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UECL: Chelsea take first leg lead

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Chelsea 2 - 0 Servette  Christopher Nkunku’s penalty helped Enzo Maresca claim his first win as Chelsea manager, with the Blues securing a two-goal lead against Servette in the first leg of their Conference League play-off. A significantly rotated Chelsea side had been struggling to break down their Swiss opponents until Nkunku was brought down by goalkeeper Jeremy Frick early in the second half. The French forward, one of only two players to retain their place from the team that started the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City   calmly converted the penalty, marking the first goal of the Maresca era. Nkunku, a former Paris St-Germain player, celebrated in his signature style by inflating a blue balloon in front of the ecstatic Chelsea supporters. Chelsea nearly extended their lead shortly afterwards when Frick hesitated with the ball, allowing 18-year-old Marc Guiu to pounce. The Spanish youth international seemed poised to score, but he lost his composure, and Frick managed to recover a

UECL: The New Saints on brink of history

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FK Panevėžys 0 - The New Saints The New Saints took a firm grip on their Europa Conference League play-off with a 3-0 victory over Lithuanian side FK Panevėžys in Vilnius. We'll have reaction to this match coming soon. European Super Football ( https://t.co/3cLJ3IbFkJ ) https://t.co/NQPIJ1RA4A — European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) August 23, 2024 After a closely contested first half, Danny Davies broke the deadlock shortly after the restart. A corner was flicked on twice, and the centre-back was perfectly positioned at the back post to head in from a tight angle. Dan Williams then doubled the Welsh side's advantage, picking up the ball wide on the right, weaving past two defenders, and gliding into the area before slotting the ball coolly into the far bottom corner. As the hosts pushed forward in search of a goal, substitute Ben Clark sealed the win with a strike in stoppage time, putting Saints firmly in control of the tie. UEFA Europa League and Conference League (

UECL: St Mirren miss opportunity to take first leg lead

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Valur 0 - 0 St Mirren St Mirren missed several opportunities as they were held to a goalless draw by a 10-man Valur in their first European tie in 37 years. Watch the video to get the reaction of Stephen Robinson. The video is from the StMirrenFootballClub YouTube account. Strikers Toyosi Olusanya and Mikael Mandron caused havoc for the home defence but were unable to score in Reykjavik. The Icelanders also posed a threat in what was a very open game, with goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe impressing on his St Mirren debut. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Valur's Aron Johannsson received a red card for a last-man foul on Jonah Ayunga. However, the visitors couldn't capitalise on their numerical advantage during the frantic finish. St Mirren will be hoping to make better use of their chances in Paisley for the second leg of their Conference League second-round qualifier next Thursday. Balcombe was called into action in the opening minute, the Brentford loanee making a fine sav

UECL: Villa's trophy hopes severely dented

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 Aston Villa 2 - 4 Olympiakos "Everything that could have gone wrong, did." Those were the words of one Aston Villa fan as their chances of reaching a first European final since 1982 were severely dented against Olympiakos. The star man on the night for the visitors was Ayoub El Kaabi. He scored a hat-trick, netting twice early on. Ollie Watkins then reduced the deficit for Unai Emery's side and Moussa Diaby equalised moments after the interval. Villa Park was rocking at this point, creating an atmosphere that had not been seen at the famous old stadium for many years.  However, Olympiakos roared back into a two-goal lead with a El Kaabi penalty and a deflected strike from Santiago Hezze.  Douglas Luiz missed a late penalty, meaning Villa must overturn a two-goal deficit in the second leg.  The Greek Super League side have actually never reached a major European final. They played without fear and attacking verve as they pressed and harassed Villa into defensive mist

UECL: West Ham win Conference League

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 Fiorentina 1 - 2 West Ham It has been 43 long years since West Ham United last lifted major silverware. That wait has now come to the most sensational of endings. Every single final has its hero. After Saïd Benrahma’s penalty on 62 minutes had been cancelled out by Giacomo Bonaventura’s well-taken finish just five minutes later. It would be Jarrod Bowen who would write his name into Hammers history forever. Bowen made no mistake when it mattered most, latching onto Paquetá's clever pass through the ACF Fiorentina defence and smartly scoring. The manner of victory was rather sweet for West Ham and all their fans. The celebrations of the Premier League team were something to behold. Click here for more West Ham news and stories. The victory ends a wait of more than forty years for major silverware. It also means they have won a European trophy for the second time in their history following the club's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1965. The victory also guarantees the

Conference League: West Ham take first-leg lead

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 UEFA Europa Conference League Semi-final first leg: West Ham United 2 - 1  AZ Alkmaar West Ham's dreams of a first major trophy since 1980 are still alive. They came from behind to secure a Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg win over AZ Alkmaar at their London Stadium. Pre match - the West Ham fans created an incredible atmosphere The Hammers' hopes of reaching the final in Prague on 7 June were hanging by a thread when Alphonse Areola made a mess of saving Tijjani Reijnders' low shot four minutes before the break. However, David Moyes' side turned the tie on its head after half-time. <Click here for more news from the London Stadium> The Hammers had former Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan to thank for offering them a way back into the contest when he recklessly punched Jarrod Bowen in the face as he arrived late to challenge for a high ball the England man actually headed over. After Ryan took an age to take his position for the penalty, Said Benrahm

UECL: West Ham keep on improving

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West Ham 2 - 1 RSC Anderlecht West Ham United secured qualification from UEFA Europa Conference League Group B thanks to a 2-1 win over RSC Anderlecht at London Stadium. A fourth straight win in their Conference League group was set up by a dominant first-half performance in which the Irons struck twice in the first 30 minutes. A Saïd Benrahma free-kick brought the opener, before Jarrod Bowen thrashed in the Hammers’ second from the edge of the area. While Anderlecht struck a late penalty through Sebastiano Esposito, the home side battled to a deserved victory.   Reaction It was clear from speaking to West Ham fans outside the ground and on social media that they are delighted with how this season is starting to develop. After a difficult season, Moyes and his side are showing great from. Success in Europe's third tier competition is a genuine possibility this season.

UECL reaction: West Ham move closer to qualification

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Anderlecht 0-1 West Ham United West Ham move closer to qualification from their UEFA Europa Conference League group They away side left it moderately late to get the only goal, a well-worked one finished off by Scamacca. The Hammers were indebted to a wonderful stop from Areola shortly afterwards. It was an entertaining game between two sides. Let's have a look at some of the best reaction One reporter said: "Anderlecht looked to spark something when Raman came on – but it was the visitors' substitutes that sealed the match. Rice, Lucas Paqueta and Scamacca all involved in the goal that won it for the visitors, well finished by the latter. A deserved win for West Ham." West Ham manager David Moyes told the UEFA website: "I am incredibly proud of the team's performance. We both created chances but we definitely created the better ones. So I feel we deserved to win tonight. We can go to the next game at home with full confidence." West Ham midfielder Fl

Europa Conference League: West Ham pick up first-leg win

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West Ham United 3 - 1 Viborg FF Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as they beat Danish side Viborg in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg at London Stadium. The Italian forward, a £30.5m signing from Sassuolo, was handed his first start and took just 24 minutes to make an impact when he headed in following neat play on the left from fellow new arrival Maxwel Cornet. West Ham players celebrate - Picture from  Football Pictures | Flickr It set the hosts on their way to a first victory this season, having lost their opening two Premier League games without scoring a goal. Jarrod Bowen zipped a second into the bottom corner from distance with 26 minutes to go. However, the visitors hit back immediately through Jakob Bonde's header. That almost made life uncomfortable for the Hammers until Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio combined for the latter to tap into an empty net and secure a healthy advantage going into the second leg. That second leg will take p

UECL: Draw made for first qualifying round of Conference League

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The second season of UEFA's third competition is about to start Clubs qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. It is the third tier of active European club football competitions, after the Champions League and the Europa League. England's representation in the upcoming season will be West Ham. They finished 7th in the Premier League. First contested in the 2021–22 season, the competition serves as the bottom level of the Europa League, which was reduced from 48 to 32 teams in the group stage. It was eventually won by A.S. Roma after an fascinating season. UECL: Roma win Europa Conference League (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The draw for the first qualifying round of the 2022/2023 competition. Let's have a look at who will be playing who. Bala Town (WAL) vs Sligo Rovers (IRL) A relatively short trip for both of these sides will have been welcomed.  Sligo's Rovers record in European com

Remember the European Super League?

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Let's have a look back at one of the most controversial moments of recent history. Many of the world's biggest clubs said they were forming a new competition. The European Super League. You can read the initial report from Greater Manchester Football by clicking the link below Clubs Announce New Super League Competition (greatermanchesterfootball.blogspot.com) At the time of the announcement, the story said: AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined the new competition as Founding Clubs.   It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.  Proposed format of the competition Twenty participating clubs with fifteen Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in

UECL: Roma win Europa Conference League

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 Roma 1 - 0 Feyenoord José Mourinho became the first coach to win all three current men's UEFA club competitions. Let's explore how that happened. You can watch the highlights by watching the video at the bottom of the page. This is the match report from UEFA's official website. Spurred on by their supporters, Feyenoord swiftly looked to reply, forcing Rui Patrício to deal with a succession of threats – Orkun Kökçü's rifled effort the most dangerous of the bunch. In a rapid start to the second half, Mancini diverted onto his own post, before Rui Patrício sprawled to tip Tyrell Malacia's long-range effort onto the woodwork. Danger averted, Mourinho's men could take a breath. Feyenoorders, bedankt voor jullie support dit seizoen in de #UECL . Van Pristina tot Tirana, mede dankzij jullie was het een onvergetelijke reis. ❤️🤍🖤💚 #MakingMemories pic.twitter.com/pWx8boBZyw — Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) May 26, 2022 As the stadium rocked, momentum conti

UECL: Roma and Feyenoord reach final

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The 2022 Europa Conference League Final will be the final match of the first season of Europe's newest club football tournament organised by UEFA.  It will be played on 25 May 2022 at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania between Roma and Feyenoord. Let's have a look at how both teams reached the final. Roma 1 - 0 Leicester City (Aggregate 2-1) Leicester City missed out on a place in the final after losing 1-0 at Roma. Tammy Abraham's powerful header for the home side was the difference as Leicester struggled to make a decent impact at the Stadio Olimpico. The striker's goal was enough to prevent Leicester from reaching a first European final after the first leg finished 1-1. The Roma manager was clearly emotional after the game. José Mourinho in tears after reaching the Conference final. Might not be the biggest final in his career, but man does this show how much he loves the game. Imagine not loving this man. pic.twitter.com/ZNXoAGqzOq — Xav Salazar (@XavsFutb

UECL: Leicester progress against Randers

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Randers FC 1 - 3 Leicester City (2-7 on aggregate) James Maddison scored two beauties as Leicester made light work of Danish side Randers with a 7-2 rout on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the Europa Conference League. Brendan Rodgers' men came into this knockout stage play-off round after finishing third in their Europa League group, but navigated the tie with few issues. Holding a 4-1 lead from the first leg, it took Leicester just 100 seconds to extend their advantage as Harvey Barnes broke clear and curled a delightful finish into the far corner. Into the next round ✅ #UECL pic.twitter.com/83IbACQ1J5 — Leicester City (@LCFC) February 24, 2022 The England international could have added another in the second half but fired wide from an acute angle. Compatriot Maddison then netted twice in the space of four minutes with a free-kick into the top corner and a sumptuous curling strike from 25 yards. Randers did pull a goal back late on when Kasper Schmeichel's heavy touch