Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Riyadh Metro to begin partial operations next Wednesday: Report    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Al Qadsiah hands Al Nassr their first defeat in the Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Downing Street indicates Netanyahu faces arrest if he enters UK    London's Gatwick airport reopens terminal after bomb scare evacuation    Civil Defense warns of thunderstorms across Saudi Arabia until Tuesday    Saudi Arabia, Japan strengthen cultural collaboration with new MoU    Slovak president meets Saudi delegation to bolster trade and investment ties    Saudi defense minister meets with Swedish state secretary    Navigating healthcare's future: Solutions for a sustainable system    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Sixth foreign tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Glut of goals in Europa
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 21 - 02 - 2015

LONDON — A Romelu Lukaku hat trick in a 4-1 win for Everton at Young Boys and a thrilling 3-3 draw between Celtic and Inter Milan ushered in the return of the Europa League as the first knockout stage delivered a glut of goals Thursday.
Lukaku looked like the dynamic target man Everton fans have been hoping to see all season and could have scored five in a rampant display in the first leg of their last-32 clash in Switzerland.
His perfect treble of right-footed, left-footed and headed goals were among the highlights of a superb end-to-end encounter, that was perhaps only pipped for sheer entertainment by the game at Celtic Park where five of the six goals came in a dramatic opening 45 minutes.
Inter let slip a two-goal lead and then a 3-2 advantage as Celtic leveled in the third minute of stoppage time in a duel between two former European champions.
Napoli was among the other first-leg winners, beating Trabzonspor 4-0 away, and was considerably happier than Serie A rival AS Roma whose status among the favorites looked questionable after a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Feyenoord.
While Gervinho opened the scoring for Roma with a deft flick from close range, Colin Kazim Richards netted a simple chance to level the scores with a potentially precious away goal.
Liverpool, one of the eight teams to have dropped into the Europa League from the Champions League, needed a late penalty from Mario Balotelli to take a 1-0 first-leg advantage against Turkish side Besiktas.
But typically with Balotelli, the finale was not without controversy as the Italian striker wrestled the ball off designated penalty taker and captain for the night Jordan Henderson, before firing home.
It was Lukaku, who proved the star of the night, however, becoming only the fourth Everton player to score a European hat trick.
“I've always said Rom is quite unique because you don't get many players with that pace and power,” Everton boss Roberto Martinez said on the club website.
“He is a great target in our build-up play, but then in the same manner when the game was stretched tonight, his penetration, his desire to get on the end of things and then three clinical finishes was huge for us.”
Young Boys grabbed an early opener with a superb curled effort from Guillaume Hoarau whose delight was swiftly crushed as Everton netted four times before Hoarau horribly fluffed a penalty in the second half.
Not even the sending-off of Everton defender John Stones, which brought about that penalty, could upset the visitors' rhythm as Martinez's side continued to prove a much more fearsome prospect in Europe than in the Premier League.
Celtic famously became the first British team to be crowned European champion when it beat Inter in 1967 but the Scottish champion looked to be heading to a fifth straight defeat against Italian opposition when Xherdan Shaqiri and Rodrigo Palacio put Inter 2-0 up after 13 minutes.
Two goals in two minutes from Stuart Armstrong and an own goal from Hugo Campagnaro leveled before Palacio's second put Inter back in front with a fifth goal before halftime.
That's how it stayed until the clock ticked past 90 minutes and Celtic's on-loan striker John Guidetti fired into the roof of the net chasing down Liam Henderson's pass to leave the tie all square heading into next week's second leg.
Sevilla stayed on course to retain its title with a 1-0 home win over Borussia Moenchengladbach, while Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at home to Fiorentina.
Elsewhere, Zenit St Petersburg was 1-0 winner at former European champion PSV Eindhoven, Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg won 2-0 at home to Portuguese team Sporting and Torino drew 2-2 with Athletic Bilbao.
Villarreal beat Salzburg 2-1 and Ajax Amsterdam beat Legia Warsaw 1-0. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.