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Europe

Laudrup's Swansea stun Valencia

By AFP
Published | Updated
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    Swansea City's Spanish midfielder Miguel Michu celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Europa league football match Valencia CF vs Swansea City AFC at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on September 19, 2013. Swansea won 3-0. (AFP)

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    Swansea City's Spanish midfielder Miguel Michu (R) celebrates with Spanish midfielder Jose Alberto Canas after scoring during the UEFA Europa league football match Valencia CF vs Swansea City AFC at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on September 19, 2013. Swansea won 3-0. (AFP)

PARIS (AFP) – Swansea City produced a remarkable performance on their Europa League debut to thump Spanish giants Valencia 3-0 at the Mestalla on Thursday.

The Group A clash was, on paper, the standout of all those played in the Europa League on Thursday, but few could have imagined it would be so one-sided.

A Swansea side coached by former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Michael Laudrup and featuring six Spaniards, including captain Angel Rangel, punished opponents who played 80 minutes with 10 men to run out thoroughly deserving winners.

Valencia were already wobbling before French centre-back Adil Rami was sent off with 10 minutes on the clock for hauling back Wilfried Bony as the Ivorian striker headed towards goal.

Soon after, the lively Bony converted a Michu cutback to give Swansea the lead, and Valencia, who have lost their last three matches in La Liga, never looked like recovering.

A section of the Valencia support staged a walkout in protest at their teams' recent form at the start of the second half, before Spanish duo Alejandro Pozuelo and Michu combined for the latter to double Swansea's lead after 58 minutes.

When Jonathan De Guzman beat Vicente Guaita with a stunning free-kick five minutes later, the home supporters could only applaud, and Swansea might even have won by a greater margin.

It was a stunning win for a club that lost 8-0 to Monaco in their last European tie in the Cup Winners Cup in 1991.

Having taken apart the 2004 UEFA Cup winners and two-time Champions League finalists, Swansea will next play host to St Gallen of Switzerland, who beat Kuban Krasnodar of Russia 2-0.

Elsewhere, English FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic took time out from their bid to win promotion back to the Premier League to draw 0-0 away to Zulte Waregem in Belgium in Group D.

In other games, Fiorentina of Italy were too strong for Pacos Ferreira of Portugal, running out 3-0 winners in Florence in Group E with Giuseppe Rossi among the scorers.

Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany thumped French Cup holders Bordeaux 3-0 in Group F, but the 1988 European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria in Group B.

Jonatan Soriano produced one of the individual performances of the evening, scoring a hat-trick in Europe for the second time this season as Salzburg beat Elfsborg 4-0 in Group C.