Thursday Night Lights: 2017-18 Europa League

Titans Bastard

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The first qualifying round kicked off today.

Some random highlights:

  • 36 year old Andrei Arshavin scored a brace in Kairat's 6-0 win over Atlantas of Lithuania. This is his second year in the Kazakh league, apparently.
  • One former European champion played today: Red Star Belgrade beat Malta's Floriana 3-0.
  • Two former Cup Winners' Cup champions in the draw: Rangers and...Slovan Bratislava. Rangers beat a team from Luxembourg 1-0 at Ibrox. Slovan traveled for a not-so-fashionable away match in Armenia, where they beat Pyunik 4-1.
  • Meanwhile, St. Johnstone lost at home to another Lithuanian club, Trakai. Oh, Scotland.
  • One American was in action: Maccabi Tel Aviv's Aaron Schoenfeld came off the bench.
  • Biggest beatdown: Norway's Haugesund beat Coleraine of Northern Ireland 7-0.
 

Titans Bastard

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There were some surprises in the 3rd qualifying round, which wrapped up today. The Europa League is always more unpredictable because the talent spread isn't as wide as in the Champions League and the biggest clubs tend to not prioritize it too highly.

Anyway:
  • Croatia's Osijek knocked out PSV with 1-0 wins in both legs. Croatia is the lowest-ranked league that hasn't lost a club in Europe yet this season.
  • Videoton (Hungary) advanced over Bordeaux on away goals.
  • Freiburg fell to Domžale of Slovenia 2-1 on aggregate. That's good for England's chances of retaking the #2 ranking in the UEFA coefficients.
  • FC Sion of Switzerland somehow lost 4-1 on aggregate to a Lithuanian club.
  • Everton and Milan advanced without too much trouble.

Slovakia is the highest-ranked league to be entirely knocked out of Europe already.
 

Titans Bastard

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Today's surprise: Vardar (Macedonia) beat Fenerbahçe 2-0.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Köln supporters are taking over the Emirates


Reportedly many bought Arsenal memberships to get access to tickets in the home end, and wore Arsenal kits to get in. Certainly won't bother Kroenke one bit

And on cue, Cordoba scores a great goal with Ospina in no-man's land
 

Dummy Hoy

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One of the football shows I listen to (maybe it was Rafa Hoenigstein?) mentioned how Cologne have been quite open about the fact this game is the club's biggest in decades.
 

soxfan121

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Köln supporters are taking over the Emirates


Reportedly many bought Arsenal memberships to get access to tickets in the home end, and wore Arsenal kits to get in. Certainly won't bother Kroenke one bit

And on cue, Cordoba scores a great goal with Ospina in no-man's land
The match was delayed an hour as fans without tickets started wrecking shit outside before kickoff. That link has a ton of tweets and videos of the German Invasion of London.

Here's video of the Cordoba goal. Nice strike.

 

Luis Taint

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Walcott has 2 goals and Holding has 1 in 25 minutes.This match is really embrassing for Arsenal. It's like Kramer doing karate with little kids.
 

InstaFace

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how is Ashley Williams still on the pitch? Goalie goes up for a ball in the box, at the top of his jump Williams shoves him in the gut, knocking him 4 feet back and out of bounds - pretty cowardly move, frankly - and then in the ensuing scrum where Lyon's players understandably rush to their goalie's defense, he slaps (perhaps even punches) a number of other plays and drives the scrum into the stands.

Absolute mayhem by the standards of european football. Williams gets a yellow. Next time he jumps up for a ball he better watch out for a serious cheap shot in the gut, which he'd deserve.

edit: and two minutes later, Williams puts in the tying goal (on a beautiful free kick by Sigurdsson). Gonna be a hell of a protest by Lyon.
 

PedroSpecialK

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The draw is out and is quite favorable for Arsenal.

Napoli meanwhile draw Leipzig, and Lyon draw Villarreal.

 

Zososoxfan

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Dortmund currently getting absolutely bossed by RB Salzburg ATM. It's obviously because Pulisic isn't in the XI nor on the bench. What's that about? With Schurrle, Gotze, and Batsuayashi, it's pretty surprising to me that Dortmund can't do much.
 

Zososoxfan

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Arsenal cough one up as sphincters tighten all over North London.

Edit: and in the time it takes me to realize that and write it, they equalize. Sphincters relax all over North London.
 

Zososoxfan

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Appallingly bad decision but I can't help think it's but karma whenever an Italian club or NT is involved. Just saw the Milan goal - WOWZA!
 

wonderland

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Jul 20, 2005
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Dortmund currently getting absolutely bossed by RB Salzburg ATM. It's obviously because Pulisic isn't in the XI nor on the bench. What's that about? With Schurrle, Gotze, and Batsuayashi, it's pretty surprising to me that Dortmund can't do much.
Pulisic has been playing pretty poor of late. He even admitted it.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Terrible penalty decision.

Arsenal may advance but this match is classic Wengerball. Almost concede after 30 seconds and look vulnerable at every moment. It’s just not a well managed team.

Also what does it say that Welbeck is the penalty taker?
 

Zososoxfan

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Really impressed with Salzburg. They should have 2-3 goals this match. Did they lose a UCL qualifier, or do some countries qualify directly to EL?
 

Titans Bastard

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Really impressed with Salzburg. They should have 2-3 goals this match. Did they lose a UCL qualifier, or do some countries qualify directly to EL?
Some countries have direct qualifying slots for the EL group stage. Red Bull Salzburg got bounced in the CLQ third round by NK Rijeka of Croatia. Then they crushed Gheorghe Hagi's Viitorul Constanta in the final EL qualifying round.
 

Zososoxfan

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Some countries have direct qualifying slots for the EL group stage. Red Bull Salzburg got bounced in the CLQ third round by NK Rijeka of Croatia. Then they crushed Gheorghe Hagi's Viitorul Constanta in the final EL qualifying round.
So both, ha! Thanks for the info. How do people think the teams ousted from the UCL R16 compare to the EL teams in QF?

UCL: Porto, PSG, FC Basel, Spurs, Shakhtar, MAN U, Besiktas, Chelsea
EL: Atleti, Marseille, Lazio, Sporting, Leipzig, Arsenal, Salzburg, Moscow

I'd like put PSG Spurs, Man U, Chelsea, and Atleti in a tier above the rest. But I have no idea how the rest compare. My point being that a lot of these results (and big differences in prize money) likely have to do with the draw.
 

SoxFanInCali

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Do the round of 16 UCL ousters drop into the EL as well? I had thought it was just the group stage 3rd place finishers
No, the CL round of 16 losers are done in Europe this season. There are drops from the CL to EL during qualification rounds, and as you said, with the 3rd place teams in the CL group stages.
 

Zososoxfan

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Total howler from the Sporting defender (Mathieu?) to let Griezmann get Atleti's second. He's such a dynamic player. And Salzburg just put in a beauty against Lazio, FUCK YEAH!

This Sporting-Atleti match is like watching Barca vs. Real - Past and Future.
 

Zososoxfan

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Lazio take a bad turnover in the defensive third and convert to 4-2. That game is awesome, but I'm really enjoying the cagier RBL-Marseille match.