Liverpool made a triumphant return to the Europa League with an impressive 3-1 comeback win against Austrian side LASK in Linz.
In the 63rd minute, Luis Diaz displayed clinical finishing skills by netting a goal into the roof of the net. This goal put Liverpool ahead, and it came after he received a low cross from midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who was making his first start for the Reds since his transfer from Bayern Munich.
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The second-half comeback was completed by Mohamed Salah, who came off the bench to score in the 88th minute.
Liverpool initially fell behind when Florian Flecker scored the opener for LASK in the 14th minute from a corner kick. Liverpool managed to level scores when Darwin Nunez converted a penalty kick in the 11th minute of the second half, following a foul on Diaz by Philipp Ziereis.
Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, made a significant lineup change by fielding 11 different players compared to the team that secured a 3-1 comeback against Wolverhampton in the English Premier League last Saturday.
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This return to the Europa League marked Liverpool’s first participation in the competition since their loss to Sevilla in the 2016 final in Basel during Klopp’s debut season as manager.
In another match in Group E, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse played to a 1-1 draw.
West Ham, the reigning champion of the Europe Conference League, also had to come from behind to win 3-1 against TSC Backa Topola from Serbia at London Stadium in Group A. Their comeback was initiated by an own goal from Nemanja Petrovic in the 66th minute. Summer signing Mohammed Kudus headed home the second goal four minutes later, and substitute Tomas Soucek scored the third to seal the win.
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Brighton’s debut in European competition faced a setback as they suffered a 3-2 loss at home to AEK Athens in Group B. The Greek team secured the win thanks to a late goal from substitute Ezequiel Ponce.
In a challenging group clash, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a crucial goal in the 78th minute, salvaging a 3-3 draw for Marseille against Ajax, two former Champions League winners.
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Roma, last year’s runner-up in the Europa League, secured a 2-1 triumph over Sheriff in Tiraspol, with Romelu Lukaku scoring the winning goal in the second half. In Group G, Slavia Prague won 2-0 against Servette in Geneva.
Atalanta defeated Rakow Czestochowa 2-0 in Group D, thanks to second-half goals from Charles De Ketelaere and substitute Ederson. In Group C, Rangers defeated Real Betis 1-0.
Rennes had a strong start in Group F, winning 3-0 against Maccabi Haifa, with Ludovic Blas scoring the first goal of the competition in the second minute. In the same group, Panathinaikos defeated Villarreal, the 2021 Europa League champion, with a 2-0 scoreline.
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In Group H, Bayer Leverkusen showcased their dominance by defeating Swedish newcomer Hacken 4-0, with goals from Florian Wirtz, Aminde Adli, Victor Boniface, and substitute Jonas Hofmann.
Europa Conference League
In the Europa Conference League, Legia secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, spoiling the latter’s return to the group stage of a European competition for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Villa had to come from behind twice in the first half. Jhon Duran headed in an equaliser shortly after Pawel Wszolek put Legia ahead, and Ernest Muçi scored twice for Legia before Lucas Digne leveled it at 2-2.
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Zrinjski, a club from Bosnia, made a successful European debut with a 4-3 win over Alkmaar in the same group.
In Group F, last year’s runner-up Fiorentina started their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Genk in Belgium. Luca Ranieri, the defender, scored his first two goals for Fiorentina with two headed efforts.
KI Klaksvik, the first team from the Faroe Islands to reach the group stage in any European competition, suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Slovan Bratislava in Group A.
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Maccabi Tel-Aviv hosted and defeated Icelandic club Breidablik 3-2 in Group B.
In Group G, Eintracht Frankfurt opened their campaign after handing Aberdeen a 2-1 loss.
