Skip to main content

UEFA Europa League Review: Southampton stroll as Sampdoria are humiliated

Premier League sides Southampton and West Ham experienced mixed fortunes in the opening week of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

Southampton made a convincing stride towards the group stage with a convincing 3-0 win over Vitesse - Graziano Pelle and substitute Shane Long netting either side of a Dusan Tadic penalty.

Playing in the tournament after city rivals Genoa withdrew their UEFA license appeal regarding the shared Stadio Luigi Ferraris not being up to code, Sampdoria fell behind in their 'home' leg at Turin's Stadio Olimpico when Mirko Ivanic crashed home a fourth-minute drive.

Aleksandar Stanisavljevic struck early in the second half and Sampdoria's misery was complete when Ognjen Ozegovic rounded off a brace in stoppage time.

Borussia Dortmund won their first match under Thomas Tuchel thanks to Jonas Hofmann's 14th minute strike at Wolfsberger, although their Austrian opponents pressed hard to overturn a 1-0 deficit during the second period.

Midfielder Ondrej Duda fell to the turf while celebrating the away side's second goal, having been apparently struck by an object thrown from the crowd. Around 20 minutes after the incident, UEFA's match delegate called the game off.

Rubin Kazan completed a thrilling 3-2 win at Sturm Graz, with Igor Portnyagin scoring a 61st-minute winner after the Austrian side twice came from behind.

There were 2-0 wins at home for FK Krasnodar over Slovan Bratislava, MSK Zilina against Vorskla Poltava and Hajduk Split versus Stromsgodset. 

The games between Thun and Vaduz and Brondby and Omonia Nicosia finished goalless, while Apollon Limassol and FK Qabala drew 1-1 ahead of next week's second legs.