Chelsea secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Copenhagen in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League last-16 tie on Thursday, with second-half goals from Reece James and Enzo Fernandez giving them the advantage.
Following a sluggish first half, Chelsea captain James opened the scoring just after the restart, slotting in a low effort from Marc Cucurella’s cut-back.
Copenhagen nearly responded immediately, but Viktor Claesson’s shot struck the post and rebounded into goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s arms.
Enzo Fernandez extended Chelsea’s lead in the 65th minute with a powerful finish after good work from teenager Tyrique George.
However, the hosts pulled one back 11 minutes from time when Gabriel Pereira capitalised on poor marking to head in from a set-piece, keeping the Danish side in the contest ahead of the second leg.
Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up Fiorentina suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Panathinaikos in Greece.
The hosts surged into a 2-0 lead within 19 minutes through Karol Swiderski and Nemanja Maksimovic.
However, Fiorentina struck back in rapid succession, with Lucas Beltran and Nicolo Fagioli levelling the score within four minutes.
Tete restored Panathinaikos’ lead in the 55th minute, ensuring they head into the return leg with an advantage.
Norwegian side Molde also secured a 3-2 victory over Legia Warsaw, racing into a 3-0 first-half lead through goals from Eirik Hestad, Kristian Eriksen, and Fredrik Gulbrandsen.
However, Legia mounted a spirited comeback with two quick-fire second-half strikes from Kacper Chodyna and Luquinhas to keep their hopes alive.
Meanwhile, La Liga’s Real Betis were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraes.
Cedric Bakambu opened the scoring for Betis early in the second half, but Joao Saraiva quickly equalised.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Isco restored the Spanish side’s lead with 15 minutes to play, only for Nelson Oliveira to snatch a late equaliser for the visitors.
Later in the evening, Austria’s Rapid Vienna face Bosnian outfit Borac Banja Luka, while Swiss side Lugano travel to Slovenian club Celje.
