Five teams have now established themselves at the top of the standings. Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, AFC Bournemouth, Ferencváros and Olympiacos have all won their opening three matches. At the opposite end of the table, several established European clubs are already facing serious difficulties.
Salzburg squander two-goal lead in Celje
Red Bull Salzburg missed a golden opportunity in Slovenia to put themselves in a much stronger position ahead of the remaining five matchdays. Danny Röhl’s side led NK Celje 2-0 but conceded an equaliser in the 90th minute.
The match had initially unfolded exactly as Salzburg had hoped. Sota Kitano gave the visitors the lead after just nine minutes, converting a chance created by Damir Redžić. Immediately after half-time, substitute Jesper Lindstrøm doubled the advantage, again following an assist from Redžić (46′).
Celje responded almost immediately, however. Blaž Kramer pulled a goal back just four minutes later after getting the better of Salzburg left-back Dominik Schmid. The hosts grew in confidence, while Salzburg increasingly struggled to convert their own attacking opportunities and maintain their defensive organisation.
Haris Tabaković in particular missed several promising chances, including an opportunity shortly before the final whistle. Instead of Salzburg making it 3-1, Celje struck at the other end. Substitute Armandas Kučys found the far corner with a precise finish in the 90th minute to secure a 2-2 draw.
The statistics confirm that Celje were far from outplayed. The expected goals figures actually favoured the Slovenian side by a narrow margin, 1.60 to 1.56, with the hosts creating higher-quality chances despite attempting fewer shots.
Salzburg consequently remain on four points in 21st place. Victory would have lifted them to 13th, making the dropped points particularly frustrating given the fixtures still to come. A difficult trip to Anderlecht awaits on the next matchday, with Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace among their later opponents.
Bournemouth brush Milan aside
AFC Bournemouth’s remarkable debut European campaign continues to gather momentum. After victories over Real Sociedad and Sturm Graz, Marco Rose’s team defeated AC Milan 3-0.
The English side took the lead in the eighth minute when Justin Kluivert converted a penalty awarded for handball. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan then made matters considerably worse for his team in the 27th minute, receiving a red card for an act of violent conduct against Tyler Adams. The Frenchman’s dismissal also resulted in another penalty, which Marcus Tavernier converted to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute.
Bournemouth dominated proceedings thereafter. The hosts registered 20 shots, while Milan managed just three attempts and failed to produce a single effort on target.
Amine Adli completed the scoring with an excellent free-kick in the 84th minute. Bournemouth now have nine points and an impressive goal difference of 8-1. For Milan, it was already their second defeat in three Europa League matches.
Celtic’s European crisis deepens
Things are going even worse for Celtic. The Scottish giants suffered their third consecutive league-phase defeat, going down 2-1 to Celta Vigo and remaining without a point.
For a while, it looked as though Celtic might finally claim their first positive result. Mika Baur put them ahead shortly after the restart (47′), but Javi Rodríguez turned the match around with two goals in the space of four minutes (68′, 71′).
Following earlier defeats to Ferencváros (3-1) and Benfica (4-1), Celtic have now conceded nine goals in three matches. The Scottish champions sit second from bottom and urgently need to improve their defensive stability.
The problems are not confined to Glasgow. Viktoria Plzeň suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Levski Sofia and also remain on zero points. The Czech side had previously lost to Union Saint-Gilloise (3-0) and Ferencváros (2-1).
Olympique Marseille are enduring an equally disastrous European autumn. After losing 4-1 to Beşiktaş and 1-0 to Olympiacos, the French club suffered another 1-0 defeat at Sturm Graz. With just one goal scored and six conceded, Marseille occupy 34th place.
Real Sociedad record historic six-goal victory
Real Sociedad produced the biggest win of the matchday, thrashing Lillestrøm SK 6-0 away from home and equalling their previous record for the club’s largest victory in European competition.
Sergio Gómez scored twice in three minutes (24′, 26′), before Luka Sučić made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute. After the interval, Orri Steinn Óskarsson (63′), Sučić again (71′) and Arsen Zakharyan (79′) completed the rout.
Mikel Oyarzabal was particularly influential, setting up the first three goals. Having opened their campaign with a defeat to Bournemouth and a draw against Union Saint-Gilloise, Real Sociedad finally secured their first victory and climbed to 14th place.
Five teams maintain perfect records
Five clubs sit at the top of the standings with a maximum nine points from three matches.
Benfica won 4-1 away to Omonia Nicosia and lead the table thanks to their 10-2 goal difference. Bayer Leverkusen secured a 2-0 victory at OFI Crete, with Jonas Hofmann scoring both goals. The German side are also the only team yet to concede in this season’s league phase.
Bournemouth are also on nine points, while Ferencváros extended their winning run with a 4-1 victory over Torreense. Olympiacos remain perfect as well. The Greek side defeated Sparta Prague 1-0, adding to earlier victories against Jagiellonia and Marseille.
The sixth team to enter the matchday with a flawless record finally dropped points. Juventus were held to a 2-2 draw by Rennes.
Austrian clubs on course for the knockout rounds
Sturm Graz’s 1-0 victory against Marseille was their first win of this season’s Europa League campaign. The Graz side now occupy 19th place with four points and have restored their prospects of progressing following their disappointing performance at Bournemouth.
Salzburg sit just behind them in 21st, despite allowing victory to slip away in Celje. After three of the eight league-phase matchdays, both Austrian clubs remain inside the top 24, the positions required to advance to the knockout stage.
While Sturm can draw confidence from their success against Marseille, Salzburg urgently need greater defensive discipline. Having conceded four goals against Milan and another two in Celje, the back line remains the biggest concern for Danny Röhl’s side.
