Europa League: AC Milan, Benfica, Bournemouth Cruise As Lyon Edge Palace, Sunderland Rally
Benfica and Bournemouth recorded convincing victories, while Lyon edged Crystal Palace 3-2 and Sunderland mounted a late comeback on Thursday as the UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 produced 18 matches across Europe.
Benfica defeated Celtic 4-1, with Jhon Durán scoring twice and Alexander Bah and Vangelis Pavlidis also finding the net. Celtic pulled one back through Camilo Durán but could not prevent the Portuguese side from securing a comfortable win.
Bournemouth enjoyed an equally impressive night, beating Sturm Graz 3-0 in their maiden European home fixture. Evanilson opened the scoring with a spectacular looping header before substitutes Rayan and Álvaro Rodríguez completed the victory, the latter converting a late penalty.
Lyon survived a spirited Crystal Palace fightback to claim a 3-2 victory. Corentin Tolisso and Ernest Nuamah gave the French side a 2-0 half-time lead before Yeremy Pino reduced the deficit shortly after the restart.
Pavel Šulc restored Lyon’s two-goal advantage, but Daichi Kamada struck in the 81st minute to set up a tense finish. Palace pushed for an equaliser, but Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif denied Chris Richards’ late header.
Sunderland also left it late to secure a 2-1 win over Portuguese second-tier side Torreense in Leiria. Volnei Feltes gave the hosts the lead in the 36th minute, but Jules Ahoka levelled with a downward header before Noah Sadiki fired home a stoppage-time winner from Granit Xhaka’s lay-off.
Elsewhere, AC Milan thrashed Salzburg 4-0, with Alphadjo Cisse scoring a hat-trick, while Bayer Leverkusen defeated Lech Poznań by the same scoreline. Omonia also claimed a 3-0 away win against Celje.
Juventus came from behind to beat Celta 2-1, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring a stoppage-time winner. Beşiktaş defeated Hoffenheim 3-2, helped by a brace from Hyeongyu Oh, while Olympiacos secured a 1-0 victory away to Marseille through Santiago Hezze’s goal.
Other results saw AZ Alkmaar beat Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-1, Ferencváros overcome Viktoria Plzeň 2-1, GNK Dinamo defeat Anderlecht 1-0 and Jagiellonia beat Ararat-Armenia 3-1. Sparta Praha drew 1-1 with Lillestrøm, Union SG and Real Sociedad also played out a 1-1 draw, N.E.C. shared the points with Levski Sofia, while Rennes defeated OFI Crete 2-1.
The competition resumes on October 22 with Matchday 3, featuring Bournemouth against Milan, Beşiktaş versus Crystal Palace, Celtic against Celta and Omonia taking on Benfica among the standout fixtures.
