Two games involving National Team players on Thursday, with Troy Perkins and Valerenga dropping their opening leg 2-1 to PAOK Salonika and Clint Dempsey getting time in Fulham's 3-0 win over FK Vetra.
Valerenga 1 - PAOK Solinika 2
Troy Perkins started in goal for Valerenga, who gave up two goals to visitors PAOK Solinika in the first-half. Lino and Zlatan Muslimovic scored within six minutes of each other starting in the 31st, but Valerenga pulled one back before the end of the half when Jarl André Storbaek scored in the 42nd. Weather was the big player in the second, bogging down the game on a wet field. After giving up two away goals, Valerenga will need to make those up next week in Thessaloniki.
FK Vetra 0 - Fulham 3
Three away goals should see Fulham safely through to the next stage. Clint Dempsey got the start and Bobby Zamora had them up a goal just before halftime. "It was nice to get back on the road and get these games going," Zamora said. "It’s really important for us, we’re all loving playing in Europe as it’s another achievement for us, so we’re going to relish every minute of it.” In the second, Danny Murphy converted a 56th minute penalty. Three minutes after subbing on for Dempsey, Seol Ki-Hyeon made it 3-0 in the 84th. Eddie Johnson was on the bench for Fulham.
In Brief: Ryan Guy's St. Patrick's got one of the shock results of the round of the shock results of the round, beating Krylia Sovetov 1-0. Jared Jeffrey wasn't in the squad for Club Brugge, who traded early goals and needed a 90th minute winner to beat FC Lahti 3-2 at home.
* For those otherwise occupied, the Europa League is the new name for the UEFA Cup.
