aalborg advance despite rio ave's debut success published: thursday 11 december 2014, 23.10cet rio ave fc 2-0 aalborg bk two outstanding yonathan del valle goals gave the hosts a first uefa europa league win but defeat did not prevent the danish visitors advancing.
• yonathan del valle double helps rio ave to first uefa europa league win • ahmed hassan hits post in 16th minute as home team dominate • aalborg lose all group j away games but progress in second • hosts finish bottom of section in maiden european campaign • round of 32 draw takes place in nyon at 13.00cet on 15 december
aalborg bk qualified for the round of 32 of the uefa europa league despite becoming rio ave fc's first victims at this level, going down to a pair of fine yonathan del valle goals.
del valle opened the scoring with a glorious 59th-minute strike and followed it up with a composed finish 11 minutes from time as the competition debutants signed off with three deserved points. aab goalkeeper nicolai larsen was by far the busier goalkeeper, though the danish champions still went through thanks to fc steaua bucureşti failing to win at home to fc dynamo kyiv.
larsen made a terrific flying save to his right to thwart emmanuel boateng early on. ın the 16th minute ahmed hassan contrived to hit the upright when unmarked at the far post after a corner and aab broke downfield with only tiago pinto's goal line clearance preventing thomas enevoldsen opening the scoring. on the stroke of half-time larsen distinguished himself with a point-blank save from a boateng header.
rio ave were rewarded for their enterprise before the hour as del valle collected the ball on the left, cut back inside and unleashed an unstoppable curling right-footed shot into the far corner from an acute angle. as aab took risks, kent nielsen's side were left exposed and del valle was afforded the freedom of the visiting penalty area to control hassan's cross from the right and plant a left-footed finish beyond larsen. hassan and ukra both spurned opportunities to make it three on an historic night for the vilacondenses.
