Chelsea edged closer to a UEFA Conference League quarter-final spot with a 2-1 win over Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 encounter on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Panathinaikos edged Fiorentina in a dramatic five-goal contest.
The Premier League side found their rhythm in the second half, with Reece James and Enzo Fernández both scoring before Gabriel Pereira cut the deficit, leaving the tie finely balanced heading into the return leg.
After a sluggish first half, Chelsea captain James broke the stalemate just seconds after the interval. He connected with Marc Cucurella’s low cross, calmly slotting the ball inside the near post.
The goal breathed life into the contest, and Copenhagen nearly struck back immediately, but Viktor Claesson’s close-range attempt hit the inside of Robert Sánchez’s post and fell into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Chelsea doubled their advantage in the 65th minute when substitute Fernández fired home, finishing off a slick move set up by youngster Tyrique George.
However, the visitors’ two-goal cushion didn’t last. Pereira capitalized on a defensive lapse in the 79th minute, heading in from a set-piece to keep the Danish side’s hopes alive for the second leg.
Elsewhere, Panathinaikos secured a 3-2 win over last season’s runners-up Fiorentina in Greece.
The hosts raced into a 2-0 lead within 19 minutes, thanks to strikes from Karol Świderski and Nemanja Maksimović. But Fiorentina hit back quickly, leveling the score within four minutes through Lucas Beltrán and Nicolò Fagioli.
Panathinaikos reclaimed the lead in the 55th minute when Tete curled a left-footed shot into the net, giving them a slender advantage for the return fixture.
Meanwhile, Molde fended off a second-half comeback from Legia Warsaw to win 3-2 in Norway.
Eirik Hestad opened the scoring in the 11th minute, with Kristian Eriksen adding a second six minutes later. Fredrik Gulbrandsen netted a third just before halftime after latching onto Emil Breivik’s through ball.
Legia pushed back after the break, with Kacper Chodyna and Luquinhas scoring in quick succession to give the Polish side hope for the second leg.
In Spain, Real Betis were held to a 2-2 draw by Vitória Guimarães.
Cédric Bakambu put the hosts in front early in the second half, but João Saraiva swiftly equalized. Isco’s late goal looked like the winner for Betis, but Nélson Oliveira struck in the closing minutes to snatch a draw for Vitória.
Later in the evening, Rapid Vienna traveled to Bosnia to face Borac Banja Luka, while Lugano met Celje in Slovenia.
