Brest claim stunning Champions League win, Stuttgart draw
Brest qualified for Europe for the first time in their history
Paris: French outsiders Brest made it two wins out of two at the start of their first ever Uefa Champions League campaign with a remarkable 4-0 victory away to Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday, while Stuttgart were held 1-1 by Sparta Prague.
Brest qualified for Europe for the first time in their history by finishing a best-ever third in Ligue 1 last season, and won 2-1 at home to Austrian champions Sturm Graz on their Champions League debut two weeks ago.
They improved on that result with a memorable performance as they faced Austrian opposition once again. Abdallah Sima scored twice while Mahdi Camara and Mathias Pereira Lage also found the target.
Senegal international Sima, who is on loan from Brighton of the English Premier League, was already the hero in Brest’s opening match as he scored the winner against Graz.
He opened the scoring in Salzburg just past the midway point in the first half, finishing off a counter-attack after being played in by Ludovic Ajorque.
Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot made several important saves. Salzburg also had a goal ruled out for offside following a VAR review with the score still 0-0.
The visitors from Brittany ran away with the game by scoring three times in the space of 10 second-half minutes.
Camara swept home to make it 2-0 on 66 minutes after Mama Balde’s low ball into the middle was not dealt with by the Salzburg defence.
Sima scored his second, and his team’s third, after a Hugo Magnetti shot was parried by goalkeeper Janis Blaswich.
Brest wrapped up a great result when Pereira Lage fired low into the corner with his first touch after being introduced from the bench.
They are the first French club outwith Paris Saint-Germain to win a Champions League game by at least four goals since Lyon beat Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 in 2011.
Salzburg’s bad start
Salzburg, who are set to feature at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States next year, are already up against it in the new-look Champions League. They lost 3-0 away to Sparta Prague on matchday one.
Sparta remain unbeaten after coming from behind to draw 1-1 away to Stuttgart in Germany in Tuesday’s other early match.
Frenchman Enzo Millot opened the scoring for last season’s German Bundesliga runners-up, who lost away to reigning champions Real Madrid two weeks ago.
Finnish international Kaan Kairinen equalised for the Czech side before the interval and the game ended level.
Tuesday’s later games include a headline showdown between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in London, while Bayer Leverkusen entertain AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund face Celtic.
Barcelona are at home to Young Boys, with Inter Milan up against Red Star Belgrade as Manchester City visit Slovan Bratislava and PSV Eindhoven are at home to Sporting of Portugal.
This season’s new Champions League format sees 36 clubs in the league phase, with each playing eight games against eight different opponents.
The top eight qualify for the last 16, with the teams from ninth to 24th entering a play-off round to decide the remaining last-16 spots.