Spread the word
Bournemouth delivered one of the standout performances of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League action, defeating AC Milan 3-0, as Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen continued their perfect starts to the league phase.
The third round of Europa League matches also saw Juventus held to a 2-2 draw by Rennes, Sunderland share the points with Lech Poznań, and Crystal Palace recover from a goal down to draw 2-2 away to Beşiktaş. Blueprint reports
In the UEFA Conference League, Swiss side Lugano produced one of the evening’s biggest results, beating Getafe 5-2 in Spain after falling behind early. Panathinaikos also recorded an emphatic 5-1 away victory over Kairat Almaty, while Brighton were held to a goalless draw by Jablonec.
The two competitions delivered a mixture of high-scoring encounters, late goals and closely contested matches as clubs continued their campaigns in the league-phase format on October 22, 2026.
Bournemouth dismantle AC Milan
Bournemouth produced a memorable performance against Milan, winning 3-0 to maintain their winning run in the Europa League league phase.
The English side took control through two first-half penalties converted by Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier. Milan’s task became more difficult when goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off, leaving the Italian club with a significant disadvantage.
Despite attempts to respond after the break, Milan struggled to find a way back into the contest. Bournemouth remained organised and continued to threaten before Amine Adli sealed the victory with a superb free-kick six minutes from full time.
The result strengthened Bournemouth’s position after three consecutive victories and represented another impressive European performance for the club.
Benfica also maintained their perfect record, defeating Omonia 4-1 away from home. An own goal gave the Portuguese side an early advantage, but Loïc Nego’s own goal was followed by Andronikos Kakoullis’s equaliser for Omonia before the break.
Benfica responded after half-time, with Vangelis Pavlidis, Fredrik Aursnes and Gianluca Prestianni scoring to secure a convincing win.
Bayer Leverkusen continued their strong campaign with a 2-0 victory over OFI Crete. Jonas Hofmann scored both goals as the German side maintained their unbeaten defensive record in the competition.
Ferencváros also moved to three wins from three after defeating Torreense 4-1, while Olympiacos secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Sparta Prague.
Juventus drop points as Rennes hold firm
Juventus missed the opportunity to maintain a perfect record after being held to a 2-2 draw by Rennes.
The Italian side made a fast start when Zeki Çelik scored inside five minutes, but Rennes responded through Musa Al-Taamari in the 15th minute.
Boulaye Dia then converted a penalty shortly before half-time to put the visitors ahead. Juventus needed another response and found it through Nick Woltemade, who converted a penalty in the second half to rescue a point.
The draw kept Juventus unbeaten but ended their winning start to the competition.
Crystal Palace also shared the points in a lively 2-2 encounter against Beşiktaş in Istanbul. Wilfred Ndidi put the Turkish side ahead shortly before half-time, but Palace responded after the break through Yeremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored twice in a five-minute spell.
Beşiktaş refused to give up and substitute Junior Olaitan restored parity in the 73rd minute. The home side subsequently had Ümit Akdağ sent off, but the contest ended with both teams taking a point.
Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw by Lech Poznań. The English side took the lead in the second minute through Timur Tutierov, who headed home after Nilson Angulo won possession.
Lech pushed for an equaliser and were rewarded in the 70th minute when Leo Bengtsson found the net. Both sides created further opportunities, but neither could find a winner.
Elsewhere, Real Sociedad recorded the biggest victory of the Europa League round, beating Lillestrøm 6-0. Sergio Gómez and Luka Sučić each scored twice in an emphatic away performance.
AZ Alkmaar defeated Ararat-Armenia 4-0, with Weslley Patati scoring twice. Union Saint-Gilloise beat Hapoel Beer-Sheva 4-0, while NEC Nijmegen defeated Dinamo Zagreb 4-2.
Sturm Graz edged Marseille 1-0, Celta Vigo defeated Celtic 2-1, Levski Sofia won 2-1 away to Viktoria Plzeň, Anderlecht beat Jagiellonia 3-0, and Salzburg drew 2-2 with Celje.
All 18 matches played on Thursday ended as follows:
Ararat-Armenia 0-4 AZ Alkmaar
Ferencváros 4-1 Torreense
Dinamo Zagreb 2-4 NEC Nijmegen
Juventus 2-2 Rennes
Lech Poznań 1-1 Sunderland
OFI Crete 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Sturm Graz 1-0 Marseille
Bournemouth 3-0 AC Milan
Beşiktaş 2-2 Crystal Palace
Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo
Viktoria Plzeň 1-2 Levski Sofia
Jagiellonia 0-3 Anderlecht
Lillestrøm 0-6 Real Sociedad
Celje 2-2 Salzburg
Olympiacos 1-0 Sparta Prague
Omonia 1-4 Benfica
Hoffenheim 3-0 Lyon
The results left Bournemouth, Benfica, Leverkusen, Ferencváros and Olympiacos among the teams with three wins from three matches. Leverkusen’s defensive record was particularly notable, with the German club yet to concede a goal in the league phase after their opening three fixtures.
Lugano stun Getafe in seven-goal thriller
In the Conference League, Lugano produced a remarkable comeback to defeat Getafe 5-2 in Spain.
Getafe started strongly, but Lugano responded with a ruthless attacking display to take control of the contest. The Swiss side scored five times, with Albian Ajeti among the goalscorers, while Yanis Cimignani and Uran Bislimi also found the net.
Borja Mayoral scored for Getafe in the second half, but Kevin Behrens added another goal for Lugano in the closing stages to complete the visitors’ emphatic victory.
The result kept Lugano among the competition’s early pace-setters and underlined their attacking threat.
Panathinaikos also enjoyed a productive night, defeating Kairat Almaty 5-1 away from home. Cyriel Dessers scored twice, strengthening his position among the competition’s leading scorers, while the Greek side demonstrated its ability to produce goals on the road.
Brann recorded a 4-1 win over Kauno Žalgiris, with Noah Holm scoring the first hat-trick of the 2026/27 Conference League league phase. The Norwegian side joined the group of clubs that had won both opening matches.
Trabzonspor defeated Hearts 2-0, with Mohamed Salah scoring from the penalty spot before setting up Djú Franculino for the second goal. The result continued the Turkish side’s winning start, although they finished with 10 men after Sidny Lopes Cabral was sent off in added time.
Monaco also recorded a second consecutive victory, beating Freiburg 3-0. Paris Brunner opened the scoring with an impressive solo effort before Lamine Camara doubled the advantage. Ansu Fati added the third to complete a convincing home performance.
Brighton held as Ajax claim first victory
Brighton were unable to break down Jablonec’s defence in a goalless draw in the Czech Republic.
The English side began aggressively, with Jack Hinshelwood testing goalkeeper Jan Hanuš early in the contest. Georginio Rutter also featured prominently in Brighton’s attacking play, but the hosts grew into the match and created opportunities of their own.
Bart Verbruggen was called upon to make an important save from Jiří Sláma, while Martin Cedidla came close with another effort. Neither side could find a breakthrough, leaving Brighton with a point.
Ajax, meanwhile, secured their first victory of the campaign by defeating Atalanta 2-0. After a difficult opening match, the Dutch side found the breakthrough late in the contest through substitute Tolu Arokodare, before Abdellah Ouazane added a second goal to seal the result.
Elsewhere, Twente defeated Lincoln Red Imps 4-1, Universitatea Craiova won 3-1 away to Inter Club d’Escaldes, and Hajduk Split beat Thun 1-0. Sint-Truidense secured a 1-0 away victory over Midtjylland, while Borac defeated KuPS Kuopio 2-0.
Braga beat Gent 2-0, while Copenhagen were held to a 2-2 draw by Crvena Zvezda. Nordsjælland and CSKA Sofia also shared the points after a 2-2 draw. Iberia Tbilisi drew 1-1 with Mjällby, Pafos and Riga finished 1-1, and Aarhus drew 1-1 with Egnatia.
Conference League results
Thursday’s 18 matches produced the following results:
Kairat Almaty 1-5 Panathinaikos
Iberia Tbilisi 1-1 Mjällby
Nordsjælland 2-2 CSKA Sofia
Crvena Zvezda 2-2 Copenhagen
Jablonec 0-0 Brighton
Kauno Žalgiris 1-4 Brann
Getafe 2-5 Lugano
Inter Club d’Escaldes 1-3 Universitatea Craiova
Pafos 1-1 Riga
Trabzonspor 2-0 Hearts
Ajax 2-0 Atalanta
Aarhus 1-1 Egnatia
Monaco 3-0 Freiburg
Midtjylland 0-1 Sint-Truidense
Thun 0-1 Hajduk Split
Borac 2-0 KuPS Kuopio
Lincoln Red Imps 1-4 Twente
Braga 2-0 Gent
Attention turns to the next round
The results have sharpened the early competition for places in the knockout stages, with several clubs making strong starts while others will need to improve in the coming rounds.
In the Europa League, Bournemouth, Benfica and Leverkusen continued to demonstrate their credentials, while Juventus and Crystal Palace were left to reflect on missed opportunities after drawing their matches.
The Conference League also produced a competitive picture, with Panathinaikos, Lugano, Brann, Trabzonspor, Twente, Monaco, Sint-Truidense and Hajduk Split among the teams to record consecutive victories.
The next round of league-phase matches in both competitions is scheduled for November 5, when clubs will seek to build on their results or recover from setbacks as the race for qualification intensifies.
Spread the word