LONDON: Brighton booked their place in the Europa League knockout stage with a 1-0 win at AEK Athens, while West Ham also advanced after a late Tomas Soucek goal against Backa Topola on Thursday.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are competing in Europe for the first time in their history and the Seagulls’ adventure will continue into the new year thanks to Joao Pedro’s winner in Greece.
Brighton sit two points above Marseille at the top of Group B, with the French club able to regain pole position if they beat Ajax later on Thursday.
Europa League group winners go through to the last 16 automatically, while the runners-up play in a two-legged knockout round play-off in February against a team who finish third in a Champions League group.
Albion will vie for first place in the group when Marseille visit the Amex Stadium in the final round of fixtures in December.
The Greeks laid seige to Brighton’s goal for a period in the first half, with Orbelin Pineda denied by keeper Bart Verbruggen.
Steven Zuber became engaged in a virtually one-on-one battle with the Seagulls as the Swiss international’s effort was tipped over by Verbruggen.
Zuber flashed a header wide from the resulting corner, then evaded Joel Veltman and unloaded a powerful shot that was deflected onto the post by Lewis Dunk before Mijat Gacinovic put the rebound wide.
Gacinovic’s strike was well stopped by Verbruggen, whose heroics laid the foundation for Brighton to snatch the lead.
Damian Szymanski fouled Joao Pedro and the Brazilian striker picked himself up to slot home the penalty in the 55th minute.
That made the Brighton man the top scorer in the Europa League with five goals, three of those having been penalties against AEK Athens.
AEK’s fate was sealed when they were reduced to 10 men in the 85th minute when Gacinovic earned a second booking for a foul on Veltman.
Brighton fan Norman Cook, known as DJ Fatboy Slim, was set to perform in Athens after the game, with the Albion supporters who made the trip in party mood.
West Ham became the second Premier League club to move into the knockout round as Soucek’s late goal saw off Serbian minnows Backa Topola 1-0.
Soucek’s 89th-minute volley from Maxwel Cornet’s cross sealed the victory that put his team top of Group A.
The Czech midfielder has scored in his last five matches for club and country, after also netting a last-gasp winner at Burnley last weekend.
Second-placed Freiburg thrashed Olympiakos 5-0 to join West Ham in the knockout round.
The Hammers will seal first place if they avoid defeat against the German side in east London in December.
In Group C, Sparta Prague beat Real Betis 1-0 to close within two points of the first-placed Spanish club and keep alive their bid to reach the knockout stage.
Atalanta wrapped up top spot in Group D after a 1-1 draw against second-placed Sporting Lisbon, who are also through to the knockout round.
Rennes’ 3-0 win against Maccabi Haifa took the French team to the top of Group F and into the knockout round.
Brighton and West Ham seal spots in Europa League knockout round
https://arab.news/52zy9
Brighton and West Ham seal spots in Europa League knockout round
- Roberto De Zerbi’s side are competing in Europe for the first time in their history
- The Seagulls’ adventure will continue into the new year thanks to Joao Pedro’s winner in Greece
Gordon scores four as Newcastle hit Qarabag for six
- Gordon stole the show by netting four times before half-time
- England forward Gordon has netted 14 times this season, including 10 in the Champions League
BAKU: Anthony Gordon starred with a brilliant four-goal haul as Newcastle crushed Qarabag 6-1 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday.
Gordon stole the show by netting four times before half-time at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.
Malick Thiaw was also on target for Newcastle before the interval and Jacob Murphy netted after the break to complete the demolition.
Elvin Jafarguliyev’s second-half reply was little consolation for Azerbaijani underdogs Qarabag, who paid the price for wretched defending in a miserable performance.
England forward Gordon has netted 14 times this season, including 10 in the Champions League, taking him past Alan Shearer as Newcastle’s highest scorer in a single campaign in Europe’s elite club competition.
Gordon’s memorable night on the shores of the Caspian Sea ensured the second leg at St. James’ Park on February 24 should be a mere formality.
Barring a miracle comeback from Qarabag, Eddie Howe’s side will face Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.
Having ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the League Cup last season, Howe set his sights on more history this week, admitting it would “mean everything” to steer them into the Champions League last 16 for the first time.
Howe’s cherished target is now within touching distance.
Booed off less than two weeks ago after a defeat against Brentford, Newcastle made the 2,529-mile trip to Baku revitalized by successive away victories against Tottenham in the Premier League and Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
It was the longest journey any English team had ever made for a Champions League knockout game, but there was no sign of fatigue as Newcastle ripped Qarabag to shreds.
Gordon started as Newcastle’s central striker as Howe again deployed misfiring German forward Nick Woltemade in a deeper role.
Gordon runs riot
Howe’s decision to make Gordon the focal point of his attack paid off after just three minutes.
Dan Burn advanced from defense and played a perfect pass toward Gordon, who timed his run to beat the Qarabag offside trap before planting a clinical finish into the far corner from 12 yards.
Qarabag beat Benfica, Copenhagen and Eintracht Frankfurt and drew with Chelsea in the group stage.
Yet it was their 6-0 thrashing at Liverpool in the last game of the phase that proved more relevant as Newcastle doubled their advantage in the eighth minute.
Kieran Trippier’s pin-point cross picked out Thiaw and he guided a composed header past Mateusz Kochalski from close range.
Newcastle were carving open the creaky Qarabag defense at will and their barrage brought a third goal in the 32nd minute.
Matheus Silva blocked Harvey Barnes’ shot with his arm as he slid along the turf and Gordon stroked in the resulting penalty.
Gordon bagged his third goal in predatory style just 60 seconds later, seizing on Kevin Medina’s slip and rounding Kochalski to slot into the empty net.
It was Gordon’s first professional hat-trick, making him only the third Newcastle player to score a Champions League treble after Shearer and Faustino Asprilla.
Gordon’s 33-minute haul was also the fastest Champions League hat-trick by an English player.
The 24-year-old wasn’t finished yet and his break into the area ended with Kochalski fouling him, conceding a penalty that Gordon converted with ease.
Jafarguliyev got one back in the 54th minute with a low drive that was initially disallowed for offside before VAR allowed the goal to stand.
Murphy notched his first goal in the Champions League in the 72nd minute, whipping a deflected strike past Kochalski to put the seal on Newcastle’s perfect evening.
