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AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen recorded emphatic victories in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, while Bournemouth and Benfica also impressed as the competition’s league phase continued with an action-packed second round.
Milan defeated Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 away from home, while Leverkusen secured an identical scoreline against Lech Poznan in Poland. Blueprint reports
Bournemouth marked their European home campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Sturm Graz, while Benfica overwhelmed Celtic 4-1 in Lisbon.
Elsewhere, Lyon edged Crystal Palace 3-2 in a five-goal encounter, Sunderland scored a stoppage-time winner to beat Torreense 2-1, and Juventus came from behind to defeat Celta Vigo by the same scoreline.
The results on Thursday, October 15, 2026 provided important opportunities for clubs seeking to strengthen their positions in the league phase, with the next round scheduled for Thursday, October 22.
Cisse inspires Milan to emphatic victory
Milan produced one of the most impressive performances of the night, defeating Salzburg 4-0 in Austria to register their first victory of the league phase.
Teenage forward Alphadjo Cisse stole the spotlight with a hat-trick, becoming the youngest Italian to score a hat-trick in European club competition, according to Reuters.
The performance was particularly significant for Milan after their opening-round defeat to Benfica. The Italian side responded with an attacking display that demonstrated their ability to recover from a disappointing start.
Cisse’s achievement also placed him in the spotlight as one of the emerging young players to watch in the competition. His goals helped Milan secure a convincing result away from home, giving the club renewed momentum ahead of their next fixture.
Salzburg, meanwhile, were unable to contain Milan’s attack and will need to improve defensively as the league phase progresses.
Leverkusen dismantle Lech Poznan
Bayer Leverkusen also recorded a 4-0 away victory, defeating Lech Poznan in Poland in another commanding performance by a German side.
Patrik Schick scored twice from the penalty spot as Leverkusen capitalised on their opportunities to take control of the contest.
The result strengthened Leverkusen’s position after their opening-round victory over Celje and underlined their ambitions to remain competitive throughout the European campaign.
For Lech Poznan, the heavy defeat was a setback in front of their home supporters. The Polish side struggled to contain the visitors and will need a stronger defensive performance in their subsequent fixtures.
Leverkusen will return to action on October 22 when they travel to Greece to face OFI Crete.
Bournemouth celebrate European home win
Bournemouth enjoyed a memorable night by defeating Sturm Graz 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Goals from Evanilson, Rayan and Álvaro Rodríguez secured the victory, giving the English side a convincing result in front of their home supporters.
The win was another encouraging moment for Bournemouth, who have continued to build their European campaign following their opening-round victory over Real Sociedad.
Their performance against Sturm Graz showed their capacity to create scoring opportunities and convert them into goals. The clean sheet also provided a positive defensive contribution as the club seeks to maintain consistency in the competition.
Bournemouth face a major test in their next match when they host Milan on October 22. The meeting will bring together two teams who recorded convincing victories in the second round.
Benfica punish Celtic as Lyon edge Crystal Palace
Benfica delivered one of the night’s biggest home victories, beating Celtic 4-1 in Lisbon.
The Portuguese side controlled key periods of the match and made their attacking opportunities count. Jhon Durán scored twice, while Alexander Bah also found the net as Benfica secured their second victory of the league phase.
The result followed Benfica’s opening-round win over Milan and further strengthened their start to the competition.
Celtic, who had lost to Ferencváros in their opening fixture, suffered another setback. The Scottish side will need to improve their defensive organisation and make better use of their attacking opportunities if they are to recover in the remaining rounds.
In France, Lyon defeated Crystal Palace 3-2 in one of the most closely contested matches of the evening.
Palace fought back through goals from Yeremy Pino and Daichi Kamada, but Lyon held on to secure all three points. The result was a setback for the English side after their emphatic 4-0 opening-round victory over Lech Poznan.
Lyon, meanwhile, responded positively after losing to Anderlecht in their first league-phase match.
The result leaves both sides with further work to do as they seek to secure favourable positions before the knockout stage.
Sunderland win late as Juventus complete comeback
Sunderland secured a dramatic 2-1 away victory over Torreense in Portugal, with Noah Sadiki scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time.
Torreense had taken the lead through Volnei Feltes, but Sunderland responded through Ahoka before Sadiki completed the comeback with a late strike.
The victory maintained Sunderland’s perfect start to the league phase following their opening-round win over AZ Alkmaar. Their ability to recover from going behind and find a late winner could prove valuable as the competition progresses.
Juventus also produced a late turnaround, defeating Celta Vigo 2-1 in Spain.
After falling behind, the Italian side fought back to take all three points, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring the winner in stoppage time.
The result represented an important away victory for Juventus, who had opened their campaign with a 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen.
Other notable results included Beşiktaş’s 3-2 away victory over Hoffenheim, Olympiacos’ 1-0 win against Marseille, and Ferencváros’ 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzeň.
Sparta Prague 1-1 Lillestrøm
AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Red Bull Salzburg 0-4 AC Milan
Lech Poznan 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Celje 0-3 Omonia Nicosia
Lyon 3-2 Crystal Palace
Union Saint-Gilloise 1-1 Real Sociedad
Torreense 1-2 Sunderland
Bournemouth 3-0 Sturm Graz
Ferencváros 2-1 Viktoria Plzeň
Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Anderlecht
Jagiellonia Białystok 3-1 Ararat-Armenia
NEC Nijmegen 1-1 Levski Sofia
Marseille 0-1 Olympiacos
Celta Vigo 1-2 Juventus
Benfica 4-1 Celtic
Rennes 2-1 OFI Crete
Hoffenheim 2-3 Beşiktaş
The competition will resume on Thursday, October 22, for the third round of the league phase, with 18 matches scheduled across the day.
Among the most anticipated encounters are Bournemouth against Milan, Beşiktaş against Crystal Palace, Juventus against Rennes, Celtic against Celta Vigo, and Omonia Nicosia against Benfica.
Lech Poznan will host Sunderland, while OFI Crete will face Leverkusen. Olympiacos will take on Sparta Prague, and Hoffenheim will meet Lyon in another encounter involving teams seeking to improve their positions.
Other fixtures include Ararat-Armenia against AZ Alkmaar, Ferencváros against Torreense, Dinamo Zagreb against NEC Nijmegen, Union Saint-Gilloise against Hapoel Beer-Sheva, and Sturm Graz against Marseille.
Jagiellonia Białystok will play Anderlecht, Lillestrøm will face Real Sociedad, Celje will meet Salzburg, and Viktoria Plzeň will take on Levski Sofia.
The third round will provide clubs with another opportunity to collect valuable points as the league phase continues. For Milan, Leverkusen, Bournemouth and Benfica, the challenge will be to build on their convincing victories, while teams that suffered defeats will be looking to respond quickly.
With several rounds still to come, Thursday’s results have shaped the early picture of the competition, but consistency over the remaining fixtures will be crucial for clubs hoping to advance to the knockout stages.
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