Europa League round-up: CR7 off the mark, Feyenoord smash six

We had plenty of drama unfolding in the second round of the Europa League and we’ve picked out some of the interesting talking points from the action.

CR7 off the mark 

It still doesn’t quite feel right to see Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the Europa League but here we are. 

Ronaldo had gone through his first seven games of the season without scoring, but it was only a matter of time before he got off the mark. 

The Portuguese led the line for United against Sheriff Tiraspol and scored from the penalty spot. 

In total, Man United accumulated an xG of 1.66 as goals from Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho wrapped up the 2-0 victory. 

Sancho had a successful evening playing on the left-hand side as he completed two successful dribbles and completed 36 accurate passes. 

Man United now sit second in their group on three points after two gameweeks. 

Feyenoord smash six 

Feyenoord were in the mood for goals against SK Sturm Graz as they swept them aside 6-0. 

The Dutch side were incredibly clinical as they scored six goals from an xG of just 1.44. 

In the Eredivisie this season Arne Slot’s side have averaged 2.83 goals per game and they currently rank as the third top scorers in the league. 

Against Sturm Graz both Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Oussama Idrissi put in starring performances. 

Jahanbakhsh scored a brace and won three ground duels playing on the right-hand side. 

Idrissi produced a total of five key passes and scored as well as assisting a goal in the 6-0 hammering. 

Feyenoord have gone top of Group F on goal difference, with each side having three points after two gameweeks. 

FC Midtjylland shock Lazio 

FC Midtjylland were able to supply one of the shocks of the round as they smashed Lazio 5-1. 

Lazio had started their Europa League campaign well by beating Feyenoord, but they came unstuck against Midtjylland on Thursday evening. 

Evander put in a starring performance for the Danish side as he scored one goal and assisted another two. 

The Brazilian midfielder completed three key passes, three accurate crosses, four long balls and won six ground duels. 

Midtjylland have had an inconsistent start to their league campaign as they have only won two of their opening nine matches and currently sit eighth in the table. 

The defeat was Lazio’s largest loss in the Europa League and it did come as a surprise as they put out a strong squad. 

Next up for Maurizio Sarri’s side is a game against Cremonese in Serie A. 

Roma get their first win 

Roma got their first win of the season in Europe in midweek with a 3-0 victory over HJK. 

HJK went down to 10 men after just 14 minutes and from there on this game was an uphill battle. 

Lorenzo Pellegrini had a game to remember as he assisted Paulo Dybala’s opening goal before scoring the second goal of the game himself. 

The Italian also completed two key passes and made three accurate crosses in the 69 minutes he was on the pitch. 

Jose Mourinho seems to be getting a tune out of Nemanja Matic too as the midfielder was heavily involved in everything Roma were doing. 

The Serbian midfielder took a total of 118 touches and completed 99 passes, with a success rate of 96.1%. 

Matic made six key passes throughout the evening and won five ground duels. 

Overall, Roma had an xG of 2.74 and they will be looking to take their goalscoring touch into the Serie A. 

Next up for Jose Mourinho’s side is a home game against Atalanta. Roma currently sit fifth in Serie A on 13 points after six matches.