ROME — Lazio’s perfect start to the UEFA Europa League was ended by a 0-0 home draw with Ludogorets as Athletic Bilbao and Olympique Lyon enjoyed comfortable wins, while Chelsea made it four wins from four in the Conference League.
Italy’s Lazio, who had won all four previous games, were held to a frustrating scoreless draw by a Bulgarian side who came to defend, Reuters reported.
The best chances of the first half fell to Boulaye Dia who was twice denied by the keeper and although Lazio increased the intensity in the second half, they were unable to find a way through.
They appealed desperately for a penalty for what looked like a foul on Gustav Isaksen but after a VAR check the referee waved play on, and Matteo Guendouzi hit the crossbar with a shot from outside the area as Ludogorets picked up their second point of the campaign.
Lazio is on 13 points, levels with Bilbao who eased to a 3-0 win over Swedish side Elfsborg thanks to goals from Adama Boiro, Benat Prados Diaz and Gorka Guruzeta.
Lyon ran out 4-1 winners in Azerbaijan against Qarabag, Georges Mikautdze opening and closing the scoring and the other goals coming from Corentin Tolisso and Malick Fofana. Lyon moved on to 10 points and Qarabag remained on three.
Anderlecht was denied the chance to move level with Lazio by a 2-2 home draw with Porto, the Belgians twice coming from behind and Francis Amuzu netting four minutes from time to salvage a draw. Anderlecht has 11 points and Porto are on five.
Galatasaray are also on 11 points after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by AZ Alkmaar. The Turkish side went ahead after two minutes through Sven Mijnans but a Peer Koopmeiners own goal before halftime denied them the win.
Maccabi Tel Aviv earned their first victory of the competition with a 3-1 win at Turkish side Besiktas, in a game played in Debrecen, Hungary for security reasons.
At 2-1 down Besiktas had a chance to level but Ciro Immobile’s penalty was saved and Weslley Patati put the Israeli side out of sight 10 minutes from time.
Chelsea remained top of the Conference League table with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Heidenheim, who lost their 100-per cent record.
Enzo Maresca made 10 changes to the side which beat Leicester in the Premier League.
But the Blues dominated the first half, with Heidenheim goalkeeper Kevin Mueller keeping them at bay with a string of fine saves.
Chelsea needed only six minutes after the restart to break the deadlock, though, as Christopher Nkunku took a brilliant touch to control Jadon Sancho’s cross before firing into the top corner.
Nkunku, behind Nicolas Jackson in Maresca’s Premier League pecking order, has scored five goals in four Conference League games this season.
The German side improved after falling behind, though, and almost equalised in the 69th minute when Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen produced a wonderful double save to deny Paul Wanner and Leo Scienza.
The two-time European champions killed the game off with four minutes left as Sancho notched his second assist of the match, teeing up Mykhailo Mudryk to drive a shot into the roof of the net after playing a one-two with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
That decision followed unrest after Maccabi´s recent Europa League game in Amsterdam, where at least five fans were injured in violent street attacks, after their team´s 5-0 loss to Ajax.
The game was played without fans at the request of Hungarian authorities.
Gavriel Kanichowsky, Dor Perets and Weslley Patati had a goal apiece for the Israeli team, while Rafa Silva netted for Besiktas.
Dynamo Kyiv lost its fifth straight game, this time 2-1 to Viktoria Plzen. The consolation goal for the Ukrainian team, scored by Vladyslav Kobaiev in stoppage time, was the first for Dynamo in the competition.
In the third-tier Conference League, Chelsea kept a perfect record with a fourth straight win, 2-0 away at Heidenheim.
