Edin Dzeko destroys Plzen as Roma cruise to victory, Lyon come from two down to salvage draw
ByReuters
Updated 02/10/2018 at 21:30 GMT
AS Roma's Edin Dzeko was again the tormentor for Viktoria Plzen as he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 Champions League Group G win for the Italian side on Tuesday.
AS Rome's Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko acknowledges the public after scoring his third goal during the UEFA Champions League group G football match between AS Roma and FC Viktoria Plzen on October 2, 2018 at the Olympic stadium in Rome.
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The Bosnia striker also put three past the Czech champions in the Europa League group stages two years ago, having previously found the net against them twice while he was a Manchester City player.
Dzeko put Plzen to the sword again at a boisterous Stadio Olimpico, scoring his first within three minutes as he sprang the offside trap and found the corner with an angled finish.
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AS Rome's Italian midfielder Alessandro Florenzi (C) shakes hand with AS Rome's Brazilian defender Juan Jesus at the end of the UEFA Champions League group G football match between AS Roma and FC Viktoria Plzen on October 2, 2018 at the Olympic stadium in
Image credit: Getty Images
The home side were playing with confidence after beating rivals Lazio 3-1 in the Rome Derby on Saturday and doubled their lead five minutes before halftime when Dzeko took a cross down on his chest and powered a half-volley beyond the goalkeeper.
The visitors rarely threatened to get back in the game and the result was put beyond doubt in the 64th minute when Cengiz Under was sent through on goal and placed a finish beyond goalkeeper Matus Kozacik.
Plzen’s misery did not end there, however, as Kozacik parried straight into the path of Justin Kluivert, who tapped in to score his first Roma goal.
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AS Rome's Dutch forward Justin Kluivert celebrates scoring during the UEFA Champions League group G football match between AS Roma and FC Viktoria Plzen on October 2, 2018 at the Olympic stadium in Rome
Image credit: Getty Images
Dzeko then completed his hat-trick with the final act of the game, heading in his side’s fifth from a corner.
Roma moved up to second place in Group G, one point behind leaders CSKA Moscow and level on three points with Real Madrid.
The result continued a wretched run of away form for Plzen, who have just one victory in their last 16 European away games, and sends them to the bottom of the group with one point.
Olympique Lyonnais produced a stirring fightback to claw back two superb goals from Shakhtar Donetsk's Junior Moraes and rescue a 2-2 draw behind closed doors in a thrilling end-to-end contest at their Groupama Stadium on Tuesday.
Lyon, serving a one-game crowd ban for trouble caused by their fans during their Europa League tie against CSKA Moscow in March, looked set to pay the price as their early performance fell as flat as the atmosphere in the eerily-silent 59,000-seat arena.
Looking nothing like the inspired, organised outfit that had defeated Manchester City sensationally 2-1 in England in their opening Group F match, Lyon were outplayed in the first half and deservedly fell behind just before the break to a superb left-foot strike from Moraes.
The Brazilian then doubled the lead with an even better second 10 minutes after halftime, curling his slide rule, side-footed effort into the corner from a narrow angle.
Suddenly if belatedly, Lyon roused themselves, with Moussa Dembele finally heading one back in the 70th minute after having already missed two fine chances and Leo Dubois striking his first goal for the club just a couple of minutes later.
Both sides hunted for the winner with abandon in the last quarter with, first the Ukrainians looking as if they might collapse under the fightback but then almost stealing victory with a late flourish when a shot from substitute Olarenwaju Kayode struck the bar.
Benfica played the entire second half with 10 men and squandered a two-goal lead before claiming a thrilling 3-2 win away to AEK Athens in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Substitute Alfa Semedo snatched the winner in the 74th minute, almost immediately after the Greeks had missed a golden opportunity to go 3-2 ahead themselves.
The win ended Benfica's run of eight successive defeats in the Champions League proper, including all their group games last season.
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