LONDON: Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as they beat Danish side Viborg in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg at London Stadium.

The Italy forward, a £30.5m signing from Sassuolo, was handed his first start and took just 24 minutes to make an impact when he headed in following neat play on the left from fellow new arrival Maxwel Cornet.

It set the hosts on their way to a welcome first victory this season, having lost their opening two Premier League games without scoring a goal.

Jarrod Bowen zipped a second into the bottom corner from distance with 26 minutes to go but the visitors hit back immediately through Jakob Bonde’s header.

That threatened to make life uncomfortable for the Hammers until substitutes Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio combined for the latter to tap into an empty net and secure a healthy advantage going into the second leg.

That game will take place in Viborg next Thursday, with the winners joining the group stage of the competition when it begins on September 8.

Linfield held

Two dramatic last-gasp goals denied Linfield victory as they drew 2-2 at RFS in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off.

It looked like the Blues would take a two-goal lead back to Belfast next week thanks to superbly-taken goals from Stephen Fallon and Joel Cooper in Riga.

However, substitute Kevin Friesenbichler scored a powerful header on 88 minutes before Ziga Lipuscek equalised with the last kick of the game in the 96th minute.

Petr Mares missed an early penalty for the Latvians as they spurned a number of good opportunities to take the lead before Fallon’s opener six minutes before the break.

Linfield, playing in a temporary white and burgundy kit, are aiming to make history by becoming the first Irish Premiership team to reach the group stage of a European competition – and secure the 2.9m euro windfall that comes with it.

It was a cruel way for David Healy’s men to concede the late equaliser, with 95 minutes originally signalled for injury time before Lipuscek planted a bullet 96th-minute drive from 20 yards through a crowded penalty area and past an unsighted Chris Johns in the away goal to leave the tie delicately poised.

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