaking after the game. Just one goal
conceded in six games this season suggests this effort is paying off. Karim Benzema's second half winner allowed Real Madrid to depart Bilbao with all three points.3. Griezmann scores and Atletico take a siesta
There was less excitement at the Estadio Vicente Calderon on Tuesday
night, but Antoine Griezmann's double brought a routine 2-0 win over
Getafe, which means Atletico Madrid sit just one point off the top of
the table.
"Griezmann scores and Atletico take a siesta," was the headline off the AS match report.
The France attacker opened the scoring on just four minutes, and then
clinched the points in the 89th minute -- after Getafe had at times
looked capable of getting something from the game by actually scoring
against Atletico for the first time since November 2011.
Simeone keeps rotating his attacking players, with Fernando Torres,
Jackson Martinez, Yannick Carrasco, Oliver Torres and Angel Correa all
featuring for part of the game against Getafe. But Griezmann is a
fixture -- leading to a discussion at the post-match news conference
about whether the France international was Atletico's only
"irreplaceable" player, just as Ronaldo is to Madrid and Lionel Messi to
Barca.
Simeone did not at all reject the premise: "The answer to your
question depends on what he does himself," the straight-talking coach
said. Atletico are far from a one-man team, but as the games go by the
feeling that their title chances seem to rest mostly on Griezmann
stepping up to such superstar status is being confirmed.
4. Pressure off Moyes -- for now
Ahead of Tuesday night's trip to Granada, Real Sociedad coach David
Moyes had called for a change in the "bad luck" his team had been
suffering, and there was a definite upswing in their fortunes with their
3-0 win at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.
The result was about much more than luck though. Moyes went back to
basics, preferring long-serving centre-forward Imanol Agirretxe to
&euor;8 million summer signing Jonathas, and was rewarded with the
28-year-old Gipuzkoan's first ever La Liga hat trick. Midfielder David
Zurutuza, another favourite of txuri-urdin fans and pundits, was given his first start of the season and also put in an impressive performance.
"I'm pleased -- we deserved to win, the same as in other games when we had deserved more," said a pretty low-key Moyes afterwards. "Today we scored the goals, so I am happy."
The Scot can now go into Sunday's Basque derby at home to Athletic
with his critics in the local press having been quietened for now. David Moyes guided Real Sociedad to their first win of the season at Granada.5. Not so good for Nuno
There was no such release of the pressure for Valencia coach Nuno,
after his side played very poorly in their 1-0 defeat on Tuesday night
at Espanyol.
Given Valencia's crowded fixture list, seven changes in the starting
XI was no surprise, but it did seem strange for Nuno to completely leave
out the club's best centre-back by far, Shkodran Mustafi, and put both
senior centre-forwards Alvaro Negredo and Paco Alcacer to the bench.
A patched-up defence could easily have conceded three or four against
an Espanyol side, in which on-loan Real Madrid teenager Marco Asensio
made an outstanding home debut. Controversial summer signing Danilo
Barbosa, another youngster represented by Jorge Mendes who comes with a &euor;15 million price-tag, looked totally out of his depth in the Valencia midfield. And another blank up front means Los Che have scored just twice in their first five La Liga games.
"Things did not go well," Nuno said afterwards. "I do not doubt my work, and I do not doubt the players. Only together and united will we get out of this situation."
Sevilla sitting bottom of the table after five games -- following a
2-0 win to Las Palmas -- shows how difficult balancing La Liga with the
Champions League can be. But Valencia's always demanding fans and
pundits are coming close to mutiny already, and Nuno is getting hit as
the most visible element of the Peter Lim regime at Mestalla.
Lots of people are now asking if the coach, whose relationship with
Mendes goes back two decades, is really a vital part of the "project",
or if he is about to become an expendable fall-guy.
Iago Aspas scored only one goal during his time at LiverpoolReuters
Former
Liverpool outcast Iago Aspas has said his summer move to Celta Vigo has
been vindicated following a stunning brace that saw his side beat
Barcelona 4-1. Following unimpressive spells with both the Merseyside
outfit and Sevilla, the 28-year-old hitman has rediscovered his best
form, scoring three and providing two in the first five games of the
season.
Aspas moved to Anfield in 2013 for a fee of around £7.7m
($11.7m) following an impressive season at Celta where he scored 12
times. But with both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge ahead of him in
Brendan Rodgers' plans he made only five starts in the campaign, scoring
just once.
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Liverpool then agreed to send him on loan to Sevilla
with a mandatory clause requiring him to make the move permanent at the
end of the season. He also struggled for time with the Europa League
winners, and during the summer they announced the signing of the Spaniard from Liverpool before instantly selling him on to Celta.
Aspas
has wasted little time settling at his old stomping grounds. The
Spaniard has been a big part of their impressive start to the season,
with them currently sitting second in the table behind Real Madrid.
Last
weekend he helped Celta beat his former side Sevilla, while he was
arguably man of the match in a shocking victory over Barcelona, scoring
two goals with two fantastic finishes, both one-on-one encounters with
Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Aspas overshadowed not just Lionel
Messi but also the missing Suarez – a close friend of the player
despite keeping him out of the side during their Premier League days.
Aspas
is ready to put his England experience behind him and now feels like
he's back to his best. Speaking after the match, he said his decision to
return home has already paid off.
"The two goals will
give me confidence because I haven't been able to score at [Celta's home
stadium] Balaidos. I feel very loved here with my fans, which is what I
was looking for when I decided to come back to Celta," he said as
quoted by AS.
"We
leapt over Barcelona. We played an incredible game, we were better in
every situation and we totally deserve the win. The team is coming off a
great performance at the Sanchez Pizjuan and today, against the
champions of Europe, we came out and played a great game yet again.
"You
can never relax against Barcelona until the game is over because you
never know what'll happen. But we put in a tremendous effort. We put a
lot of pressure on them in defence, which forced them to give up the
ball and let us fly down the wings on the counter-attack."
Madrid:
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique hailed the quality displayed by his former
club Celta Vigo as they thrashed the European champions 4-1 on
Wednesday.
Enrique’s men had arrived in Galicia with a 100 per
cent record in La Liga, but were well beaten as goals from Nolito and
John Guidetti either side of a double from former Liverpool striker Iago
Aspas sealed a famous night for Celta.
“When a team has been
better than you there is no more to add,” said Enrique, who took charge
of Celta during the 2013-14 season before joining Barca.
“I prefer to be beaten by a team that plays like Celta, without any traps and purely on football grounds.
“I congratulate them and urge them to continue playing like that.”
Barca have now conceded four goals in a game three times in just nine matches this season.
However,
Javier Mascherano claimed it was being outplayed that concerned him
more than last season’s treble winners’ defensive woes.
“It always
hurts to lose at Barca. We have a thick skin and all we can do now is
think about Saturday and remember what happened last season,” said the
Argentine.
“There can be a day when the opponent is better and
beats you to every ball. Part of it is our fault and part of it is to
their credit.
“We don’t have any excuses. They beat us soundly and
we have to keep working. The most worrying thing is that we feel
outplayed.”
Celta also stunned Barca 1-0 at the Camp Nou last
season and their coach Eduardo Berizzo believes the fearlessness of
their performance was worthy of such a sensational result.
“There were special circumstances and a bit of luck that went our way,” he said.
“Our idea is to play the way we did tonight, trying to take the game to the opponent no matter who we are playing.
“The players have delighted the fans. Football and the people present tonight were the winners.
“I congratulate the players because they were perfect.”
Barca’s
defeat allowed Real Madrid to go top of the table for the first time
this season as they were 2-1 victors at Athletic Bilbao thanks to Karim
Benzema’s double.
The Frenchman scored either side of Sabin Merino’s second-half equaliser to take his tally to six goals in his last five games.
“We
knew how difficult it would be because we knew how much the fans would
drive Athletic forward,” said Madrid boss Rafael Benitez.
“We
showed our quality in the first half and then our character and
intensity in the second. To win like this reinforces the confidence in
the team.”
Elsewhere, Sevilla’s nightmare start to the campaign
continued as they remain rooted to the bottom of the table after a 2-0
defeat to promoted Las Palmas, who celebrated their first top flight
victory in 13 years.
Celta Vigo sent shortwaves through European football
with a thumping win over the Champions League holders but Madrid's
Croatia midfielder insists he is taking little notice
Luka Modric insists Real Madrid are paying no attention to Barcelona's troubles but admits to being "surprised" by their rivals' defeat against Celta Vigo.
A Karim Benzema brace proved the difference for Real as Rafa Benitez's
side edged past Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on Wednesday night to go top of the
La Liga table after Barca were comfortably beaten 4-1 in Vigo.
Modric, though, says the thrashing handed to Luis Enrique's team matters
little to Madrid, but the Croatian did concede that he was shocked by
the severity of the beating Luis Enrique's side took.
"We have to look ourselves and not be worried for other teams," he said.
"But we were a little bit surprised by the Barcelona defeat."
Modric, meanwhile, was full of praise for Benzema, who struck either side of Sabin Merino's 67th-minute equaliser at San Mames.
The France international, heavily linked with a move away in the
close-season, has struck five times in four La Liga games this campaign
to cement his importance to Madrid.
"Karim is a great player, incredible. He is among the two or three best
in the world," Modric continued. "We are lucky to have him in our team."
Modric also talked up his international team-mate Mateo Kovacic, who
played 89 minutes in the win, adding: "Kovacic was incredible, very
good. He was very happy and very tired."
Barcelona
suffered a big shock and Juventus stuttered again while Real Madrid and
Lyon impressed. We round up how the group stage contenders got on in
Wednesday's action.
Wednesday's action: Group A Athletic Club 1-2 Real MadridKarim
Benzema's double took Madrid top of the Liga as Rafael Benítez's side
extended their winning run to five. The Frenchman struck 19 minutes in
and then again just three minutes after Sabin Merino's equaliser midway
through the second half to ensure another three points for Madrid. Malmö 4-3 Falkenberg The
Swedish champions won a seven-goal thriller to make it four league
games unbeaten and move within seven points of the top of the
Allsvenskan. After Markus Rosenberg's opener was cancelled out, Nikola
Djurdjić scored twice and Vladimir Rodić made it 4-1 before Falkenberg
hit back twice to set up a tense finale. Ternopil 0-5 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Cup last 16 first leg) Shakhtar
will have a comfortable lead to defend at home on 28 October after a
comfortable win away to second-tier Ternopil. Maksym Malyshev, Bernard
(two), Andriy Boryachuk and Viktor Kovalenko were all on target.
Substitute Boryachuk and fellow UEFA Youth League squad members
Oleksandr Zubkov and Andriy Korobenko all made senior debuts. Group B Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich Town (League Cup last 32) The
Red Devils were comfortable home winners against second-division
Ipswich, Wayne Rooney scoring his first domestic goal of the season.
Andreas Pereira made it 2-0 after the break before Anthony Martial came
off the bench to continue his excellent start to life at United shirt
with the third. Baykal Irkutsk 1-2 CSKA Moskva, aet (Russian Cup last 32) CSKA
Moskva needed an extra-time goal from Kirill Panchenko to edge out
their second-tier hosts. Leonid Slutski rested most of his key
performers and Maksim Mashnev put Baykal ahead. CSKA levelled through
Aleksandrs Cauņa in the second half and Panchenko netted the
109th-minute winner. Amir Natkho, 19, made his debut for the Army Men
after his summer transfer from Barcelona's reserve team. Group C Astana 1-1 Aktobe, agg: 3-1 (Kazakh Cup semi-final second leg) Holding
a 2-0 lead from their away leg in June, Astana won through to a final
against holders Kairat Almaty on Friday 20 November. Sergei Khizhnichenko gave Atkobe hope with a goal on 40 minutes but Patrick
Twumasi's strike midway through the second half ensured Astana reached
their third final. They won on their previous appearances in 2010 and
2012. Group D Las Palmas 2-0 Sevilla Sevilla
are bottom of the Liga table after a third defeat in five league games
left Unai Emery's winless side on just two points. Juventus 1-1 Frosinone Juve's
stuttering start to the season continued as they conceded a 92nd-minute
equaliser. Simone Zaza's goal after half-time looked to have given the
hosts three points for only the second time in five Serie A outings this
term but Leonardo Blanchard scored deep into added time to earn
Frosinone their first top-flight point; they remain bottom of the table.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-2 Augsburg Three days after coach Lucien Favre resigned, Mönchengladbach put five successive defeats behind them in some style. Goals from Fabian Johnson, Granit Xhaka, Lars Stindl and Mahmoud Dahoud left them 4-0 up inside 21 minutes; two second-half replies took a little of the gloss off. Group E Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Mainz Javier
Hernández's first Bundesliga goal was enough to end Leverkusen's
three-game losing run in the league as Mainz were edged out. The
Mexican's 69th-minute winner ended a barren 411 minutes without a goal
in the Bundesliga for the Werkself, who travel to Werder Bremen on
Sunday. Celta Vigo 4-1 Barcelona The
Blaugrana dropped their first points of the Liga season as they were
stunned by Luis Enrique's former club. The Barça boss coached Celta in
the 2013/14 campaign but they showed their former coach no sympathy as
Nolito, an Iago Aspas double and John Guidetti effort blew away the
European champions who could only respond through Neymar's 80th-minute
effort. It was Barcelona's heaviest league defeat since May 2008.
Sampdoria 2-1 Roma Roma
suffered a first Serie A loss of the season in Genoa as Kostas Manolas'
own goal five minutes from time condemned the Giallorossi. Mohamed
Salah had cancelled out Éder's opener but Roma could not build on the
equaliser and suffered the consequences when the Greek defender put
through his own net. Group F Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Arsenal (League Cup last 32) Mathieu
Flamini scored twice as the Gunners knocked their north London rivals
out of the League Cup. The French midfielder followed in an Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain shot to put the visitors ahead before a Calum
Chambers own goal brought the sides level. Flamini volleyed a winner to
put his side into the last 16. Group GWalsall 1-4 Chelsea (League Cup last 32) Chelsea
made no mistakes as they saw off third-tier Walsall to make progress in
the League Cup, Ramires's header setting them on the way in the tenth
minute before Loïc Rémy made it two. The hosts pulled one back before
Kenedy and Pedro made things safe for the Blues. Obolon-Brovar Kyiv 0-2 Dynamo Kyiv (Ukrainian Cup last 16 first leg) An
own goal before the interval and Júnior Moraes' 73rd-minute effort
means it will take a huge turnaround for Serhiy Rebrov's side not to
make the quarter-finals as they look to defend the trophy they won last
season. The return against the second-tier side is on 28 October. Group HVolga Tver 0-3 Zenit (aet) (Russian Cup last 32) Like
CSKA, a below-strength Zenit needed extra time to see off lower-league
opposition, in this case third-tier Tver. Denis Tkachuk, who only made
his Zenit first-team debut this month after a summer move from Krylya
Sovetov, was the hero as he came off the bench to score a hat-trick on
95, 105 and 112 minutes.
Lyon 2-0 Bastia Les
Gones returned to winning ways after back-to-back league draws thanks
to a victory against ten-man Bastia. Aldo Kalulu, 19, opened the scoring
on his first Ligue 1 start 18 minutes in before Corentin Tolisso
wrapped up the points with two minutes to go. Francois Kamono was
dismissed for the visitors on the stroke of half-time. Gent 3-0 Eupen (Belgian Cup last 32) There
were no alarms for the Belgian champions as they cruised into the round
of 16 with a straightforward success against their second division
opponents as Nicklas Pedersen, Benito Raman and Hannes Van Der Bruggen
all found the net.
Barcelona
suffered a big shock and Juventus stuttered again while Real Madrid and
Lyon impressed. We round up how the group stage contenders got on in
Wednesday's action.
Wednesday's action: Group A Athletic Club 1-2 Real MadridKarim
Benzema's double took Madrid top of the Liga as Rafael Benítez's side
extended their winning run to five. The Frenchman struck 19 minutes in
and then again just three minutes after Sabin Merino's equaliser midway
through the second half to ensure another three points for Madrid. Malmö 4-3 Falkenberg The
Swedish champions won a seven-goal thriller to make it four league
games unbeaten and move within seven points of the top of the
Allsvenskan. After Markus Rosenberg's opener was cancelled out, Nikola
Djurdjić scored twice and Vladimir Rodić made it 4-1 before Falkenberg
hit back twice to set up a tense finale. Ternopil 0-5 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Cup last 16 first leg) Shakhtar
will have a comfortable lead to defend at home on 28 October after a
comfortable win away to second-tier Ternopil. Maksym Malyshev, Bernard
(two), Andriy Boryachuk and Viktor Kovalenko were all on target.
Substitute Boryachuk and fellow UEFA Youth League squad members
Oleksandr Zubkov and Andriy Korobenko all made senior debuts. Group B Manchester United 3-0 Ipswich Town (League Cup last 32) The
Red Devils were comfortable home winners against second-division
Ipswich, Wayne Rooney scoring his first domestic goal of the season.
Andreas Pereira made it 2-0 after the break before Anthony Martial came
off the bench to continue his excellent start to life at United shirt
with the third. Baykal Irkutsk 1-2 CSKA Moskva, aet (Russian Cup last 32) CSKA
Moskva needed an extra-time goal from Kirill Panchenko to edge out
their second-tier hosts. Leonid Slutski rested most of his key
performers and Maksim Mashnev put Baykal ahead. CSKA levelled through
Aleksandrs Cauņa in the second half and Panchenko netted the
109th-minute winner. Amir Natkho, 19, made his debut for the Army Men
after his summer transfer from Barcelona's reserve team. Group C Astana 1-1 Aktobe, agg: 3-1 (Kazakh Cup semi-final second leg) Holding
a 2-0 lead from their away leg in June, Astana won through to a final
against holders Kairat Almaty on Friday 20 November. Sergei Khizhnichenko gave Atkobe hope with a goal on 40 minutes but Patrick
Twumasi's strike midway through the second half ensured Astana reached
their third final. They won on their previous appearances in 2010 and
2012. Group D Las Palmas 2-0 Sevilla Sevilla
are bottom of the Liga table after a third defeat in five league games
left Unai Emery's winless side on just two points. Juventus 1-1 Frosinone Juve's
stuttering start to the season continued as they conceded a 92nd-minute
equaliser. Simone Zaza's goal after half-time looked to have given the
hosts three points for only the second time in five Serie A outings this
term but Leonardo Blanchard scored deep into added time to earn
Frosinone their first top-flight point; they remain bottom of the table.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-2 Augsburg Three days after coach Lucien Favre resigned, Mönchengladbach put five successive defeats behind them in some style. Goals from Fabian Johnson, Granit Xhaka, Lars Stindl and Mahmoud Dahoud left them 4-0 up inside 21 minutes; two second-half replies took a little of the gloss off. Group E Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Mainz Javier
Hernández's first Bundesliga goal was enough to end Leverkusen's
three-game losing run in the league as Mainz were edged out. The
Mexican's 69th-minute winner ended a barren 411 minutes without a goal
in the Bundesliga for the Werkself, who travel to Werder Bremen on
Sunday. Celta Vigo 4-1 Barcelona The
Blaugrana dropped their first points of the Liga season as they were
stunned by Luis Enrique's former club. The Barça boss coached Celta in
the 2013/14 campaign but they showed their former coach no sympathy as
Nolito, an Iago Aspas double and John Guidetti effort blew away the
European champions who could only respond through Neymar's 80th-minute
effort. It was Barcelona's heaviest league defeat since May 2008.
Sampdoria 2-1 Roma Roma
suffered a first Serie A loss of the season in Genoa as Kostas Manolas'
own goal five minutes from time condemned the Giallorossi. Mohamed
Salah had cancelled out Éder's opener but Roma could not build on the
equaliser and suffered the consequences when the Greek defender put
through his own net. Group F Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Arsenal (League Cup last 32) Mathieu
Flamini scored twice as the Gunners knocked their north London rivals
out of the League Cup. The French midfielder followed in an Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain shot to put the visitors ahead before a Calum
Chambers own goal brought the sides level. Flamini volleyed a winner to
put his side into the last 16. Group GWalsall 1-4 Chelsea (League Cup last 32) Chelsea
made no mistakes as they saw off third-tier Walsall to make progress in
the League Cup, Ramires's header setting them on the way in the tenth
minute before Loïc Rémy made it two. The hosts pulled one back before
Kenedy and Pedro made things safe for the Blues. Obolon-Brovar Kyiv 0-2 Dynamo Kyiv (Ukrainian Cup last 16 first leg) An
own goal before the interval and Júnior Moraes' 73rd-minute effort
means it will take a huge turnaround for Serhiy Rebrov's side not to
make the quarter-finals as they look to defend the trophy they won last
season. The return against the second-tier side is on 28 October. Group HVolga Tver 0-3 Zenit (aet) (Russian Cup last 32) Like
CSKA, a below-strength Zenit needed extra time to see off lower-league
opposition, in this case third-tier Tver. Denis Tkachuk, who only made
his Zenit first-team debut this month after a summer move from Krylya
Sovetov, was the hero as he came off the bench to score a hat-trick on
95, 105 and 112 minutes.
Lyon 2-0 Bastia Les
Gones returned to winning ways after back-to-back league draws thanks
to a victory against ten-man Bastia. Aldo Kalulu, 19, opened the scoring
on his first Ligue 1 start 18 minutes in before Corentin Tolisso
wrapped up the points with two minutes to go. Francois Kamono was
dismissed for the visitors on the stroke of half-time. Gent 3-0 Eupen (Belgian Cup last 32) There
were no alarms for the Belgian champions as they cruised into the round
of 16 with a straightforward success against their second division
opponents as Nicklas Pedersen, Benito Raman and Hannes Van Der Bruggen
all found the net.
