Osasuna 3-1 Odense BK - Nekounam shines in Osasuna victory

ESPN - Osasuna enjoyed their first win in UEFA Cup Group D against OB Odense on Wednesday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Round of 32.

Francisco Punal scored twice for the home side, before turning from hero to villain with an unlikely own goal which raised the hopes of the Danish visitors.

But a late strike from Bernardo Romeo made sure of the points to leave them needing a draw in their final match against Parma in order to qualify for the knockout stage.

OB must also wait to see if they have made it through, with the team relying on other results to go their way in the final round of matches after completing their group campaign in Pamplona.

Defender Enrique Corrales was named in Osasuna's starting line-up after passing a late fitness test on an ankle problem, but Ludovic Delporte, Jose Izquierdo and Carlos Cueller were all ruled out.

Yet despite the absentees, the Spanish side enjoyed the brighter start and Javad Nekounam sent out an early warning to OB with a long-range bullet which flew just wide of the right post.

The Danish visitors soon fought their way into the game with Tobias Grahn volleying over the bar from 25 yards before Rajko Lekic powered in a header which finished the wrong side of the post.

But the missed chances came back to haunt OB after 29 minutes when Nekounam's inswinging corner found the feet of Punal, who smashed the ball low into the net from 18 yards to give Osasuna the lead.

Victory at the Estadio El Sadar would ensure a place in the Round of 32 for OB, and with that playing on their minds, Bruce Rioch's men pushed hard to get back on level terms before the interval.

But they were frustrated in their attempts with Anders Moller Christensen directing Jonas Borring's corner straight at Osasuna keeper Ricardo, while Brazilian midfielder Bechara should have done better with a 12-yard strike which he blasted over the crossbar.

Osasuna were the first team to find their feet after the break and OB custodian Arkadiusz Onyszko pulled off an agile fingertip save to deny David Lopez from the edge of the area.

Onyszko made another good stop soon after from Roberto Soldado, but the Polish keeper's luck ran out after 67 minutes when Punal grabbed his second of the match with a 20-yard strike which nestled into the bottom right corner.

Despite the scoreline, OB refused to let their heads drop and a spell of pressure eventually paid off in the 73rd minute as Punal completed his ``hat-trick'' by turning the ball into his own net following Martin Borre's teasing cross.

However, any hopes of a comeback were ended three minutes from time when substitute Romeo beat Onyszko from 12 yards.