Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Copa Libertadores: Lanus Oust River Plate, Advance To Final

At Lanus, Argentina:

In Tuesday second game of an all-Argentinian Copa Libertadores semifinal series, Jose Sand scored twice (45'+1, 46') as Lanus doubled up visiting River Plate 4-2 and won their series 4-3 on aggregate to advance to the two-game final against the winner of the Barcelona SC-Gremio series (with Gremio up 3-0 on aggregate after game one of that series).

MLS Cup Playoffs: Crew Too Much For Ten-Man Citizens As East Semifinal Series Opens In Buckeye State

At Columbus, Ohio:

Ola Kamara (6'), Artur (58'), Justin Meram (69'), and Harrison Afful (90'+3) each scored once on Tuesday as the Columbus Crew dominated visiting ten-man New York City 4-1 in the opening game of an Eastern Conference semifinal series as the MLS Cup Playoffs continued.

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Two-Draw Tuesday

Four games were played in Group D of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Lisbon:

Gonzalo Higuain's equalizer in the 79th minute carried Juventus to a 1-1 road draw with Sporting CP.  Bruno Cesar scored for the Lions in the 20th minute.  Here's ol' Gonzalo stopping the ball here.

Associated Press photo by Armando Franca

At Piraeus, Greece:

Olympiacos and visiting Barcelona battled to a 0-0 stalemate.  That's Barca's Nelson Semedo (left) passing the ball here.

Associated Press photo by Thanassis Stavrakis

Group D Standings:

1. Barcelona (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
2. Juventus (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3. Sporting CP (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Olympiacos (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Mattress Makers Salvage Home Draw With Qarabag; Roma Too Much For Chelsea

Two UEFA Champions League Group C games were contested  on Tuesday.

At Madrid:



Thomas Partey's equalizer in the 59th minute enabled Atletico Madrid to salvage a 1-1 home draw with ten-man Qarabag.  Michel scored for the Azerbaijani club in the 40th minute.  Here's the Mattress Makers' Saul Niguez (front) controlling the ball.

Associated Press photo by Paul White

At Rome:

Stephan el Shaarawy scored twice (1', 36') as AS Roma dominated visiting Chelsea 3-0.  I wonder how Blues coach Antonio Conte (pictured here) felt after the blowout defeat.

ANSA photo via Associated Press by Eltore Ferrari

Group C Standings:

1. AS Roma (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. Chelsea (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
3. Atletico Madrid (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Qarabag (GP: 4; GD: -7; PTS: 2)
 

UEFA Champions League, Group B: PSG And Bayern Advance To Knockout Stage

Two games were contested in Group B of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Paris:



Layvin Kurzawa (that's him [right]battling with Anderlecht's Sofiane Hanni) scored a natural second-half hat trick (52', 72', 78') as Paris Saint-Germain locked up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage after having destroyed visiting RSC Anderlecht 5-0, eliminating the Belgian club from contention.

Associated Press photo by Christophe Ena

At Glasgow, Scotland:
Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez
Javi Martinez scored the winning goal in the 77th minute as Bayern Munich defeated Celtic 2-1 on the road to lock up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage.  That's Javi (left), rising up above the Bhoys' Nir Bitton to scored the winning goal.

SNS photo from BBC website

Group B Standings:

1. x-Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 4; GD: +17; PTS: 12)
2. x-Bayern Munich (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
3. z-Celtic (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 3)
4. z-RSC Anderlecht (GP: 4; GD: -15; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from Champions League contention but still alive for berth in Europa League group stage

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Red Devils, Horses Post Victories

The second half of UEFA Champions League group-stage play opened on Tuesday with eight games, two of them in Group A. 

At Basel, Switzerland:

Pontus Wernbloom scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as CSKA Moscow knocked off FC Basel 2-1 on the road.  That's Basel's Mohamed Elyounoussi scoring in the 32nd minute.

Keystone photo via Associated Press by Peter Schneider

At Manchester, England:

Goals from Mile Svilar (OG-45') and Daley Blind (PK-78') enabled Manchester United to blank visiting SL Benfica 2-0 as the English club all but locked up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage while the Portuguese club found themselves all but eliminated from European competition.  Here's Red Devils coach Jose Mourinho observing with a notebook in his hand.

Associated Press photo by Dave Thompson

Group A Standings:

1. Manchester United (GP: 4; GD: +9; PTS: 12)
2. FC Basel (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. CSKA Moscow (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. SL Benfica (GP: 4; GD: -9; PTS: 0)

Monday, October 30, 2017

MLS Cup Playoffs: Reds Knock Off Red Bulls In Jersey In East Semifinal Opener; Injury-Ravaged Timbers Gain Series-Opening Scoreless Draw In Houston

The MLS Cup Playoffs continued on Monday with two games.  

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Sebastian Giovinco scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute as Toronto FC knocked off the New York Red Bulls 2-1 on the road in the opening match of their conference semifinal series.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Houston:

Despite losing key players (Larrys Mabiala, Diego Chara, and Darlington Nagbe) to injury, the Portland Timbers still gained a conference semifinal series-opening 0-0 road stalemate with the Houston Dynamo.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

MLS Cup Playoffs: Scoreless Opener To Caps-Sounders West Semifinal Series

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

The opening match of a Western Conference semifinal series between the Vancouver Whitecaps and visiting Seattle Sounders ended in a 0-0 stalemate as the MLS Cup Playoffs resumed on Sunday.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

CAF Champions League Final: Wydad Casablanca Gain Series-Opening 1-1 Road Draw With Al-Ahly

At Alexandria, Egypt:

In Saturday's opening match of the CAF Champions League, Achraf Bencharki's equalizer in the 16th minute lifted Morocco's Wydad Casablanca to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Al-Ahly.

Momen Zakaria scored for the Egyptian club in the third minute.

The series is set to conclude next Saturday at Casablanca, Morocco with the winner advancing to the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates in December.

Al-Ahly has won a record eight African continental club championships while Wydad Casablanca's lone title came in 1992 (this is their first appearance in the Final since 2011).

Thursday, October 26, 2017

OLIMPIA KNOCK OFF SANTOS ON ROAD IN PK SHOOTOUT TO WIN CONCACAF LEAGUE TITLE (AND BERTH IN 2018 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

San Jose, Costa Rica:

Michaell Chirinos's goal in the 21st minute enabled visiting CD Olimpia to blank Santos de Guapiles 1-0 in regulation of Thursday's game-two contest in the CONCACAF League Final, which deadlocked the series at 1-1 on aggregate.  Then, with overtime dispensed with, Carlo Costly, Bryan Moya, Alexander Lopez, and Carlos Mejia all converted their spot kicks as the Honduran club won the penalty-kick shootout 4-1 to win the tournament and advance to the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League, scheduled to start this coming February.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Crew And Dynamo Advance To Conference Semis

The MLS Cup Playoffs' knockout round concluded on Thursday with two games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Atlanta:

Zack Steffen made eight saves during 120 scoreless minutes, then made two more saves during the penalty-kick shootout, while Federico Higuain, Niko Hansen, and Adam Jahn converted their spot kicks as the Columbus Crew knocked off Atlanta United 3-0 on the road in the shootout.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Houston:

Alberth Elis scored the overtime game-winning goal in the 94th minute as the Houston Dynamo defeated visiting Sporting Kansas City 1-0.



The conference semifinals are set to start on Sunday with kickoff times Pacific.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Monday:

At Harrison, New Jersey:

New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, Game One, 4:00 PM (FS1)

Tuesday:

At Columbus, Ohio:

Columbus Crew SC vs. New York City FC, Game One, 5:00 PM (ESPN)

Sunday, November 5 (Pacific Standard Time):

At Toronto:

Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls, Game Two, 12:00 Noon (ESPN)

At New York:

New York City FC vs. Columbus Crew SC, Game Two, time and network to be determined

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Sunday:

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, Game One, 5:30 PM (ESPN)

Monday:

At Houston:

Houston Dynamo vs. Portland Timbers, Game One, 6:30 PM (FS1)

Next Thursday:

At Seattle:

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7:30 PM (FS1)

Sunday, November 5 (Pacific Standard Time)

At Portland, Oregon:

Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo, Game Two, time and network to be determined.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Copa Libertadores: Gremio Too Much For Barcelona (Not THAT One) In Semifinal Series Opener

At Guayaquil, Ecuador:

In Wednesday's opening match of a Copa Libertadores semifinal series, Luan Vieira scored twice (7', 50') as Gremio dominated home-standing Barcelona SC 3-0.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Red Bulls, Caps Demolish Opponents; Vancouver To Face Seattle In West Semis; NYRB Get Crack At TFC

Two games were on the docket for Wednesday as the Major League Soccer Cup playoffs commenced.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Bradley Wright-Phillips (7'), Sacha Kljestan (11'), Daniel Royer (70'), and Gonzalo Veron (87') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls demolished the Chicago Fire 4-0 on the road in a knockout-round contest.  The Red Bulls will take on Supporters' Shield-winning Toronto FC in an Eastern  Conference semifinal series.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Nicolas Mezquida scored twice (78', 80') as the Vancouver Whitecaps used a four-goal second half to destroy the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 5-0 in a knockout-round contest.  The Whitecaps will host the opening game of a two-game Western Conference semifinal series against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday at 5:30 PM Pacific Time (ESPN).

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Copa Libertadores: River Plate Top Lanus In Semifinal Series Opener

At Buenos Aires:

Ignacio Scocco scored the only goal of the match in the 82nd minute on Tuesday as River Plate defeated visiting Lanus 1-0 in the opening contest of an all-Argentinian Copa Libertadores semifinal series.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

CAF Champions League: It's Al-Ahly vs. Wydad Casablanca For The Marbles

At Alexandria, Egypt:

Walid Azaro produced a natural hat trick (23', 39', 48') on Sunday as Al-Ahly demolished visiting Etoile du Sahel 6-2 in game two of their CAF Champions League semifinal series and knocked out the Tunisian club 7-4 on aggregate.

The Egyptian club will face Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the two-match final, set to open next Sunday in Egypt, with the return contest set to take place at Casablanca, Morocco on November 6.

The winner would advance to December's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in the United Arab Emirates.

MLS: Reds Set Points Record; Quakes Overcome Loons, Clinch First Playoff Spot In Five Years; Timbers Upend Caps, Take West Title And Cascadia Cup

Major League Soccer's regular season closed on Sunday with eleven games.

At Atlanta:

In front of a record 71, 874 fans, Jozy Altidore (60') and Sebastian Giovinco (PK-84') each scored once as Toronto FC set a new MLS single-season points record (69) as they gained a 2-2 road draw with Atlanta United.  Yamil Asad (PK-31') and Josef Martinez (74') produced the goals for the Five Stripes.

At Washington:

In the final match played at RFK Stadium, Michael Murillo (68') and Gonzalo Verun (75') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls came from behind to upend DC United 2-1 on the road in front of 41, 418 fans.

At Montreal:

Kelyn Rowe scored the winning goal in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time as the New England Revolution picked up their first road win of the season, 3-2 over the Montreal Impact.

At Flushing, New York:

In a battle of playoff-bound clubs, contested at Citi Field, Ola Kamara (11') and Josh Williams (59') each netted a goal as the Columbus Crew gained a 2-2 road draw with New York City.

David Villa scored twice (18', 45') for the Citizens, who locked up a first-round playoff bye.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Ilsinho (3', 63'), Fafa Picault (6', 38'), and C. J. Sapong (26', 74') each scored twice as the Philadelphia Union destroyed visiting Orlando City 6-1 in the season finale for both clubs.

At Frisco, Texas:

Roland Lamah scored twice (37', 49') as FC Dallas demolished the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 5-1.  Despite the victory, the Hoops were eliminated from postseason contention due to San Jose victory over Minnesota.

At Sandy, Utah:

Luis Silva (3') and Brooks Lennon (41') each scored once as Real Salt Lake defeated visiting Sporting Kansas City 2-1. 

The victory still wasn't enough for the hosts to qualify for the playoffs due to results elsewhere.

At Portland, Oregon:

Liam Ridgewell (32') and Darren Mattocks (48') each scored once as the Portland Timbers came from behind to upend the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1, enabling them to not only win the Cascadia Cup (for the first time since 2012), but also capture the Western Conference regular-season championship.

At San Jose, California:

Marco Urena scored the winning goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated visiting Minnesota United 3-2 to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012 (and only the third time since their return in 2008 as an expansion club).

At Seattle:

Nicolas Lodeiro scored twice (65', 90'4) as the Seattle Sounders locked up second place in the Western Conference and an opening-round playoff bye following their 3-0 home domination of the Colorado Rapids.

At Houston:

In the day's lone interconference match, Leonardo (2'), Romell Quioto (68'), and Mauro Manotas (75') each scored once as the Houston Dynamo prepared for the playoffs by dousing the visiting Chicago Fire 3-0.



FINAL MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Toronto FC (GP: 34; GD: +37; PTS: 69)
2.   New York City FC (GP: 34; GD: +13; PTS: 57)
3.   Chicago (GP: 34; GD: +14; PTS: 55)
4.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 34; GD: +30; PTS: 55)
5.   Columbus (GP: 34; GD: +4; PTS: 54)
6.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 34; GD: +6; PTS: 50)
7.   New England (GP: 34; GD: -8; PTS: 45)
8.   Philadelphia (GP: 34; GD: +3; PTS: 42)
9.   Montreal (GP: 34; GD: -6; PTS: 39)
10. Orlando City SC (GP: 34; GD: -19; PTS: 39)
11. DC United (GP: 34; GD: -29; PTS: 32)

NOTES:  Toronto FC (Supporters' Shield winner) and New York City clinched first-round byes while Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, and the New York Red Bulls will play in the opening (knockout) round; with Chicago and Atlanta United level on points with 55, the Fire have more wins than the Five Stripes (16-15); with Montreal and Orlando City level on points with 39, the Impact won more games than the Lions (11-10).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Portland (GP: 34; GD: +10; PTS: 53)
2.   Seattle (GP: 34; GD: +13; PTS: 53)
3.   Vancouver (GP: 34; GD: +1; PTS: 52)
4.   Houston (GP: 34; GD: +12; PTS: 50)
5.   Kansas City (GP: 34; GD: +11; PTS: 49)
6.   San Jose (GP: 34; GD: -21; PTS: 46)
7.   FC Dalas (GP: 34; GD: 0; PTS: 46)
8.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 34; GD: -6; PTS: 45)
9.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 34; GD: -23; PTS: 36)
10. Colorado (GP: 34; GD: -20; PTS: 33)
11. Los Angeles (GP: 34; GD: -22; PTS: 32)

NOTES:  Portland and Seattle clinched first-round playoff byes; Vancouver, Houston, Kansas City, and San Jose qualified for the one-game knockout round; with Portland and Seattle level on points with 53, the Timbers won more games than the Sounders (15-14); with San Jose and FC Dallas level on points with 46, the Earthquakes won more games than the Hoops (13-11).



Here are the match-ups and schedules (all times Pacific) for the knockout round:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Wednesday:

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls, 5:30 PM (FS1)

Thursday:

At Atlanta:

Atlanta United FC vs. Columbus Crew SC, 4:00 PM (ESPN 2)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Wednesday:

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 PM (UniMas)

Thursday:

At Houston:

Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City, 6:30 PM (UniMas)

Saturday, October 21, 2017

CAF Champions League: Wydad Casablanca Dump USM Alger To Advance To Final

At Casablanca, Morocco:

Achraf Bencharki scored twice (54', 90'+1) on Saturday as Wydad Casablanca defeated visiting USM Alger 3-1 in the second game of their CAF Champions League semifinal series and eliminated the Algerian club by that same score on aggregate.

Wydad Casablanca will play in the two-game CAF Champions League final against the winner of the Al-Ahly-Etoile du Sahel series, opening sometime between next Friday and a week from Sunday.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

CONCCACAF League Final: Santos de Guapiles Take Series Opener On Road

At San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

In Thursday opening match of the CONCACAF League Final, Wilmer Azofeifa's goal in the 62nd minute lifted Santos de Guapiles of Costa Rica to a series-opening 1-0 road win over Olimpia.

The series will conclude next Thursday at San Jose, Costa Rica, with the winner advancing to the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League.

Europa League

Group-stage play in the Europa League reached the midway point on Thursday with 24 games.



GROUP A:

At Astana, Kazakhstan:



Patrick Twumasi (PK-33',42') and Junior Kabananga (47', 52') each scored twice as Astana demolished visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-0.



At Villarreal, Spain:



Manu Trigueros (41') and Carlos Bacca (44') each scored a goal three minutes apart late in the first half as Villarreal came back from down two goals to gain a 2-2 home draw with Slavia Prague.  Tomas Necid (18') and Danny (30') each scored once for the Czech club.



Group A Standings:



1. Slavia Prague (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. Villarreal (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. Astana (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
4. Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)


NOTE:  Slavia Prague gained a 2-2 road draw with Villarreal on Thursday.











GROUP B:


At Elbasan, Albania:



Skenderbeu Korce visiting Partizan Belgrade battled to a 0-0 stalemate.



At Kiev, Ukraine:



Mykola Morozyuk scored the winning goal in the 49th minute as Dynamo Kiev defeated visiting BSC Young Boys 2-1.



Group B Standings:



1. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. BSC Young Boys (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Skenderbeu Korce (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)











GROUP C:



At Braga, Portugal:



Cosmin Moti (25') and Jody Lukoki (56') each produced a tally as Ludogorets Razgrad blanked SC Braga 2-0 on the road.



At Sinsheim, Germany:



Nadiem Amiri scored what proved to be the game winner in the 59th minute as TSG 1899 Hoffenheim defeated visiting Istanbul Basaksehir 3-1.



Group C Standings:



1. Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. SC Braga (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Istanbul Basaksehir (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)











GROUP D:



At Milan, Italy:


The match between AC Milan and visiting AEK Athens was played to a 0-0 deadlock.



At Vienna, Austria:


Mario Gavranovic scored twice (21', 31') as Rijeka knocked off Austria Vienna 3-1 on the road.



Group D Standings:



1. AC Milan (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. AEK Athens (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Rijeka (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Austria Vienna (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)











GROUP E:



At Liverpool, England:



Bertrand Traore scored the winning goal in the 75th minute as Lyon defeated Everton 2-1 on the road.



At Reggio Emilia, Italy:


Josip Ilicic (12'), Andrea Petagna (64'), and Remo Freuler (66') each scored once as Atalanta defeated visiting Apollon Limassol 3-1.



Group E Standings:



1. Atalanta (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. Lyon (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Apollon Limassol (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Everton (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)











GROUP F:



At Tiraspol, Moldova:


Ziguy Badibanga's equalizer in the 31st minute carried FC Sheriff to a 1-1 home draw with Lokomotiv Moscow.  Anton Miranchuk scored for the Russian club in the 17th minute.



At Olomouc, Czech Republic:


Peter Ankersen's equalizer at 19 minutes lifted FC Copenhagen to a 1-1 road draw with Fastav Zlin.  Dame Diop scored in the 11th minute for the Czech club.



Group F Standings:



1. Lokomotiv Moscow (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 5)
2. FC Copenhagen (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. FC Sheriff (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Fastav Zlin (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 2)


NOTE:  FC Copenhagen gained a 0-0 road draw with FC Sheriff on September 28.











GROUP G:

At Lucerne, Switzerland:

Alexander Gernt scored the winning goal in the 88th minute as Lugano held off visiting FC Viktoria Plzen 3-2.



At Beersheba, Israel:

Harlem Gnohere scored twice (70', 75') as Steaua Bucharest knocked off Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2-0 on the road.



Group G Standings:



1. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
3. Lugano (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)











GROUP H:



At Barysaw, Belarus:



Alexei Rios delivered the only goal of FC BATE Borisov's 1-0 home win over FC Cologne in the 55th minute.



At Belgrade, Serbia:

Olivier Giroud's goal in the 85th minute carried Arsenal to a 1-0 road win over Red Star Belgrade



Group H Standings:



1. Arsenal (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 6) 
2. Red Star Belgrade (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. FC BATE Borisov (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
4. FC Cologne (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 0)











GROUP I:



At Konya, Turkey:


Fredrik Gulbrandsen (5') and Moanes Dabour (80') each scored once as FC Red Bull Salzburg blanked Konyaspor 2-0 on the road.



At Marseille, France:


Maxime Lopez scored the game winner in the 76th minute as Marseille defeated visiting Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1.



Group I Standings:



1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Marseille (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Konyaspor (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Vitoria de Guimaraes (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)











GROUP J:



At Ostersund, Sweden:



Aritz Aduriz (14') and Inaki Williams (89') each scored once as Athletic Bilbao gained a 2-2 road draw with Ostersund.  Alhaji Gero (52') and Curtis Edwards (64') delivered the goals for the Swedish club.



At Lviv, Ukraine (due to warlike conditions in eastern Ukraine):



Oleksandr Svatok scored the winning goal in the 79th minute as Zorya Luhansk defeated visiting Hertha BSC Berlin 2-1.



Group J Standings:



1. Ostersund (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Zorya Luhansk (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Hertha BSC Berlin (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)











GROUP K:



At Nice, France:



Sergej Milinovic-Savic scored twice (65', 89') as Lazio defeated Nice 3-1 on the road.



At Waregem, Belgium:



Thomas Bruns' equalizer in the 27th minute carried Vitesse Arnhem to a 1-1 road draw with SV Zulte Waregem.  Guram Kashia's own goal accounted for the hosts' score.



Group K Standings:



1. Lazio (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. OGC Nice (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
3. Vitesse Arnhem (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)
4. SV Zulte Waregem (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)











GROUP L:



At Saint Petersburg, Russia:


Emiliano Rigoni produced a hat trick (1', 68', 75') as Zenit Saint Petersburg downed visiting Rosenborg 3-1.



At Skopje, Macedonia:


William Jose delivered a quadruple (34', 42', 55', 59') as Real Sociedad leveled Vardar 6-0 on the road.



Group L Standings:



1. Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 3; GD: +9; PTS: 9)
2. Real Sociedad (GP: 3; GD: +8; PTS: 6)
3. Rosenborg BK (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 3)
4. Vardar (GP: 3; GD: -13; PTS: 0)