Europa League matchday 1, Wednesday: Benfica win at San Siro, Sparta score four in Yerevan, and Sunderland's first European night ends in a win

The league phase of the Europa League opened with nine matches on Wednesday, seven of them won and two goalless, and seventeen goals in all. Benfica took the biggest result, 2–0 at AC Milan, with J. Kaminski setting up the first goal and scoring the second; Sparta Praha scored four in Yerevan; Lyon were two up inside 22 minutes at Anderlecht; and Sunderland, in their first European tie since the 1973–74 Cup Winners' Cup, beat AZ Alkmaar with a penalty. Three of the seven wins were away. Nobody was sent off. Thursday's nine matches complete the round.

The early kick-offs

Ararat-Armenia 1–4 Sparta Praha was decided in two minutes either side of the twentieth. T. Guddal scored on 20 from A. Karabec's pass and again on 22; J. Mercado, from J. Alcocer, made it three on 53; B. R. Wilson Valdez, from Sandro Lima, pulled one back on 55; and P. Vydra, from M. Jurasek, added the fourth on 71. Sparta had 23 shots to Ararat's thirteen, eight of them on target, and 58 per cent of the ball.

Omonia Nicosia 1–0 Celta Vigo went the other way from the numbers. Celta had 18 shots to eleven, 53 per cent of the ball and expected goals of 1.14 to 0.32, and lost to J. Balkovec's goal on 88 minutes.

The evening

AC Milan 0–2 Benfica: D. Lukebakio scored on 16 from J. Kaminski's pass, and Kaminski scored himself on 53 from S. El Karouani's. Milan had 61 per cent of the ball and sixteen shots to Benfica's eleven, four on target apiece, and an expected-goals edge of 0.96 to 0.64 that never became a goal.

Anderlecht 1–2 Lyon was two up early: N. Nartey on 8, K. Nakamura on 22 from M. Ouedraogo's pass. M. Cvetkovic, from A. Maamar, pulled one back on 61. Lyon put ten of their thirteen shots on target; Anderlecht had more of the ball, 58 per cent, and the higher expected goals, 1.40 to 1.27, and came out with nothing.

Bayer Leverkusen 2–0 Celje: an S. Seslar own goal on 15 put Leverkusen ahead, and F. Medina, from A. Garcia's pass, settled it on 74. Leverkusen had seventeen shots to Celje's five and eight on target to three.

Hapoel Beer Sheva 0–0 Dinamo Zagreb was the flatter of the two draws. Hapoel had 66 per cent of the ball and fifteen shots to seven, but only two on target; Dinamo managed one.

Olympiakos Piraeus 2–1 Jagiellonia: Jagiellonia led through K. Szmyt on 20, from N. Prelec's pass; A. Gonzalez, from P. Retsos, equalised on 43; and R. Yaremchuk, from R. Freuler, won it on 84. Olympiakos had 25 shots to Jagiellonia's four.

Sturm Graz 0–0 Rennes: Rennes had 62 per cent of the ball, 23 shots to eleven and expected goals of 1.82 to 0.68, and did not score.

Sunderland 1–0 AZ Alkmaar: E. Le Fee's penalty on 66 minutes won Sunderland's first European match in 52 years. Sunderland had twenty shots to AZ's eleven and expected goals of 2.90 to 1.49, so the margin flattered the visitors.

The table after Wednesday

With eighteen of the thirty-six clubs having played, the table is goal difference. Sparta Praha lead on +3; Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen are on +2; Lyon, Olympiakos, Omonia and Sunderland on +1. Dinamo Zagreb, Hapoel Beer Sheva, Rennes and Sturm Graz have a point each. Ararat-Armenia (−3), AC Milan and Celje (−2) are at the bottom for now. The full standings are on the Europa League page.

Numbers to know

• Seventeen goals in nine matches; two goalless draws; no red cards.
• T. Guddal's two goals in two minutes were the quickest brace of the night; J. Kaminski was the only player with a goal and an assist.
• The three sides that lost while winning on expected goals: Celta Vigo (1.14 to 0.32), AC Milan (0.96 to 0.64) and Anderlecht (1.40 to 1.27).

Next up

Thursday finishes the round with nine more. Levski Sofia v Red Bull Salzburg and OFI v 1899 Hoffenheim are the early kick-offs; the evening brings Juventus v NEC Nijmegen, Real Sociedad v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Lech Poznań, Celtic v Ferencváros, Beşiktaş v Marseille, Plzeň v Union Saint-Gilloise and Lillestrøm v Torreense. The full list is on the Europa League page.