PRAGUE: Norway’s Bodo/Glimt pulled off a sensational comeback to draw 2-2 away to Slavia Prague in their first ever Champions League group game on Wednesday, with substitute Sondre Brunstad Fet netting the 90th-minute equalizer.
Having built a reputation in Europe for devil-may-care football no matter who they face, the club from inside the Arctic Circle did not disappoint, putting in a battling performance that could easily have finished 5-5.
The Norwegians, who made a remarkable run to the semifinals of last season’s Europa League where they lost to English side Tottenham Hotspur, started well but were punished in the 23rd minute when fullback Youssoupha Mbodji ghosted in at the back post to tap home Lukas Provod’s pass.
The step up in class to the Champions League proved tough for Kjetil Knutsen’s side. At times brilliant in attack, they looked all at sea defensively and in midfield on occasion, sending numerous passes astray.
Glimt’s Danish striker Kasper Hogh had a chance to level from the spot nine minutes into the second half, but his penalty was saved, and that miss proved even more costly when Mbodji volleyed home his second of the night in the 74th minute.
Caught napping for the second goal, Bodo substitute Daniel Bassi made amends by pulling a goal back four minutes later, firing home at the second attempt to throw his side a lifeline.
However, the visitors continued to play with fire and Slavia Prague wasted a number of gilt-edged chances to put the game out of sight, with Bodo keeper Nikita Haikin a giant between the posts.
Somehow, they managed to weather the storm before Brunstad Fet blasted the equalizer in off the underside of the crossbar, with Haikin pulling off another brilliant stop deep into stoppage time to ensure they snatched an unlikely point.
Brave Bodo/Glimt snatch 2-2 draw with Slavia Prague in Champions League debut
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Brave Bodo/Glimt snatch 2-2 draw with Slavia Prague in Champions League debut
- The club from inside the Arctic Circle did not disappoint, putting in a battling performance that could easily have finished 5-5
- The step up in class to the Champions League proved tough for Kjetil Knutsen’s side
Benzema grabs hat-trick on Al-Hilal debut as Blues cruise to victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Karim Benzema had a debut to remember on Thursday, just days after completing a blockbuster move to Al-Hilal from Al-Ittihad.
The Frenchman, who had scored eight goals for his former side this season, took his tally to 11 as he grabbed a hat-trick against home side Al-Okhdood.
Benzema, wearing the No. 90 jersey, led the line in Najran as Al-Hilal sought to hit the 50-point mark in the Saudi Pro League and maintain their lead at the top. With Al-Ahli just three points behind and playing at the same time against Al-Hazem, victory was imperative.
Flanked by Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari, Benzema enjoyed a comfortable first outing with the Blues. As he dropped deep to overload the midfield and drifted intelligently between attacking channels, a goal on his debut always felt inevitable.
After a goal resulting from slick combination between Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari was ruled out because of a foul by Ali Lajami in the build-up, the game remained goalless in the opening half hour.
But then Benzema, targeting the same channels as Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari, dropped deep to initiate a move before advancing into the six-yard box to backheel the opener in the 31st minute.
Fifteen minutes after the break, Kalidou Koulibaly won possession high up the pitch before releasing Malcom into space, who squared for Benzema to tap home his second.
Al-Dawsari created Benzema’s third just three minutes later, after Milinkovic-Savic carried the ball toward the box and gave the winger a chance to pick out Benzema with a low cross.
Pundits on official broadcaster Thmanyah highlighted the role Benzema was playing in helping Al-Hilal diversify their attacking play. With the trio of Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Dawsari missing a consistent, clinical striker to provide for until now — 10 players in the league have scored more goals than Al-Hilal’s top scorer Marcos Leonardo — Benzema provided the final piece of the puzzle and completed it with full marks on his first appearance.
With the clock ticking down, Al-Hilal capitalized as Al-Okhdood tired, and Malcom grabbed his side’s fourth goal in the 70th minute, before Al-Dawsari added a brace to complete an emphatic 6-0 rout.
Over in Jeddah, Al-Ahli faced a visiting Al-Hazem side led by the last striker to guide the Greens to a league title, Omar Al-Somah. The Syrian striker failed to make much of an an impact on his return to Al-Inma Stadium, however.
After a difficult first half against resilient opponents, Ivan Toney finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute to extend his tally at the top of the Pro League goal-scoring chart to 19. It came when veteran keeper Ibrahim Zaid, deputizing in goal for Bruno Varela who was forced off in the 33rd minute due to injury, spilled a corner, allowing Toney to pounce and tap in from close range.
Any hope of a comeback was extinguished in the 76th minute when Sultan Tanker bundled the ball into his own net following a low cross from Mohammed Abdulrahman.
Earlier, Al-Fayha defeated Al-Najma 3-0 at home to move ahead of Al-Hazem into 11th place in the league. The visitors continue to endure the worst start to a season in Pro League history, becoming the first team to go 20 matches without a victory.
On Friday, NEOM host Al-Riyadh at 5:25 p.m. and Al-Ettifaq face visitors Damac at 6 p.m., before the weekend’s blockbuster match-up as Al-Nassr host Al-Ittihad at 8:30 p.m.
