FC Nantes offers Olympiakos, AS Monaco do the essential in Belgrade, Manchester United fall against Sociedad
After the opening of the 2022/2023 edition of the Champions League on the last two evenings, the Europa League entered the competition this Thursday evening, first at 7 p.m. with the difficult successes of Stade Rennais and Arsenal away. Two hours later, two other French clubs began their European campaign in C3, AS Monaco and FC Nantes, while Manchester United, with Cristiano Ronaldo, played their first group stage in EL for three years. While the Red Devils hosted Real Sociedad, the Rock club moved to Red Star Belgrade and the Canaries hosted Olympiakos Piraeus from ex-Bordeaux Hwang Ui-jo.
We begin this tour of Europe with group G and Beaujoire, where the FCN played its first meeting in the European Cup since a victory in the semi-final second leg of the 2004 Intertoto Cup (elimination on goal away from home against Slovan Liberec). And facing the Greek formation, the players of Antoine Kombouaré held the advantage in score through Mostafa Mohamed, scorer after the half hour of play (32nd). Returning from the locker room, on a defensive corner shot at the far post, Samuel Moutoussamy deceived Alban Lafont, badly out on the ball (50th). And if a goal had been refused to him at the end of the match (82nd), Evann Guessand still offered victory to his people with a beautiful header in added time.
Manchester falls, Monaco is reassured
Direction Old Trafford, where MU was to confirm its dynamic in the league (4 wins in a row, including Liverpool and Arsenal). After a minute of silence in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away this Thursday evening, the two teams offered us a rather balanced but not very lively first period. Erik ten Hag’s men scuttled each other with the handball of Lisandro Martinez in his area. The penalty was converted by Brais Mendez before the hour mark (1-0, 59th). Despite a few opportunities, the Mancunian club fell at home for the first tenure of Casemiro, who arrived this summer from Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo, who played the entire match, had a complicated evening.
Finally, on the Marakana side of Belgrade, AS Monaco had to be careful not to be trapped by a still dangerous Red Star in their lair. Goalkeeper Alexander Nübel had to make a few saves to keep his teammates in the game, which the club du Rocher finally won thanks to a penalty from incoming Breel Embolo just before the last quarter of an hour. A second consecutive success for the Asemists, who will be satisfied with a second place in Pool H, in particular due to the prolific victory of Ferencvaros, 10 against 11, against Trabzonspor.
The complete results of this multiplex
Manchester United 0-1 Real Sociedad : Méndez (sp, 59th)
ER Belgrade 0-1 AS Monaco : Embolo (sp, 74th)
FC Nantes 2-1 Olympiakos: Mohamed (32nd), Guessand (90+3rd) / Moutoussamy (csc, 50th)
Ferencvaros 3-1 Trabzonspor: Nguen (5th, sp 44th), Traoré (29th) / Gomez (39th)
Freiburg 2-1 Qarabag: Grifo (sp 7th), Doan (15th) / Vesovic (39th)
Lazio 4-2 Feyenoord: Luis Alberto (4th), Felipe Anderson (15th), Vecino (28th, 63rd) / Gimenez (69th, 88th)
Omonia 0-3 Sheriff Tiraspol : Akanbi (2nd), Atiemwen (sp 54th), Diop (76th)
Sturm Graz 1-0 Midtjylland: Emegha (8th)