Yesterday saw nine matches conclude the opening round of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League group stage. While there were no outright shocks, some unexpected results did emerge.
Nearly half of the fixtures ended in commanding victories, with one win secured away from home. Notably, some well-known clubs were among the losing sides. It was perhaps anticipated that Marseille would struggle against Besiktas on the road, but the scale of their defeat was surprising.
In the 2026-27 Europa League fixtures on September 17, Juventus dominated Nijmegen 5-0. Goals came from Gonzalez N. in the 9th minute, Alajbegovic in the 24th, and Voltemade converted a penalty in the 35th to make it 3-0 by halftime. The scoring continued in the second half with Celik netting in the 75th and Kolo Muani sealing the rout in the 82nd minute. Bookings were shown to Luis D. at 53 minutes and Monteiro J. at 52 minutes.
Real Sociedad suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Bournemouth. The visitors took an early lead through Kluivert in the 11th minute and doubled their advantage with Ryan scoring in the 20th. Gomez S. pulled one back for Sociedad in the 57th minute, but it wasn’t enough. Yellow cards were issued to Turrentes (24), Barrenetxea (33), and Oskarsson (75) for Sociedad, while Kluivert (42), Truffet (52), and Diakite B. (69) were booked for Bournemouth.
Besiktas secured a convincing 4-1 victory over Marseille. The hosts opened the scoring through Fakili in the 15th minute, but Abdallah K. equalized for Marseille in the 29th. Besiktas then pulled away with goals from Cherny V. (56), Murillo A. (59), and Poku E. (81). Bookings included Agbadu (10) and Miretti (90) for Besiktas, with Arit receiving a card at 72 minutes for Marseille.
In Glasgow, Celtic fell 1-3 to Ferencváros. The Hungarian side struck first with Yusuf scoring in the 20th minute. Bauer leveled for Celtic just before halftime, but Zachariassen restored Ferencváros’ lead right before the break. Arzani added a third goal early in the second half. Levi J. and Oshvat were booked for Ferencváros in the 86th and 87th minutes respectively.
Viktoria Plzen were beaten 0-3 at home by Union Saint-Gilloise. The visitors took control with goals from Mofokeng (17), Biondic (43), and Krichfalushi (59). Yellow cards went to Groshovski (45) and Pirgic (60) for Viktoria, while Krichfalushi (16) and Biondic (42) were cautioned for Union.
Levski Sofia suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Salzburg. The only goal was scored by Tabakovic in the 39th minute. Bookings included Senteles (55) for Levski, with Kitano (41), Tabakovic (56), Mazurek B. (60), Vertessen (65), and Bari Ab. (90) booked for Salzburg.
Crystal Palace cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Lech Poznan. The scoring began early with Pino J. netting in the 10th minute, followed by Richards Cr. in the 27th. Strand Larsen converted a penalty in the 34th, and Nketiah capped the win in the 89th minute. Murawski received two yellow cards at 76 and 87 minutes, resulting in a sending off.
At the OFI Crete Stadium, OFI defeated Hoffenheim 2-0. Goals were scored by Kantalapierda A. in the 30th minute and Kanellopoulos in the 84th. Yellow cards were shown to Androuzos (56) and Kantalapierda A. (64) for OFI, and Tsoufal (23), De Cat (53), and Machida (63) for Hoffenheim.
Finally, Lillestrom lost 1-2 at home to Torrense. Alfaro A. gave Torrense the lead in the 23rd minute, and Posso doubled their advantage early in the second half. Olsen T. pulled one back for Lillestrom in the 79th minute. Bookings included Gulbrandsen (58) for Lillestrom, and Posso (51), Bruno D. (57), Jatta (69, 85), and Jean (71) for Torrense. Jatta was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 85th minute.
