Greece’s three Europa League representatives could only muster one point between them as AEK, PAOK and Aris all came up against strong European Sides.
Anderlecht secured their first UEFA Europa League Group F points after a dominant performance against a depleted AEK Athens in Belgium.
Marco Ruben put a clinical finishing touch to the game’s classiest move to send Villarreal above PAOK and to the Group D summit. While Bayer Leverkusen remain top of Group B after they kept their unbeaten away run this season going against Aris who are yet to lose at home in Europe.
Anderlecht 3 – AEK 0
AEK’s injury worries were compounded after Ignaccio Scocco was carried off on the stretcher, and he is almost certain to miss the weekend’s derby with Panathinaikos.
AEK had lost their previous Europa League match to FC Zenit St. Petersburg and were keen to get back onto the winners list.
Losses to Zenit and HNK Hajduk Split had made victory imperative for Anderlecht and Mbark Boussoufa opened the scoring on 31 minutes before setting up Romelu Lukaku and Roland Juhasz after the break.
The result draws Anderlecht level with AEK and Hajduk on three points, six behind Zenit who are undefeated.
Anderlecht, keen to arrest a run of three competitive losses, were facing a side whose new coach Manolo Jimenez had debuted with a 4-0 win at Aris Thessaloniki four days ago.
AEK were on the defensive straight away and Sacha Kljestan tested visiting goalkeeper Sebastian Saja on 19 minutes while a dangerous Anderlecht cross was headed away by Anestis Argyriou, making his UEFA club competition debut with Cristian Nasuti suspended.
There was a blow for AEK when winger Nacho Scocco, scorer of two goals on Sunday, pulled up with what looked a hamstring injury and left the pitch on a stretcher.
The Anderlecht pressure told when Kljestan’s effort parried by Sebastian Saja, and Boussoufa turned in the rebound.
The home side continued to press after the break, Lukaku heading a Boussoufa centre just over and on 67 minutes curling a shot narrowly wide.
Lukaku soon had his goal, entering the box and shooting in off the post after Boussoufa had intercepted an AEK pass in midfield and sent the striker clear.
Four minutes later centre-back Juhasz made it three with a spectacular back-heel volley from Boussoufa’s free-kick.
At the other end Scocco’s replacement, Nathan Burns, was denied by Silvio Proto and Ismael Blanco put the rebound over. AEK will hope to turn the table in the 4 November return.
Villareal 1 – PAOK 0
Villarreal CF leapfrogged PAOK FC at the top of UEFA Europa League Group D with a 1-0 victory over the Greek side.
PAOK, under the caretaker charge of Makis Havos following Pavlos Dermitzakis’ departure at the weekend, began the day top of the section but are now two points adrift of Villarreal.
Third from bottom in the Greek Super League, the visitors were outplayed for large swathes of the game and were ultimately undone by Marco Ruben’s superb goal before half-time.
Having drawn six of their last eight European fixtures it was little surprise PAOK emerged cautiously.
Villarreal, second in the Spanish Liga, adopting a similarly guarded approach was less expected.
After 38 minutes of uninspired, unimaginative and watchful fare, Juan Carlos Garrido’s side finally showed their true colours; Borja Valero provided the pass, Giuseppe Rossi the intuitive dummy and Marco Ruben the drilled finish. Much more like it.
The half-time whistle halted any momentum Villarreal were threatening to build, though PAOK were as bereft of ideas as might be expected of a team with just four goals from six league games.
They were in need of a Rossi of their own and the Italy forward again showed his worth to the hosts on 63 minutes, drifting inside and laying on Marco Ruben with a cute pass. The No9 could only poke into Dario Kresic’s midriff.
Giorgos Fotakis’s low drive soon after was at last a significant effort from PAOK but not until Vladimir Ivic’s dipping volley and Nabil El Zhar’s swerving shot was Diego Lopez’s goal under any notable threat.
Sensing new-found confidence among the visitors, the Yellow Submarine battened down the hatches and went close to adding a soothing second through Cani.
Aris 0 – Leverkusen 0
A meeting of a side unbeaten at home in Europe and a team yet to lose on their competitive travels this season ended, perhaps predictably, in stalemate.
Neither Aris Thessaloniki FC, now without a home defeat in UEFA competition after 23 games stretching back to 1970, nor in-form Bayer 04 Leverkusen could find a way to goal.
The tight nature of the game is reflected by the new UEFA Europa League Group B table, where Leverkusen are a point ahead of Aris and holders Club Atletico de Madrid, with Rosenborg BK only one back.
These sides could not have more contrasting weekend form, Leverkusen coming from two down to win 3-2 at VfL Wolfsburg while Aris were thumped 4-0 by visitors AEK.
However, Aris kept a clearly confident Leverkusen at bay in the first half despite the boost to the visitors of captain Simon Rolfes’s first start since a January knee injury, having scored twice at Wolfsburg when brought on with 20 minutes left.
Michal Kadlec did force Aris goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis to dive low to block a free-kick in the closest effort of the first half.
The cautious pattern of the game did not change after the break, though on 57 minutes Sergio Koke shot just past the post after Carlos Ruiz’s clever pass had left him on his own in the box.
Juan Carlos Toja, from distance, came close for Aris with 12 minutes left but a draw was the right result between two teams who meet again in Germany on 4 November.