Chelsea earned their first win under new coach Enzo Maresca with a 2-0 victory against Servette in the Conference League play-off round first leg. After a slow first half at Stamford Bridge, Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring with a penalty in the 50th minute, marking his fourth goal for Chelsea. Noni Madueke added a second goal, receiving a pass from Enzo Fernandez, bringing Chelsea closer to group-stage qualification.
Despite a late chance by Tiemoko Ouattara, whose deflected shot hit the crossbar, Servette couldn’t find the back of the net. This win was a relief for Chelsea, following their 2-0 defeat in Maresca’s debut against Manchester City last weekend. Chelsea are aiming for a strong return to European competition after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season under Mauricio Pochettino.
Elsewhere, Panathinaikos lost 2-1 to 10-man Lens in their first leg, while David de Gea had a tough debut as Fiorentina drew 3-3 with Puskas Akademia. St Patrick’s managed a 0-0 draw against Istanbul Basaksehir, keeping their European hopes alive. In the Europa League play-offs, Ajax dominated Jagiellonia with a 4-1 victory, while Besiktas let a 3-1 lead slip to draw 3-3 with Lugano, and Hearts suffered a 1-0 loss to Viktoria Plzen.