Athletic Bilbao began Group B in good style with a 2-0 win at home to Parma.
Athletic Bilbao began Group B of the Uefa Cup in good style with a 2-0 win at home against Parma, while Steaua Bucharest got the better of Standard Liege.The Spanish side faced a tough opener when welcoming Serie A side Parma to San Mames, but the Italians found themselves behind after just five minutes.
Carlos Gurpegi (pictured) gave Ernesto Valverde's men the lead, and Asier Del Horno doubled the home side's advantage three minutes after the interval.
Parma had no response and they will hope to do better when they host Steaua Bucharest in the next round of group matches, while Bilbao face a tough trip to Turkey as Besiktas start their campaign.
Steaua Bucharest will make the trip to Parma in good spirits after they got the better of Standard Liege as they earned a 2-0 home win against the Belgians in Group B.
After a tight opening hour, the visitors were undone by an own goal, as Ivica Dragutinovic put through his own net to give Steaua the lead.
The Romanians grabbed the upper hand and, as Standard charged forward for a late leveller, Steaua wrapped up the points with a second goal.
Romanian marksman Adrian Neaga settled the tie when he made it 2-0 with nine minutes left to play and there was no way back for Domenico D'Onofrio's side.
The win was the perfect way for Steaua to start their Group B challenge ahead of a tricky trip to Parma for their second tie.
Steaua are coached by Italian goalkeeping legend Walter Zenga and he will want his side to put up a good show on his return to Italy.
Match Summaries:
Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Parma
Steaua Bucharest 2-0 Standard Liege
