West Ham fans are facing a trip down memory lane after being paired with Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League group stage.

The two sides met in the 1975-76 European Cup Winners’ Cup final when the Belgian side won 4-2 in Brussels.

The Hammers, Europa League semi-finalists last season, were also paired with Bucharest-based Romanian FCSB and Danish club Silkeborg in Group B.

FCSB was previously known as Steaua Bucharest, who were crowned European champions in 1986.

Pulling Silkeborg means an early return to Denmark for West Ham, who won 3-0 at Viborg on Thursday to complete a 6-1 aggregate play-off victory.

David Moyes hailed the West Ham draw saying: “I just saw it and it’s good. I can not wait to be there. There are good teams in there.

“We had a pretty tough draw with our group but we’re looking forward to it.”

Hearts seems to have a tough section in Group A.

Robbie Neilson’s side saw their Europa League ambitions dashed with a 3-1 play-off loss to Zurich on Thursday.

Hearts will now face Istanbul Basaksehir, Fiorentina and Latvian champions RFS.

Istanbul Basaksehir, who qualified for the group stage with a play-off victory over Antwerp, have former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil and Bertrand Traore on loan at Aston Villa in their ranks.

Fiorentina finished seventh in Serie A last season and beat Dutch side Twente 2-1 on aggregate to reach the group stage.

Shamrock Rovers have been paired with Gent, Molde and Djurgardens in Group F.

West Ham regained their goalscoring touch as they booked another European tour with a 3-0 win over Danish side Viborg.

The Hammers, without a point or a goal after three Premier League games, ran out comfortable 6-1 aggregate winners over the two legs of their qualifying play-off to reach the group stages of the Europa Conference League.

Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca, the £30million signing from Sassuolo, opened the scoring midway through the first half with his second goal in two European appearances.

Said Benrahma and Tomas Soucek also found the net after the break to seal an ultimately cozy evening in front of 1,000 rowdy traveling fans in Denmark.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg, last season’s Europa League semi-finalists knew an early goal would calm nerves and Soucek narrowly headed for a corner before Scamacca’s first low shot was saved .

The first goal came after 22 minutes when full-back Ben Johnson fed Soucek down the right wing and the Czech midfielder’s cross was deftly swept aside by Scamacca at the near post.

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Gianluca Scamacca scored West Ham’s first goal of the game

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Viborg almost equalized when former Leeds striker Jay-Roy Grot edged past Manuel Lanzini and fired narrowly wide.

Jakob Bonde, the goalscorer for Viborg in east London, then planted a free header directly at Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

And West Ham were living dangerously before half-time when Areola had to make a double save to prevent Grot and Justin Lonwijk.

But they doubled their lead six minutes into the second half when Benrahma raced the ball deep from Maxwel Cornet and scored home.

It was three o’clock just after the hour mark when Soucek took the rebound after Thilo Kehrer’s header was blocked.

Cornet should have opened his West Ham account moments later when he was tackled by Benrahma, but the Burnley summer signing somehow lifted the ball over an open goal.

Nonetheless, it was a satisfying night’s work for David Moyes’ side and their fans, who will know where their second straight European adventure takes them in Friday’s draw.

Hamrun’s splendid Euro run ended yesterday when they drew 3-3 with Partizan Belgrade in the second leg at Ta’ Qali to go out 7-3 on aggregate. The 1-4 defeat in Belgrade last week left little room for a possible comeback by Branko Nisevic’s side, but the Spartans still gave their all yesterday even taking the lead in the first half and then making an excellent return at the end of the match to win a prestigious draw.

The Spartans were the better team in the first half yesterday but Partizan got an immediate equalizer and it was all but the end of Hamrun’s residual hopes of qualifying for the group stages.

In the second half, Partizan took the right steps and Hamrun gradually lost his temper and Partizan took full advantage of that by scoring two goals in the last quarter of the game, but Hamrun didn’t throw in the towel and thanks at two late penalties, the Spartans got a more than deserved equaliser.

However, it was an incredible journey for the Spartans who should cherish this valuable experience and be given another chance next season. The Spartans will now focus on the home stage where next Monday they will face none other than the champions Hibernians in their league opener.

The form the Spartans have shown in these European clashes should make them strong favorites to win the title this season, but the Spartans will need to keep their feet on the ground, and that will be mainly Nisevic’s task.

Hamrun stormed through their opponents in the first half, trying to reverse Belgrade’s three-goal deficit. They had several good attempts and several near misses, but in the 27th minute Hamrun took a deserved lead when Prsa fired home while served by Guillaumier.

But the Spartans’ joy and hope of recovery was dashed seven minutes later when Gomes fired home from a corner, with the Spartans defense unable to clear the danger.

In the second half, the Spartans lost much of their attacking flair and Partizan took the lead in the 72nd minute when Urosevic dribbled his way inside the box to beat Bonello with a low drive. Seven minutes later, Partizan were on the velvet with the game’s best move with Andrade squared towards Gomes heading home.

But the Spartans were determined to bow out in style and they managed to do so much to the delight of the thousands of loyal Spartans supporters who once again filled the main stand at the National Stadium. In the 82nd minute, the first penalty for a handling foul, converted by Vinicius, and in injury time another penalty for the Spartans with Fedele making it 3-3 from the spot.

Hamrun S: Henry Bonello, Matthew Guillaumier (79′ Matteo Fedele), Luke Montebello (63′ Jonny), Elvis Mashike (73′ Igor Nedeljkovic), Ailton Jorge Soares ‘Dodo’, Roko Prsa, Rodrigo Callegari Torre, Mousa Balla Sowe, Ognjen Bjelicic, Emerson Marcelina, Ryan Camenzuli (79′ Vinicius Freitas).

Supporter: Aleksandar Popovic, Sinisa Sanicanin, Igor Vujacic, Svetozar Markovic, Patrick Andrade, Queensy Menig (69′ Kristian Belic), Ricardo Gomes, Ljubomir Fejsa, Marko Zivkovic, Foussein Diabate (74′ Bibras Natcho), Slobodan Urosevic (79′ Zlatan Sehovic) .

Referee: Jakob Kelhet (Denmark)

Photo: Domenic Aquilina

WOLVERHAMPTON: A stunner from Allan-Saint-Maximin saved a point for Newcastle United at Wolverhampton Wanderers to continue the Magpies’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

The Frenchman, the star of the show against Manchester City the previous week, was once again the Magpies’ talisman as he produced some late magic to bring home the equalizer on the fly with time running out.

Wolves opened the scoring early on when Ruben Neves produced a Goal of the Month contender to put Bruno Lage’s men ahead.

On the selection front, United suffered a major blow before the game when news of an injury to Bruno Guimaraes broke, along with the fact that club-record Alexander Isak did not receive a international authorization or time work permit.

As a result, Chris Wood started in the lead, with Sean Longstaff in the middle.

While United have a well-equipped backline, significantly strengthened over the past six months with the additions of Dan Burn, Nick Pope and Sven Botman, the only thing missing is pace, and it was clear the home side was looking to exploit gaps wide and over the top.

One of those direct balls exploited that weakness and a Wolves play in the area was cut over the bar by Pedro Neto.

United, playing for the first time in their Saudi-inspired green and white kit, dominated in terms of shots in the first 45, but few shots troubled goalkeeper Jose Sa.

The best of all Newcastle openings came to Joe Willock, although the preparation was not without controversy.

Sean Longstaff had his shirt pulled in the area as he tried to work an opening but nothing was given when the ball broke to Willock, who swung six yards wide as he appeared easier to score.

While United had more effort towards goal, it was Wolves who were easily the most dangerous, and Goncalo Guedes went inches from the opener.

Another, this time directed down the right flank, forced skipper Kieran Trippier into an error and a ball into the box was deflected by the Portuguese leader.

The opener went on 38 minutes – and not much could be done about that from Newcastle’s perspective. The home side worked the ball wide to the right and then kicked in a strike for Neves, who crashed 20 yards out. It was hard to tell he hadn’t come.

United produced their best work on the break in the first 45, with Wolves on the front foot – but for much of the second half the tables turned, with Magpies the hunters and Wolves chasing them.

Although, as United advanced, they struggled to really create any notable chances. Centre-back Fabian Schar threatened a leveler but his deflected effort slipped inches from Sa’s post.

Knocking on the door with determination, United made all five substitutions in search of a second-half equaliser.

They had a caution about eight minutes from time as Raul Jimenez saw a goal scored for a foul in the build-up. VAR, as it did last week, had a big final say on the matchday’s final points destination.

It was a world-class moment – ​​and a defensive mistake by Wolves – that opened the door for the Magpies.

Substitute Jacob Murphy broke down on the right and when a poorly cleared ball fell around 20 yards from goal, no one expected what was to come.

Saint-Maximin, shifted in the lead for the final stages, stabilized and flew on the volley, which nestled in the bottom corner of the Wolves goal. His was just a spectator.

It was no less than what the Magpies deserved, with neither side doing enough to earn a thrilling encounter at Molineux.

And United could have won it, although it might have been an unfair result, as youngster Elliot Anderson hit the bar with a header from a corner.

The result, for now at least, sees United climb to eighth in the table and, as previously mentioned, continue their unbeaten start to the campaign, which now stretches to five matches, including four in the Premier League.

How many teams are there in the Conference League?

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In which jar are the hearts?

Aug. 25, 2022 – Hajduk dropped out of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2-6 on aggregate against Villarreal. The Split club lost 0-2 to Poljud on Thursday night.

Hajduk and Villarreal met in the second leg of the Conference League play-offs at a sold-out Poljud Stadium on Thursday. In the first match, Villarreal won 4-2 at Valencia, meaning Hajduk needed to score three goals to stand a chance.

Villarreal are one of the best teams in Europe and were definitely the favorites to go forward. The Spanish club were Champions League semi-finalists last year and Europa League champions the season before, knocking out Dinamo Zagreb en route to the title.

Hajduk had faced Spanish clubs five times so far in European competitions but failed to top them.

“It will be a tough test because Villarreal like to control the game and have possession of the ball. We have to be patient and focused for the 90 minutes and pay attention to the small details,” Hajduk coach Valdas Dambrauskas said before the match.

“In this beautiful stadium, we expect a good atmosphere in which we will try to manage the match,” said Villarreal coach Unai Emery.

Compositions

HAJDUK: Kalinić – Mikanović, Awaziem, Elez, Melnjak – Grgić, Fossati – Sahiti, Krovinović, Biuk – Livaja

VILLARREAL: Reina – Kiko, Mandi, Cuenca, Pedraza – Chukwueze, Parejo, Coquelin, Baena – Lo Celso, Nicolas

Match report

Villarreal had their first attack in the 2nd minute, which came out for a goal kick. Melnjak played a hospital ball to a Villarreal player at the top of the box. Kalinic luckily saved the shot, but Hajduk fouled on the next game. A Villarreal free-kick found Baena’s header, which went over the post.

The first five minutes were fragile for Hajduk, who played nervously.

A quick counter from Awaziem found Sahiti on the right and came out for Hajduk’s first corner. The ball was played through the Villarreal defense and returned by Sahiti, who found Livaja’s header. Marko just missed the post.

Another attack for Hajduk came in the 10th minute and Fossati managed to get a shot which was blocked.

Another shaky instance in Hajduk’s defense came a minute later and was thankfully cleared by Melnjak.

Another brilliant attack from Hajduk in the 14th minute saw Livaja get a shot which was deflected for a corner. Krovinovic found Livaja, whose one-touch shot went over the goal.

Sahiti dribbled through the Villarreal defense on the next game and shot at the keeper. Livaja tried to lob the keeper from the halfway line in the 16th minute. And he hit another rocket that went just wide of the far post on the next play.

Mikanovic received a yellow card in the 19th minute.

Villarreal attempted a quick counter in the 22nd minute but fired straight at Kalinic. Hajduk replied and Biuk got a shot which was deflected towards Reina.

Hajduk was hungry and had another corner in the 25th minute, followed by another afterwards.

Villarreal started to possess the ball and tried to move into the box. Nicolas’ sophisticated footwork couldn’t outrun Hajduk’s defense.

A free kick from Hajduk in the 30th minute was played short to Biuk on the left. The young midfielder cut in the middle and went down for a foul, but the referee said to continue. Hajduk’s next attack was ruled offside.

A dangerous free kick for Villarreal in the 34th minute was taken past the corner spot. Luckily, the ball went straight to Kalinic.

But minutes later, Pedraza had his chance, playing around Hajduk’s defense with no one in the block. He fired wide into Kalinic’s goal for 0:1 Villarreal. Hajduk’s hope had dwindled.

A free kick from Livaja in the 41st minute was fired from around 30 yards out and went just wide of the post. The first half ended 0:1 for Villarreal.

Villarreal made a substitution to start the second half – Capoue continued for Coquelin. Hajduk made no changes.

A dangerous chance for Villarreal came in the 47th minute, which was blocked by the Hajduk defence. A remarkable save from Kalinic in the 51st minute prevented Villarreal from going ahead by two goals.

Another Villarreal attack in the next minute came out for a corner. Hajduk managed to clear all dangerous plays and tried to calmly move the ball into Villarreal’s half but couldn’t get a shot.

On the next attack, Chukwueze’s shot slipped past Kalinic and into the goal for 0-2 Villarreal. Hajduk would now need 4 goals to bring the game into overtime.

Villarreal made substitutions in the 58th minute – Moreno replaced Jackson and Morales for Lo Celso.

Hajduk made his first substitutions in the 59th minute – Lovrencsics replaced Mikanovic and Mlakar for Sahiti.

Fossati was replaced by Vukovic in the 65th minute.

Mlakar had a great chance to score a minute later but narrowly missed the far post.

Krovinovic was fouled in the corner of the penalty area in the 71st minute. The same player took the free kick, which went out for a goal kick.

Hajduk netted a free kick and a corner in the 75th minute with no possibility of a goal.

Pau Torres replaced Pedraza and Foyth for Kiko in the 79th minute. Colina replaced Melnjak and Simic for Elez in the same minute.

There were no dangerous chances for either team in the final 10 minutes. The referee added 3 minutes of stoppage time, during which no one scored.

Hajduk therefore dropped out of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Post-match comments

Villarreal coach Unai Emery

“We played against a team that is good today but also has a rich past. The atmosphere created by the fans was special and we enjoyed it. I’m sorry that a team like Hajduk is excluded from the European competition. With that kind of atmosphere and fans, it deserves to be in the European competition. I must repeat that in the first game we made several mistakes, and now we managed to improve some things that we had made in the first game at a lower level. This is Europe, we have to be focused and happy with this kind of game.”

Valdas Dambrauskas, Hajduk coach

“I can’t fault the players. We were ready and better than in the first game. The class difference between us and Villarreal is too big, especially in two games. We look to Osijek, who for us is like the final, won’t be easy, but we have to concentrate. We showed a level that we can be proud of, but we have to improve,” said Dambrauskas.

“A big thank you to the fans for their support during and after the game. It’s a big responsibility. I’m not afraid to say it, and I know it sounds like a cliché, but we really have the best supporters in this game. “Europe. We really do. Someone compares us to Napoli and Marseille, but we’re not even the first in Croatia, we don’t play in the European League or the Conference League, and we have such support. The players and we are very proud to have this kind of support.”

To follow sports news in Croatia, follow the dedicated page of TCN.

Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Thursday August 25 To start up: 7:45 p.m. GMT
Cover: Watch on BBC Two Northern Ireland & iPlayer, live text commentary, match report and reaction on BBC Sport website

Linfield are just 90 minutes from history and land a life-changing bargain – yet, according to captain Jamie Mulgrew, they have nothing to fear.

Linfield put in a superb performance to take a two-goal first-leg lead against Rigas Futbola Skola, but the Latvians managed two late efforts to bring the Irish League champions back to Belfast.

“It’s probably the biggest game in club history,” Mulgrew said ahead of Thursday’s game, which will be shown live on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer.

“It is what it is, I don’t think we are nervous or anxious. It is something that we have to look forward to and face the challenge head on.

“We, certainly me, might not have an opportunity like this again, so what to be afraid of?”

Despite being the biggest game for any club in the Irish Premiership, Mulgrew says his only target is Linfield and he “don’t really care about the rest of the league”.

“I care about Linfield, I care about what’s going on here,” he said.

“The league won’t care about Linfield. I don’t mean that in a cheeky way – it’s a fact and that’s how it is.

“It would be fantastic for everyone linked to the football club, it would be an incredible achievement for all of us and we can’t wait to achieve it.

“I just hope we can put in a performance that will guarantee us going through.”

It would be amazing

Mulgrew, who came on as a second-half substitute in Riga, said Linfield’s performance in the first 85 minutes of the first leg was “perfect” but the hosts’ two late goals provided further motivation.

Stephen Fallon and Joel Cooper were on target for the Blues before RFS replied through Kevin Friesenbichler and Ziga Lipuscek, who equalized in the 96th minute.

“What should add fuel to the fire are the two goals we conceded last week and their delay,” said the skipper.

“It was a little sickening and a little dampening of the performance because for 85 minutes, maybe even more, the boys were perfect and going for it.

“The wake-up call for us is obviously the two goals and that’s maybe the little tighter for us, that concentration levels have to be perfect the whole game.”

With the £2.45m prize money that would come with qualifying for the group stages, Mulgrew said qualification would go a long way to securing the Irish League’s most successful club a bright future.

“At my age, at 36, to get to the Conference group stage playing for Linfield – I’ve been here so long, I came to see Linfield as a kid – so that would be amazing.

“That would be something for the club to hopefully move forward. I’m sure they have a four or five year plan to take the club forward. With the financial gains that come with the group stage of the Conference, I hope they would be able to achieve this.

“Hopefully we can play a part in that to move the club forward and you can only do that with the finances that come with the Conference group stages.”

European nights in Windsor Park are ‘different’

When thoughts turn to big European nights at Windsor Park, it’s hard to look past Shayne Lavery’s inspired win over big hitters Qarabag in 2019.

Those famous scenes were echoed when Kirk Millar scored a superb goal against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League qualifiers this summer, and although Linfield lost the second leg against the Norwegians, Mulgrew says the home support will be vital for the Blues to progress.

“For us to have the second leg at home was a big plus for us, especially as we are still in the game,” he added.

“That’s all you want in European football and it’s up to us to take advantage of it.

“It’s always been the aim and the goal, to still have something to fight for. We have a very good record at home and it’s up to us to maintain that record at home.

“We had some great nights at Windsor Park with Linfield. European nights are different here and if it’s busy they can create a really good hostile atmosphere.

“Hopefully that’s what happens and we can give them something to shout about.”