Plenty of action was seen on Thursday night around Europe in 21 matches of the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout stage. The first leg ties brought lots of excitement and a few familiar names like Villarreal, West Ham, Fiorentina…The Yellow Submarine torpedoed Hajduk Split 4-2 at El Madrigal stadium after coming from behind in the first half. The visitors netted almost instantly for a shocking 1-0 lead before Villarreal’s perfect storm that saw four goals in the back of the Hajduk’s net until the half-time break.VILLARREAL CF 1-1 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT⚽ 14′ José Luis Morales (#VillarrealCF)pic.twitter.com/Osp9BZavnD— All goals replay (@goalsreplayg) August 18, 2022 Despite not scoring, Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze had a wonderful game, making a mess on the right flank and being one of the best players of the match. The return leg at Croatia seems like a dead rubber that the favourites should dominate too and reach the group stage.#UECL | 4-1 ⏱ 45’+1′ | HALF-TIME. Villarreal go into the break with a three-goal lead.@hajduk scored the opener, but the Yellows fought back through @jose1987morales (2), @GerardMoreno9 and an own goal. pic.twitter.com/azowmFOFTS— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) August 18, 2022 Just like the Spaniards, the Hammers won with a two-goal margin at home. They defeated Danish side Viborg FF mostly thanks to David Moyes’ forwards Michael Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca. The latter broke the deadlock in the first half, while the former replaced him in the second and found the back of the net after only ten minutes.WEST HAM UNITED FC 1-0 VIBORG FF⚽ 23′ Gianluca Scamacca (#WHU)pic.twitter.com/Ju7Vi7MWgu— All goals replay (@goalsreplayg) August 18, 2022 Antonio goal via Benrahma assist West Ham 3 Viborg 1 pic.twitter.com/a2L954yOYd— West Ham Football (@westhamfootball) August 18, 2022 Along with Villarreal and West Ham, another well-known team, Fiorentina, celebrated a crucial 2-1 victory. The Italians topped stubborn Dutch slot Twente. The minnows managed to score in the second half and make the entire tie much more excited, with the return leg promising plenty of thrill.Nicolas Gonzalez’s goal vs FC Twente 🏎️💨⚽🇦🇷pic.twitter.com/IGt5FUksQN— BD Albiceleste 🇧🇩💙🇦🇷 (@bd_albiceleste) August 18, 2022 ##NAJAVA_MECA_6572774##
