Steaua Bucuresti 2 : 1 Rio Ave - Rusescu at the double for Steaua

Raul Rusescu scored a first-half double as Steaua Bucharest claimed a 2-1 win over Rio Ave in Thursday night's Europa League Group J clash.

Rusescu headed the Romanian side ahead in the 17th minute then scored the second on the stroke of half time to put the hosts 2-0 up at the break.

Yonathan Del Valle pulled one back for Rio Ave early in the second period with a 25-yard strike but the Portuguese side were unable to find the net again to salvage a point.

The first chance of the match fell to Rio Ave when Esmael Goncalves forced an early save from Steaua goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis in the sixth minute.

However, it was the home side who scored first, with Rusescu breaking the deadlock after heading firmly into the net from five metres out after Iasmin Latovlevici sent in a good cross from the left.

The Steaua striker was on target again in the 45th minute when his angled shot from 20 yards bounced in just out of reach of the fingertips of diving Rio Ave goalkeeper Cassio.

Rio Ave were quickly back in it at the start of the second half, though, when Del Valle fired in from distance with a rising shot which hit the top corner of Arlauskis' net.

The goal put the Portuguese side right back in the game and Andre Ukra went close to adding their second only for Arlauskis to deny him in the 60th minute.

Cassio tipped Nicolae Stanciu's shot around the post in the 72nd minute to keep the visitors within touching distance before saving Cristian Tanase's shot from the resulting corner as the pressure started to mount on Rio Ave.

The visitors almost levelled in the 89th minute when Alhassan Wakaso saw his header go over the bar but that was the closest they came meaning they left empty-handed.