(Reuters) – In Europa League action on Thursday, West Ham United defeated Olympiakos Piraeus 1-0 to maintain their hold on top spot in Group A, while Olympique de Marseille secured a 2-0 victory at AEK Athens to remain in first place in Group B.
After suffering a 2-1 defeat to Olympiakos away two weeks ago, West Ham’s win at the London Stadium leveled them with second-placed Freiburg at nine points, who also won 5-0 against bottom side Backa Topola. Olympiakos currently sits third with four points.
The lone goal of the match came in the 73rd minute when Lucas Paqueta scored with a left-foot volley following a precision James Ward-Prowse chip. Despite a VAR review for offside, Paqueta’s goal stood as his third in European competition this season.
West Ham fans held their breath late in the game as Olympiakos nearly equalized, with Mady Camara’s close-range header hitting the post when he had a clear opportunity to score.
In Athens, Marseille secured their second victory with goals from Chancel Mbemba and Ismaila Sarr. Mbemba’s header from a corner in the 25th minute put Marseille in the lead, while Sarr secured the win with a goal in stoppage time. Marseille now has eight points, one ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion, who won 2-0 at Ajax Amsterdam earlier in the day.
Liverpool suffered a surprise 3-2 loss to Toulouse in Group E, but still leads the standings with nine points, two ahead of Toulouse, despite being denied an equalizer in added time by VAR.
Elsewhere, Atalanta claimed a 1-0 victory against Sturm Graz, keeping them unbeaten in Group D with 10 points, three ahead of Sporting, who beat 10-man Rakow Czestochowa 2-1. A penalty in each half from Pedro Goncalves secured the win for Sporting, as Rakow Czestochowa played most of the match with 10 men following the early dismissal of Bogdan Racovitan.
In other matches, early goals from Rangers’ Danilo Pereira and Todd Cantwell secured a 2-1 win over Sparta Prague, while Real Betis defeated Aris Limassol 4-1. Betis lead Group C with nine points, while Rangers are second with seven.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios and Tommy Lund, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)
