RSC Anderlecht secured their first UEFA Europa League Group F points after a dominant performance against AEK Athens FC.
Losses
to FC Zenit St. Petersburg and HNK Hajduk Split had made victory
imperative for Anderlecht and Mbark Boussoufa opened the scoring on 31
minutes before setting up Romelu Lukaku and Roland Juhász after the
break. The result draws Anderlecht level with AEK and Hajduk on three
points, six behind Zenit.
Anderlecht, keen to arrest a run of
three competitive losses, were facing a side whose new coach Manolo
Jiménez had debuted with a 4-0 win at Aris Thessaloniki FC four days
ago. AEK were on the defensive straight away and Sacha Kljestan tested
visiting goalkeeper Sebastián Saja on 19 minutes while a dangerous
Anderlecht cross was headed away by Anestis Argyriou, making his UEFA
club competition debut with Cristian Nasuti suspended.
There was a
blow for AEK when winger Nacho Scocco, scorer of two goals on Sunday,
pulled up with what looked a hamstring injury and left the pitch on a
stretcher. The Anderlecht pressure told when Kljestan's effort parried
by Sebastián Saja, and Boussoufa turned in the rebound.
The home
side continued to press after the break, Lukaku heading a Boussoufa
centre just over and on 67 minutes curling a shot narrowly wide. Lukaku
soon had his goal, entering the box and shooting in off the post after
Boussoufa had intercepted an AEK pass in midfield and sent the striker
clear.
Four minutes later centre-back Juhász made it three with a
spectacular back-heel volley from Boussoufa's free-kick. At the other
end Scocco's replacement, Nathan Burns, was denied by Silvio Proto and
Ismael Blanco put the rebound over. AEK will hope to turn the table in
the 4 November return.
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