Arsenal beat Cologne after crowd trouble delays kick-off in London
Alexis Sanchez scored a stunning goal as Arsenal came from behind to beat Cologne 3-1 in a Europa League clash on Thursday that was delayed for an hour due to crowd trouble.
Kick-off in the Group H opener at the Emirates Stadium was put back until 9:05pm local time (20:05 GMT) in the interests of “crowd safety” after problems caused by thousands of ticketless Cologne supporters arriving at the ground.
Cologne lead early after Jhon Cordoba scored with a stunning 40 yard strike.
Arsenal improved in the second half and substitute Sead Kolasinac volleyed them level before a brilliant goal by Sanchez gave them a 67th-minute lead, and the three points were secure when Hector Bellerin made it 3-1 late on.
CLUBS CHARGED
European football chiefs charged Arsenal and Cologne on Friday after vast numbers of away fans gained access to the home sections of Emirates Stadium, sparking chaotic scenes that marred the Europa League clash.
Visiting fans were issued with 3,000 tickets but around 20,000 fans of the German club are believed to have made the journey to London
EVERTON LOSE IN ITALY
Everton’s groupstage campaign got off to a disastrous start as Ronald Koeman’s side were taken apart in Italy, losing 3-0 to Atalanta. The Serie A club were forced to play in Reggio Emilia, because their own stadium in Bergamo does not have a licence for European games. But that did not prove a hindrance as they completely overran Everton, scoring all three of their goals in the first half courtesy of Andrea Masiello, Alejandro Gomez and Bryan Cristante.