After eliminating Maltese club Birkirkara after penalty shootout, West Ham United’s journey in Europe ended in the third round after they were eliminated by Romanian team Astra Giurgiu 4-3 on aggregate.
In the first leg, West Ham threw away a two goal advantage finishing 2-2. Yesterday they were also in the lead after debutant Manuel Lanzini scored after just three minutes. But two goals in the space of three minutes by Constantin Budescu turned the tables.
The English team couldn’t make a comeback to avoid an early elimination.
After their humiliating defeat in the first leg, it was an up-hill battle for Sampdoria. The Italians lost the first game 4-0 in the Olympic Stadium of Turin in Walter Zenga’s first game in charge.
They tried to make an incredible comeback, but it only finished halfway as yesterday they won 2- 0. Eder opened the score after 15 minutes and Luis Muriel doubled on the 70th minute.
Turkish outfit Trabzonspor were eliminated. Okay Yokuslu scored in the 56th minute to put the game in extra-time. But Kire Markoski scored for Rabotnicki in the 112nd minute to knock-out their opponents.
Spanish team Athletic Bilbao qualified to the next round despite being held in a goalless draw by Inter Baku.
German side Borussia Dortmund had no trouble qualifying to the next round beating Wolfsberger 5- 0.
All the goals came in the second half. It was their star Marco Reus who scored three minute into the second half. Pierre Aubameyang doubled on the 63rd minute. Henrik Mkhitaryan netted a hattrick on the 73rd, 82nd and 86th minute to round the score.
Southampton won again in a comfortable way this time away against Dutch side Vitesse to progress with a 5-0 aggregate. Graziano Pelle removed any chances of a comeback by Vitesse with a goal after 4 minutes. Sadio
Mane sealed the win with a goal in the 89th minute.
Bosnian side Zeljeznicar who eliminated Balzan, were eliminated after losing both legs 2-1 and 1-0 respectively against a much more quoted Belgian side Standard Liege. Jelle van Damme scored the only goal on the 68th minute.
After defeating their opponents 3- 0, french side Bordeaux made a double on AEK Larnaca winning the second leg 1-0. Isaac Kiese Thelin scored the winning goal on the half hour mark.
The other French team Saint Etienne also qualified to the next round but lost the second leg 2-1 against Tirgu Mures.
Luis Pedro opened the score on the 39th minute and Ivan Gonzales Lopes doubled on the 62nd minute but the same player committed an auto-goal to reduce their advantage.
Russian’s Rubin Kazan were held 1-1 by Sturm Graz but qualified with a 4-3 aggregate. Josip Tadic put his team in front but Oleg Kuzmin equalised five minutes from time.
In another game Dutch side AZ Alkmaar qualified with two wins against Istanbul Basaksehir. Markus Henriksen put AZ in front on the 21st minute. Doka Madureira equalised just before the break but Joris van Overeem scored the winning goal on the 75th minute.