LONDON: Joao Felix ended his goal drought with a brace as Chelsea powered to a 4-1 win against Panathinaikosin Athens in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.
Portugal forward Felix has struggled to make an impact since returning for a second spell with Chelsea in August.
Yet to start a Premier League game following his move from Atletico Madrid, the 24-year-old seized the chance to prove a point to Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
Felix’s only goal in seven previous appearances this season came on his debut at Wolves on August 25.
He ended his six-game barren run in the first half against out-classed Panathinaikos and netted again after the interval.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku were also on target as Chelsea made it two wins from two games in the tournament.
Before kick-off, Panathinaikos paid tribute to their defender George Baldock, who drowned in his swimming pool in Athens aged 31 earlier this month.
In Panathinaikos’s first home match since Baldock’s death, his team-mates warmed up wearing the Greece international’s number 32 on their shirts, while fans held up green cards with the same numerals during an emotional minute’s silence.
Maresca made 11 changes from the side that lost at Liverpool last weekend, but still fielded a strong side that was far too dynamic for Panathinaikos.
Felix put Chelsea ahead in the 22nd minute, starting the move with a cushioned header to Mudryk before sprinting into the six-yard box to slot home from the Ukrainian’s cross.
After setting up Chelsea’s opener, Mudryk bagged the second himself in the 49th minute with a fierce strike from Neto’s cross.
Felix scored again in the 55th minute, putting the result beyond doubt with a 20-yard drive that took a wicked deflection into the net.
Nkunku’s 59th minute penalty, awarded for Daniel Mancini’s foul, underlined Chelsea’s superiority.
Facundo Pellistri got one back for Panathinaikos with a close-range finish in the 69th minute.
Beaten by West Ham and then Olympiakos in the last two Conference League finals, Fiorentina survived a scare in their 4-2 win at St. Gallen.
The Swiss side took a shock lead through Felix Mambimbi’s 23rd minute goal but Lucas Martinez equalized in the 50th minute.
Jonathan Ikone struck for Fiorentina four minutes later before St. Gallen’s Lukas Gortler levelled in the 62nd minute.
Ikone restored the lead in the 69th minute and Robin Gosens’s stoppage-time goal secured the Serie A team’s second successive victory in the competition.
The champions of the Republic of Ireland were too strong for the champions of Northern Ireland as Shamrock Rovers routed Larne 4-1.
The first competitive meeting between the two sides was played at Belfast’s Windsor Park because Larne’s Inver Park stadium is not big enough to host Conference League matches.
Rovers were on top from the start as Graham Burke’s incisive run teed up Joshua Honohan, who drilled home from eight yards in the third minute.
Johnny Kenny headed in Burke’s cross to increase the visitors’ lead in the 24th minute.
Tomas Cosgrove’s 30th minute own goal put Rovers in command and Chris Gallagher’s reply three minutes after half-time was swiftly erased as Burke completed the thrashing in the 53rd minute.
Hearts also have six points after beating Omonia Nicosia 2-0 at Tynecastle.
Alan Forrest and Blair Spittal were the scorers as Hearts ignored their position near the bottom of the Scottish Premiership to build on their opening victory against Dinamo Minsk.
It was a second consecutive win for new Hearts boss Neil Critchley, who replaced the sacked Steven Naismith.
Felix double fires Chelsea in Conference League rout
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Felix double fires Chelsea in Conference League rout
- Portugal forward Felix has struggled to make an impact since returning for a second spell with Chelsea in August
- He ended his six-game barren run in the first half against out-classed Panathinaikos and netted again after the interval
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
