Swiss big guns fire at will

Swiss duo FC Basel 1893 and Grasshopper-Club earned emphatic UEFA Cup first-round first-leg wins while goalless draws against illustrious opponents did the Republic of Ireland's Derry City FC and Norway's Molde FK much credit. The second legs of all ties will be played on 28 September.

Derry City FC 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain FC
Derry earned a 0-0 draw against French giants PSG at the Brandywell stadium. The Irish side, who defeated former winners IFK Göteborg in the first qualifying round, were unlucky to hit the post through Killian Brennan early on. However, it took all of their battling spirit to hold out as PSG dominated the second half, with Brennan and Darren Kelly both clearing efforts off the line. David Hellebuyck also went close for the visitors but they could not beat goalkeeper David Forde.

Åtvidabergs FF 0-3 Grasshopper-Club
Grasshoppers have one foot in the UEFA Cup group stage following a comfortable victory in Norrkoping against Åtvidaberg. The team from Zurich gained the initiative after only 12 minutes through Diego León before Brazilian striker Eduardo doubled their advantage 16 minutes later. A third away goal with 57 minutes on the clock from defender Scott Sutter widened the gap further and leaves the side from Sweden with a mountain to climb in a fortnight's time.

AZ Alkmaar 3-2 Kayserispor
Semi-finalists two seasons ago, AZ face a nervy trip to Turkey for the return leg after a narrow win at the DSB Stadium. Danny Koevermans gave Louis van Gaal's side a seventh-minute lead from the penalty spot and although Bülent Bölükbaşı drew the visitors level, Rogier Molhoek headed AZ back in front after 31 minutes and Shota Arveladze made it 3-1 after 64 minutes. However, Ragıp Başdağ struck a second away goal three minutes later to give the Turkish outfit real hope of progression.

FC Basel 1893 6–2 FK Rabotnicki
Basel face a relaxed trip to F.Y.R. Macedonia in a fortnight's time after a 6-2 victory against Rabotnicki at the St. Jakob Park stadium. Zdravko Kuzmanovic opened the scoring for Basel after just 64 seconds and they were four goals ahead by half-time following further strikes from Mladen Petrić (6, 39) and a Daniel Majstorovic penalty (34). After the interval Brazilian striker Cristiano added two more goals for the hosts on 71 and 73 minutes before late goals by Ivan Pejčić (89) and an own goal from Delron Buckley (90) gave Rabotnicki some form of consolation.

SC Braga 2-0 AC Chievo Verona
Braga earned a great home result after making a flying start in Portugal. After just five minutes, Hugo Leal crossed from the right and found the unmarked Paulo Jorge who opened the scoring. Braga defended well and created plenty of chances in the second half. Chievo's Giovanni Marchese was dismissed two minutes from time and team-mate Franco Semioli was then sent off for conceding an added-time penalty which Wender converted to make it 2-0.

Molde FK 0-0 Rangers FC
Molde might well have gained a surprise first-leg advantage against Rangers but for a fine display from visiting goalkeeper Allan McGregor. The Norwegian outfit saw a long-range effort from Daniel Helstad smartly saved by McGregor in the early stages while the Rangers custodian also proved his worth with stops from Stian Ohr and the impressive Magne Hoseth. For Rangers, Libor Sionko had a shot cleared off the line just before the break.

NK Dinamo Zagreb 1-2 AJ Auxerre
Auxerre have the upper hand in their tie against Dinamo Zagreb thanks to a goal from Daniel Niculae five minutes from time. Eduardo rattled the Auxerre woodwork with an eleventh-minute effort, but it was the French side who took the lead two minutes before the break as Ireneusz Jeleń's long-range shot crept past goalkeeper Ivan Turina. Eduardo pounced on a loose ball to equalise after 67 minutes but Niculae broke through the tiring Dinamo defence to grab the winner.

SK Slavia Praha 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur FC
A goal from Jermaine Jenas eight minutes before half-time gave Tottenham a 1-0 lead to take back to London. The England midfielder fired the ball across Slavia goalkeeper Matúš Kozáčík to score the only goal of a game that Tottenham edged on possession. The home side were dealt an early blow when starting goalkeeper Michal Vorel went off injured but could have snatched a late equaliser but for a fine double save from Paul Robinson to keep out a Dušan Švento free-kick and Stanislav Vlček's follow-up.

Maccabi Haifa FC 1-1 PFC Litex Lovech
Litex earned a draw against Maccabi in a game played on neutral territory in Nijmegen, Netherlands because of the political situation in Israel. Ravid Gazal sliced a ball through the Litex defence for Yaniv Katan to open the scoring with a fine low shot after just seven minutes. However, in thr 52nd minute Litex levelled as Petar Zanev was allowed time and space to beat Nir Davidovic with a powerful shot. Roberto Colautti and Maor Melichson both missed chances to win the game for Maccabi.

Wisła Kraków 0-1 Iraklis FC
Iraklis were the only Greek side to win a European match this week as Athanasios Prittas's early strike earned them a win in Krakow. The defensive midfielder found the target with a powerful long-range shot after eight minutes. Wisła battled to get back into the game, and Paweł Brożek rattled the crossbar with a 28th-minute free-kick. Joël Epallé's dismissal after 68 minutes gave the home side a man advantage but Dariusz Dudka and Branko Radovanović squandered late chances.

PFC Lokomotiv Sofia 2-2 Feyenoord
Loko Sofia were denied a memorable win by a Feyenoord fightback in Sofia. Tsvetan Genkov headed the home side into the lead after just four minutes, and they appeared on course for a memorable night as Martcho Davtchev converted a stylish 28th-minute free-kick. However, a Theo Lucius penalty late in the first half put Feyenoord back in the hunt and central defender Serginho Greene equalised with a header from a corner in the second half. Visiting goalkeeper Henk Timmer then blocked fine shots from Genkov and Kristian Dobrev.