Maccabi Tel-Aviv battle back to beat Bordeaux

Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC scored twice in the final 19 minutes to earn a 2-1 comeback win at FC Girondins de Bordeaux, consigning the French outfit to successive defeats in UEFA Europa League Group F.

Barak Itzhaki and Dor Mikha grabbed the goals to turn the tide for Paulo Sousa's side, after Jussiê's header had given the hosts a lead early in the second period.

Any hopes Bordeaux had of an easier contest than their opening-day humbling by Eintracht Frankfurt were dashed early on, as the visitors peppered Kevin Olimpa's goal via Eran Zahavi, Itzhaki and Omri Altman. As for the hosts themselves, Diego Rolán was their main protagonist in a goalless and relatively uninspired first half.

The 20-year-old Uruguayan forward continued his attacking industry after the restart and, three minutes into the second period, his cross was headed in by Brazilian team-mate Jussiê from close range to give the Ligue 1 strugglers relief. Maccabi battled back into the affair, however, and despite a string of saves from Cédric Carrasso's understudy Olimpa, the breakthrough arrived. On 71 minutes, Rade Prica slid in Itzhaki to calmly level the scores.

The delighted visiting fans were dancing again nine minutes later too, when Mikha's angled shot thundered past Olimpa to hand Maccabi Tel-Aviv a first UEFA Europa League away win. That lifted them up to second in the standings on four points, two adrift of Eintracht, whom they now face in a double-header. "If we don't win the next match, we're out," said Bordeaux coach Francis Gillot, with his team due to host APOEL FC on 24 October.