Europa Conference League games of the 2023/24 group stage ...
It has been another thrilling UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, and there have been intriguing encounters throughout. UEFA.com has selected six of our favourite matches so far, but which do you think was the pick of the bunch?
Zrinjski 4-3 AZ Alkmaar (Matchday 1)Highlights: Zrinjski 4-3 AZ Alkmaar
The miracle of Mostar. The Bosnian group stage debutants trailed 3-0 at the break against last season's semi-finalists but the half-time introduction of Zvonimir Kožulj turned the game on its head. Within three minutes the midfielder had pulled one back, and two goals in four minutes midway through the second half from Josip Čorluka and Aldin Hrvanović levelled the scores. Back to Kožulj, who was in the right place at the right time with nine minutes left to spark home pandemonium.
Must-see moment: The opportunistic free-kick that lit the fuse of the comeback. Kožulj saw Mat Ryan slightly out of position covering the obvious cross and instead fired a shot just inside the near post.
Highlights: Beşiktaş 2-3 Lugano
"I told my players before the match, 'Wait for the last 30 minutes'," said Lugano coach Mattia Croci Torti. He may not have imagined his side trailing 2-0 by then, courtesy of Vincent Aboubakar's double, but his words proved prescient. A red card for Valentin Rosier just after the hour provided the catalyst; Croci Torti immediately threw caution to the wind with a triple change. It was still 2-0 heading into the last ten minutes but there his substitutes sparked a stunning comeback. "I wanted to be the magician of Istanbul," said the 32-year-old, "and I got the result."
Must-see moment: Hope was fading for Lugano when Ignacio Aliseda latched on to a loose ball with a thumping drive that somehow found a way through the crowded penalty box to make it 2-1.
Highlights: KÍ Klaksvík 3-0 Olimpija Ljubljana
"We're writing history, but we're not done writing yet," KÍ coach Magne Hoseth announced after his side ensured they would become the first Faroe Islands club to contest a UEFA competition group stage. Right he was. On Matchday 3 the Norwegian guided the part-timers to a first win, and in some style. Goals came in a 25-minute spell either side of half-time courtesy of electrician René Joensen, Páll Klettskard plus skipper and student (of marine engineering) Jákup Andreasen.
Must-see moment: The match was very much in the balance on the half-hour when Árni Frederiksberg unlocked the Olimpija defence with a sublime deep cross for Joensen's opener.
Highlights: Breidablik 2-3 Gent
Gift Orban scored a perfect hat-trick as Gent edged a topsy-turvy encounter with Breidablik. The Nigerian forward headed his side into an early lead before Breidablik's Jason Dadi Svanthorsson scored twice in three minutes to turn the match on its head. Orban was his team's saviour in the second half, though, confidently converting a penalty and then going on to score the winner with a cool left-footed finish inside the near post.
Must-see moment: Svanthorsson's quick-fire double gave Breidablik hope of a first ever European group stage win, but it wasn't to be.
Highlights: Nordsjælland 6-1 Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe had lost just two of their 22 matches all season prior to this game, but the Turkish side were stunned by a rampant Nordsjælland. Danish winger Benjamin Nygren stole the show, scoring a superb second-half hat-trick, while Lucas Hey, Daniel Svensson and Christian Rasmussen were also on the scoresheet, Michy Batshuayi providing Fenerbahçe's sole reply. "We are proud and humbled that we could make that performance in one of probably the biggest matches to be played in Farum," said Nordsjælland coach Johannes Hoff Thorup. "It's for nights like this that we work so hard."
Must-see moment: Nygren's second goal in which he picked the ball up from deep and dribbled past two Fenerbahçe defenders before wrong-footing the goalkeeper with a composed finish.
Highlights: Fenerbahçe 4-0 Spartak Trnava
The goals were flowing in Istanbul as Fenerbahçe snatched first place in Group H in style. Despite dominating from the first whistle, it took 36 minutes for Ferdi Kadıoğlu to finally break Spartak Trnava's resolve. Edin Džeko looked hungry from the offset, and shortly after half-time, he was brought down in the penalty area to win a penalty from which Fenerbahçe doubled their lead. The Bosnia and Herzegovina striker confirmed the Turkish side's last-16 spot by poking in a third from close range, before arriving in space to casually steer in their crowning fourth two minutes later.
Must-see moment: Džeko's perfectly-timed run to guide in Fenerbahçe's final goal.
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