Austria's Rapid and Portugal's Vitória claim first wins in revamped Conference League
Rapid Wien's Guido Burgstaller, left, points next to Basaksehir's Miguel Crespo, center, during the Europa Conference League opening phase soccer match between Basaksehir and SK Rapid Wien at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Credit: AP/Serkan Hacioglu
ISTANBUL — Louis Schaub scored twice in a 2-1 victory for Austria’s SK Rapid over Basaksehir in Istanbul in the revamped UEFA Conference League on Wednesday.
In the other opening game, Vitória SC beat Slovenia’s Celje 3-1. Samu, Gustavo Da Silva Cunha and midfielder Tiago Silva scored for the Portuguese team.
The remaining 16 games in the opening round are scheduled for Thursday, when Chelsea faces Belgian club Gent while Fiorentina plays Welsh club New Saints.
Like the Champions League and the second-tier Europa League, the Conference League has a new format and 36 teams instead of 32. It features a league system but unlike the other two competitions, each team plays six games against different opponents through January, replacing the old group stage.
The clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League play eight games initially.
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