Last Thursday saw league champions Celtic host Austrian side SK Sturm Graz, whilst Aberdeen travelled to the Greek capital for a tough game against AEK Athens and Danny Röhl began his tenure as Rangers boss against Brann of Norway.
With zero wins in European group stage competition for all three sides this season, they would be hoping for better performances and results this week.
Celtic fight back to win against 10 men Sturm Graz
Celtic earned their first win of the UEFA Europa League campaign with a deserved 2-1 victory over Sturm Gratz.
After fan unrest and poor domestic performances in recent weeks, Celtic knew they faced another tough test.
Similarly to recent games it was the opposition that started stronger, and took the lead in the 13th minute through an unstoppable 30 yard strike from Tomi Horvart.
Things went from bad to worse for the Parkhead side as both Kelechi Iheanacho and Alistair Johnston were forced off with injury.
Brendan Rodgers men fought back well however and – after seeing numerous attempts stifled – managed to find their way back into the game when youngster Colby Donnovan picked out Liam Scales to slot home for an equaliser.
The Hoops quickly scored again, this time when Benjamin Nygren headed home from an Arne Engles corner, giving the home side the lead they deserved.
Celtic seen out the rest of the second half to win in what was ultimately a close contest, giving them four points after three games in the UEFA Europa League’s league phase.
Rangers’ Disappointing Start Under Röhl
Rangers’ new head coach, Danny Röhl, faced a tough initiation with a 3-0 defeat to Brann in Bergen.
The visitors started with intensity and a clear plan but after a Youssef Chermiti miss the game began to open up, with Jack Butland called into action on several occasions.
The home sides efforts eventually paid off, when a blocked Bard Finne strike fell for Emil Kornvig to fire home into an empty net just before the break.
It didn’t take long after the restart for the hosts to double their lead, with Jacob Sørensen glancing home a free kick after being left unmarked in the Rangers box.
Rangers failed to produce any real sort of attacking threat and as the game progressed Brann became more and more comfortable, eventually sealing all three points when Noah Holm drove the ball into the Rangers net in the 79th minute.
Despite the change in leadership, Rangers remain winless in their opening three Europa League matches, placing them at the bottom of their group table.
Aberdeen Embarrassed Away From Home
Aberdeen travelled 2,500 miles to the Greek capital, where they endured their heaviest European defeat, a 6-0 loss to AEK Athens in the UEFA Conference League.
The Dons came into this fixture with a quiet confidence after improved results recently and even started this match brightly, however this was very quickly washed away when Aboubakary Koita netted in the 11th and 18th minute to give the hosts a strong lead.
It continued to go downhill for Aberdeen when they gave the ball away on the edge of their own box and Niclas Eliasson’s strike was turned into the Aberdeen net by Nicky Devlin.
The second half didn’t bring any changes to the flow of the game, and AEK soon had their fourth and fifth of the night through and acrobatic Razvan Marin finish and a strike from former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic.
The hosts got their final goal in the 87th minute when Derek Kutesa converted past Dimitar Mitov and despite a couple of late attempts at a consolation goal from Jimmy Thelin’s men, it would finish 6-0.
The match – marred by clashes between riot police and fans in the stands – means that Aberdeen now sit bottom of the UEFA Europa Conference League, with Jimmy Thelin needing his side to respond quickly as their hopes of European progression hang by a thread.
Featured Image Credit: Thomas Nugent via Wikimedia
2nd year journalism and sport student at the University of Stirling, with a particular interest in music and sports. Sport editor for Brig Newspaper.
