Europa League Results: Analysis for Spurs-Sheriff and All the Night's Matches
Eight teams qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday, as Matchday 4 was successfully completed.
Among the Premier League sides, there were mixed fortunes—Tottenham enjoyed a record-breaking performance from Jermain Defoe, while Wigan lost against Rubin Kazan and Swansea experienced late heartbreak once again at the hands of Kuban Krasnodar.
So click on for all the details from Thursday's actions.
(All statistics via WhoScored?, GIFs as watermarked)
Tottenham 2-1 Sheriff Tiraspol: Defoe Breaks Record as Lamela Shows His Quality
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An impressive Erik Lamela scored one and created the other as Tottenham beat Sheriff Tiraspol 2-1 on Thursday, as Jermain Defoe became the club's all-time leading scorer in European competition.
Defoe, needing one to break Martin Chivers' long-standing record, duly converted from the penalty spot after Lamela had been brought down—doubling the home side's advantage after Lamela had broken the deadlock early in the second half with a snap-shot finish that beat the goalkeeper at the near post:
"Huge congrats to @IAmJermainDefoe! #THFC pic.twitter.com/otGh708TES
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 7, 2013"
Sheriff halved the deficit with nearly 20 minutes remaining thanks to Ismail Isa, setting up a mildly tense closing phase. But Spurs always seemed relatively comfortable to the finish, as they secured their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Afterwards, Defoe told ITV:
"It was a frustrating night as they camped in and gave us no space in behind. I had to stay patient and I am delighted to score the goal and take the European scoring record. What an opportunity to do it, I was confident with the penalty.
I saw Martin Chivers at half-time, he said to me to keep going and I would get the record. He's a legend.
Erik Lamela was fantastic tonight. He is strong, good on the ball and it is difficult when you come into a club at a young age. But he made things happen for us, I'm delighted for him.
"
Shots: 19-7
On target: 6-3
Pass completion: 89%-65%
Possession: 76%-24%
Kuban Krasnador 1-1 Swansea: Lightning Strikes Twice as Balde Grabs Late Draw
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Swansea were again denied victory against Kuban Krasnodar in the closing seconds of the contest, as Ibrahima Balde notched in the second minute of injury time to snatch a draw for the hosts.
Swansea had led for much of the contest, thanks to Wilfried Bony's early finish, but could not hold on as Balde produced a great finish to snatch a draw.
Kuban even had a man sent off midway through the second half, making their comeback all the more impressive.
Speaking afterwards to ITV, Swansea manager Michael Laudrup would not criticise his side:
"I think the squad had a great reaction in the first half and played really good football. We went in front and had a couple of chances more. Even at the end we kept the ball well, even though we conceded a late goal.
I understand the boys are disappointed, but I said to them that if we keep on going like this we will have no problems.
I feel sorry for the players that they did not win this game, because I believe they deserved it.
"
A win could have seen Swansea secure their spot in the knockout stages of the competition, but having been held to a draw, they still have some work to do.
Shots: 15-10
On target: 6-4
Pass completion: 80%-88%
Possession: 38%-62%
St Gallen 2-3 Valencia: Canales Secures Qualification with Late Strike
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Sergio Canales scored two minutes from time to confirm Valencia's place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Canales found the net after Pablo Piatti had scored twice, sealing a 3-2 win that means their opponents St. Gallen—six points behind the Spaniards in Group A—cannot possibly overhaul the team that has now beaten them twice.
Piatti gave Valencia the lead in the first half, creating the prospect of a repeat of the 5-1 win that occurred when the two sides met in the reverse fixture. But Stephane Besle soon equalised and after Jonas missed a penalty, Goran Karanovic gave the Swiss side a surprise lead.
"Sergio Canales struck 4 minutes from time as @valenciacf broke St Gallen hearts in Switzerland http://t.co/e94vC2zzrt pic.twitter.com/zIeqchb7O2
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 7, 2013"
St. Gallen were down to 10 men after Philippe Montadon had been sent off in the penalty incident and that seemed eventually to prove their downfall—as Piatti and Canales found the net in a strong finish for the Spanish side.
Shots: 6-22
On target: 3-7
Pass completion: 64%-87%
Possession: 26%-74%
Pandurii 1-2 Fiorentina: Romanian Side Overcome at the Death
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Romanian side Pandurii were agonisingly unable to hold on to grab a memorable victory over Fiorentina, as Borja Valero scored late on to complete a last-gasp turnaround.
Eric Pereira gave the hosts the lead after 32 minutes, finding the net with a spectacular scissor kick. But Ryder Matos and Valero both found the net in the final five minutes as La Viola turned it around.
Shots: 13-26
On target: 4-8
Pass completion: 79%-89%
Possession: 42%-68%
Lazio 2-1 Apollon: Floccari the Difference for Italians
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Two early goals from Sergio Floccari were enough as Lazio held on to a 2-1 win over Apollon Limassol on Thursday evening.
Fotis Papoulis scored three minutes after Floccari's 36th-minute second to keep the visitors in the contest, but they were unable to get a second goal over the remaining 50 minutes as the Rome club held on for the three points.
Lazio now sit second in Group J, four points ahead of Apollon but two adrift of Trabzonspor.
Shots: 19-8
On target: 4-2
Pass completion: 81%-79%
Possession: 48%-52%
Other Results: Wins for Betis and Anzhi, a Draw for Sevilla
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"Spurs qualify for KO phase #EuropaLeague: A: Valencia B: Ludogorets C: Salzburg, Esbjerg D: Rubin Kazan E: Fiorentina, Dnipro K: Tottenham
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) November 7, 2013"
Esbjerg 1-0 Elfsborg
Dnipro 2-0 Pacos Ferreira
Maribor 0-1 Zulte Waregem
Standard Liege 1-3 Salzburg
Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
PSV 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
APOEL 2-1 Bordeaux
Ludogorets 1-1 Chornomorets
Tromso 0-1 Anzhi
Guimaraes 0-1 Betis
Rijeka 1-1 Lyon
AZ 1-0 Shakhter Karagandy
Thun 0-2 Dynamo Kiev
Sevilla 1-1 Slovan Liberec
Estoril 0-0 Freiburg
Legia 0-2 Trabzonspor
Rapid Wien 2-2 Genk
M. Haifa 0-0 PAOK
For the current standings in all the groups, check UEFA's official website here.
