Marseille Lose To Frankfurt, Rangers Earn Vital Point At Villarreal

By Joshua Walters, Danny Ward

Last Year’s Europa League finalists, Marseille, were beaten 2-1 at home by Eintracht Frankfurt as Steven Gerrard led Rangers to a vital 2-2 draw at Villarreal in Spain on the opening day of the 2018/19 campaign.

Marseille took an early lead when Lucas Ocompos volleyed in Floran Thauvin pass in the 3rd minute, four minutes before Adel Rami left the pitch with a foot injury to allow Rudi Gracia to bring on Luiz Gustavo.

Jetro Williems earned a yellow card for a bad tackle on Lopez in the 15th minutes, ten minutes after Danny da Costa had missed an opportunity to level up the scores with a shot off target from close range.

Valere Germain went one-on-one with Kelvin Trapp but shot into the Frankfurt goalkeeper’s body, minutes before Bouna Sarr’s dangerous cross into the box was cleared to a corner kick which was wasted.

Lucas Torro jumped highest inside the box to meet a corner kick from Jonathan de Guzman and the well-placed header ended up in the top of the net while the goalkeeper flapped in the wind.

Nemanja Radonjic replaced Lucas Ocompos in the 73rd minute as Haller replaced Luka Jovic, two minutes after Dimitri Payet’s inviting cross had been shot over the bar by Thauvin in the 77th minute.

Marseille had been slightly off par throughout the night, but thoughts that they could run away from the empty Orange Vélodrome stadium where they are serving a supporters ban faded in the 89th minute when Simon Falette teed up with substitute Luka Jovic who kept his cool to find the top left corner.

Scot Anfield and Kyle Lafferty took turns to cancel out Carlos Bacca and Gerard Moreno's leads as Steven Gerard's Rangers came from behind to draw 2-2 at the Estadio El Madrigal.

Villarreal scored a potential Quickest Goal of the Season winner as Bacca unleashed a ferocious shot from just outside the penalty area into the left side of the goal just 45 seconds into the game

Rangers drew parity in the 67th minute following Daniel Candeias’s through pass which Scott Arfield banged it into the middle of the goal.

The hosts restored their lead in the 69th minute when Gerard Moreno finished his beautiful individual effort with a superb strike from inside the box to beat Allan McGregor who stood helplessly in the post.

Kyle Lafferty salvaged a point for the visitors in the 76th minute by beautifully controlling a strongly hit pass from Borna Barisic inside the box to cuts inside his marker before rifling in the ball into the middle of the goal.