UEFA Champions League: Okafor brace helps Salzburg waltz past Wolfsburg; Sevilla and Lille play goalless draw

Striker Noah Okafor scored twice as RB Salzburg claimed a precious 3-1 Champions League victory over VfL Wolfsburg at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday ,

Published : Oct 21, 2021 09:33 IST

Salzburg's Noah Okafor (left) and Karim Adeyemi (right) celebrate after the 3-1 Champions League win against Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
Salzburg's Noah Okafor (left) and Karim Adeyemi (right) celebrate after the 3-1 Champions League win against Wolfsburg on Wednesday.
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Salzburg's Noah Okafor (left) and Karim Adeyemi (right) celebrate after the 3-1 Champions League win against Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

Striker Noah Okafor scored twice as RB Salzburg claimed a precious 3-1 Champions League victory over VfL Wolfsburg at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday to steam ahead in Group G and stay on course for the knockout rounds.

Germany's teenage striker Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring for the home side after two minutes, before Wolfsburg levelled through Lukas Nmecha to leave the game in the balance.

But Okafor’s second-half brace sealed a deserved win for the Austrians to move them to seven points from three games.

Wolfsburg will host Salzburg in its next encounter on November 2, where the latter could seal a place in the knockout stages for the first time.

Salzburg went ahead when an innocuous looking ball in search of Adeyemi was not dealt with by Wolfsburg right back Kevin Mbabu, who appeared in two minds over what to do, and the pacey forward stole in and supplied a cool finish.

The home side should have been 2-0 up shortly afterwards following another defensive error from the nervy visitor.

READ: UEFA Champions League: Pique strike secures crucial win for Barcelona

Defender John Brooks allowed a long ball to drop over his shoulder, which put Okafor one-on-one with Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels, but the Salzburg forward’s shot hit the top of the crossbar.

The German side levelled with another cheap giveaway in what was a frenetic opening 15 minutes to the game.

An in-swinging corner was not dealt with by the home side, and Nmecha rose between three defenders to get a slight touch to the ball and score.

Adeyemi’s clever backheel flick from a corner forced an excellent save from Casteels in the second half, while Luka Sucic’s shot was cleared off the line as Salzburg pushed for the next goal.

It came on 64 minutes when Wolfsburg failed to clear from a corner and Okafor reacted quickest to poke the ball into the net from six yards.

It was the same recipe again for his second, as Wolfsburg again did not deal with a corner and Okafor showed good control before rifling the ball into the net.

SEVILLA AND LILLE STAY WINLESS

Lille was held to a 0-0 home draw by Sevilla to continue its miserable winless Champions League run.

The French champion has not tasted victory in Europe's elite club competition since 2012 and has won only six of 41 Champions League games. It sits in third place in Group G with two points from three games this season.

Sevilla is second on three points after three consecutive stalemates but the Spanish side has not lost away from home in the Champions League in its last nine matches.

At the Pierre Mauroy stadium, Sevilla dominated in the first half but lacked sharpness in the box before the tide seemed to turn.

The host had a couple of chances in the second half but failed to make its dominance count as it was held to a goalless draw for the second time in two home games in the competition.

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