Summary of UEFA Europa League 2022 results: Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first Europa League goal of his career to help Manchester United bounce back from an opening defeat in the second-tier competition with a 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol.
The Champions League record goalscorer converted from the spot after Jadon Sancho gave United a 1-0 lead in Moldova. It was the 37-year-old Ronaldo’s first goal of the season and 699 in club competition.
“Delighted to score and help the team win! 3 important points!” tweeted Ronaldo.
After failing to secure a move to a Champions League club, where he has scored 141 goals, the Portuguese striker had to settle for playing in the Europa League for the first time since 2002 with Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo made a second start in a row, including last week’s 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford, after United used him as a substitute in four straight Premier League wins.
Work done in Moldova! #MUFC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/Hq4g7noQ7w
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 15, 2022
Last weekend’s Premier League games were postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Arsenal, another competition favourite, had their match against PSV Eindhoven postponed from Thursday to October 20 due to limited police resources in London during preparations for the Queen’s state funeral.
Although Chelsea’s Champions League game against Salzburg went ahead on Wednesday, the visit of a large group of PSV supporters traveling from the Netherlands proved more difficult.
Real Betis beat Bulgarian side Ludogorets 3-2 for their second straight win, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma bounced back from a shock defeat to Ludogorets last week by overcoming 10-man HJK Helsinki by 3-0.
Feyenoord got their first win by beating Sturm Graz 6-0, Freiburg beat Olympiacos 3-0 for their second win, and Monaco were upset 1-0 at home by Hungary’s Ferencvaros .
Braga and Union Saint-Gilloise also recorded their second victories.
West Ham are struggling in the Premier League but shine in the Europa Conference League. The London club beat Denmark’s Silkeborg 3-2 for their second win from two in Europe’s third-tier competition.
Villarreal followed suit with a 2-1 win at Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Istanbul Basaksehir maintained a perfect record after a 3-0 win at Fiorentina.
Ukrainian club Dnipro-1 won 3-1 at Apollon Limassol, and Alkmaar beat Vaduz 4-1.
EUROPEAN LEAGUE
Ronaldo fired his free-kick past Sheriff goalkeeper Maxym Koval to his right six minutes from the break. It was awarded after Patrick Kpozo brought down Diogo Dalot.
Sancho gave United a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute after receiving a pass from Christian Eriksen on the edge of the box.
The match was moved from the tiny Sheriff Stadium in its breakaway home region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine, after UEFA barred Sheriff from playing there this season following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It took place in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, in the center of the country, at Zimbru Stadium.
In the same group E, Real Sociedad needed a goal from substitute Alexander S?rloth in the 80th minute to beat Omonoia 2-1.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored twice for Feyenoord in Group F to jump to a 4-0 lead after the first half. The Iranian striker had his third disallowed after a video review.
David Hancko, Danilo Pereira, Santiago Gimenez and Oussama Idrissi also scored as the Dutch club bounced back from a 4-2 defeat at Lazio in the previous round.
Also in Group F, Denmark’s Midtjylland defeated Lazio 5-1.
Michael Gregoritsch scored twice as Freiburg moved to six points in Group G, where Qarabag eliminated Nantes 3-0 in Baku.
Luiz Henrique, Joaquín and Sergio Canales scored one each as Real Betis lead Group C with six points. At 41 years and 56 days, Joaquín becomes the oldest goalscorer in the history of the competition.
Substitute Paolo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a goal each in two minutes early in the second half before Andrea Belotti added the third for Roma’s first win in the same group.
Helsinki captain Miro Tenho was sent off in the 13th minute of the match at the Estadio Olimpico after a foul on Belotti.
Braga secured a 1-0 win at Union Berlin, and Saint-Gilloise defeated Malmö 3-2 in Group D.
LEAGUE OF EUROPEAN CONFERENCES
West Ham hit back after Silkeborg took a 1-0 lead through Kasper Kusk. Manuel Lanzini equalized from the penalty spot before Gianluca Scamacca and Craig Dawson established a comfortable 3-1 lead still in the first half. Soren Tengstedt scored in the second half but it was not enough and West Ham control Group B with six points.
Serdar Gurler scored twice and substitute Bertrand Traore added one for Basaksehir to top Group A with six points. Hearts won 2-0 at Latvian champions RFS to move second with three. Fiorentina and RFS have one point each.
Slavia Prague, whose stadium will host the final in May, twice came back from a goal down before Lukas Masopust scored the winner in a 3-2 win over Ballkani, the first Kosovo side to reached the group stage of the UEFA competition.
Slavia are tied at the top of Group G with Sivasspor after the Turkish side won 1-0 in Cluj.
