Europa League roundup
September 15, 2016Nice 0-1 Schalke
(Baba Rahman 75')
Abdul Baba Rahman scored his first goal since joining Schalke on loan as the Bundesliga club beat former Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Lucien Favre's Nice on the French Riviera.
A scrappy first half was followed by a tight second as Nice looked to keep their record of having never lost a home UEFA Cup or Europa League match intact. The French side included former Bayern and Gladbach defender Dante and ex-Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli.
Schalke substitute Max Meyer unlocked the Nice defense with a clever reverse pass, allowing Baba Rahman, on loan from Chelsea, to rifle in a low shot inside the near post and secure the win.
Mainz 1-1 Saint-Etienne
(Bungert 57' – Beric 88')
Mainz were held to a 1-1 draw by French side Saint-Etienne, who grabbed an 88th-minute equalizer.
Coming off the back of their deflating 4-4 draw with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga at the weekend, Mainz looked to make amends on their Europa League group-stage debut.
Things were going according to plan when captain Niko Bungert nodded in the opener just before the hour mark to give the Germans the lead, but with time running out, Saint-Etienne’s Robert Beric restored parity.
The result means Saint-Etienne have won only three of 18 matches against German opposition.
Feyenoord 1-0 Manchester United
(Vilhena 79’)
Europa League favorites Manchester United suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord, with Tonny Vilhena firing the Dutch club to a famous win.
Despite making eight changes, United coach Jose Mourinho fielded a strong team that included Paul Pogba, David de Gea and Marcus Rashford, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic introduced as a second-half substitute.
However, the most expensive team in club football couldn’t avoid a second defeat in a week following a painful defeat by bitter rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Careless in possession and lacking a cutting edge up front, United paid for their lethargic display in the 79th minute. Exposed down the right flank by a Nicolai Jorgensen's run that beat the offside trap, United's defenders were noticeable by their absence when the unmarked Vilhena swept home from just inside the penalty area.
Other Europa League results:
Qarabag 2-2 Liberec
Zorya 1-1 Fenerbahce
APOEL 2-1 Astana
Anderlecht 3-1 Gabala
Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-4 Zenit
Astra 2-3 Austria Vienna
Sassuolo 3-0 Athletic Bilbao
Young Boys 0-1 Olympiacos
AZ 1-1 Dundalk
Plzen 1-1 Roma
Rapid Vienna 3-2 Genk
Inter Milan 0-2 Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Standard Liege 1-1 Celta Vigo
Panathinaikos 1-2 Ajax
Konyaspor 0-1 Shakhtar
Braga 1-1 Gent
Salzburg 0-1 Krasnodar
PAOK 0-0 Fiorentina
Southampton 3-0 Sparta Prague
Osmanlispor 2-0 Steaua
Villarreal 2-1 Zürich