Europa League matchday 2: Cissè's hat-trick in Salzburg, Lyon edge Palace, ten clubs on six points

All eighteen matches of the Europa League's second round were played on one Thursday night, and they produced 56 goals. Alphadjo Cissè scored a hat-trick as AC Milan won 4–0 at Red Bull Salzburg, Lyon beat Crystal Palace 3–2, and Bayer Leverkusen were three up at Lech Poznań by half-time. Juventus, Sunderland and Dinamo Zagreb all won with goals in stoppage time. There were eight home wins, seven away wins and three draws, and ten clubs now have six points from two matches.

The early kick-offs

AZ Alkmaar 2–1 Hapoel Beer Sheva: Peer Koopmeiners scored on 49 from Valdemar Byskov Andreasen's pass, Forson Amankwah equalised for Hapoel Beer Sheva on 55 from Zahi Ahmed's, and Mexx Meerdink's penalty on 77 won it for AZ, who had fourteen shots to five.

Celje 0–3 Omonia Nicosia: Celje had 61 per cent of the ball and two shots on target. Omonia scored through Jaden Sean Montnor on 16 from Ewandro's pass, Muamer Tanković on 59 from Jean-Kevin Duverne's and Senou Coulibaly on 84 from Mihlali Mayambela's, and have now won twice without conceding.

Lech Poznań 0–4 Bayer Leverkusen: Patrik Schick scored two penalties, on 29 and 41, with Malik Tillman's goal on 32 in between; Ibrahim Maza added the fourth on 88 from Afonso Moreira's pass. Leverkusen had 22 shots and ten on target, and Lech have lost both matches by an aggregate of 8–0.

Lyon 3–2 Crystal Palace: Corentin Tolisso scored on 8 and Ernest Nuamah on 45+2 from Keito Nakamura's pass. Yeremy Pino pulled one back on 50 from Adam Wharton's, Pavel Šulc restored the two-goal lead on 76, again from Nakamura, and Daichi Kamada's goal on 81 left Palace a goal short. Each side had four shots on target. It was a losing return to Lyon for Palace's coach, Pierre Sage, whom the club sacked in January 2025, Sky Sports notes; he called it "a very disappointing return".

Union Saint-Gilloise 1–1 Real Sociedad: Beñat Turrientes put Real Sociedad ahead a minute into the second half, on 46, and Sekou Abrahame Keita equalised on 88. Union had sixteen shots to five; Real Sociedad put one on target all night.

Red Bull Salzburg 0–4 AC Milan: Cissè scored on 15 from Omari Hutchinson's pass, on 32 from Davide Bartesaghi's and on 49 from Adrien Rabiot's, and Gonçalo Ramos made it four on 72. Filippo Terracciano was sent off on 83. Milan put ten of their fifteen shots on target; Salzburg, with more of the ball, managed two. It was Milan's first win of the league phase; ANSA reports that Cissè, a week short of his 20th birthday, is the youngest Italian to score a hat-trick in a major European competition, and the first Italian to score a European hat-trick for Milan since Filippo Inzaghi, against Deportivo La Coruña in the Champions League in 2004. "It was important to win," Cissè said, as quoted by ANSA.

Sparta Praha 1–1 Lillestrøm: Josimar Alcocer scored on 56 from Jonatan Braut Brunes's pass and Sparta were a minute from a second win when Thomas Lehne Olsen equalised on 90+1, set up by Gustav Nordh. It is Lillestrøm's first point.

Torreense 1–2 Sunderland: Volnei Feltes gave Torreense the lead on 37 from Amine Oudrhiri's pass, with their only shot on target. Jules Ahoka equalised on 67 from Nordi Mukiele's and Noah Sadiki won it on 90+3 from Granit Xhaka's. Sunderland had 22 shots and nine corners. Sky Sports reports it was Sadiki's first Sunderland goal; Régis Le Bris, with the club back in Europe after 53 years, called winning at the end "really special".

The evening

Benfica 4–1 Celtic: Jhon Durán scored a penalty on 5, Alexander Bah added the second on 23 and Durán the third on 36, both from Gianluca Prestianni's passes. Camilo Duran scored for Celtic on 63 from Haissem Hassan's pass, and Vangelis Pavlidis made it four on 89 from Tomás Araújo's. Benfica had 26 shots. Celtic have lost four of their last five in all competitions, according to Sky Sports, and Martin O'Neill insisted: "We can still do it."

Bournemouth 3–0 Sturm Graz: Francisco Evanilson scored on 43 from Adam Smith's pass, Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha on 76 and Álvaro Rodríguez from the penalty spot on 90+2. Bournemouth had 24 shots to six; Sturm Graz put one on target.

Celta Vigo 1–2 Juventus: Hugo Álvarez scored for Celta on 18 from Williot Swedberg's pass. Nick Woltemade equalised on 58, and Randal Kolo Muani won it on 90+2 from Andrea Cambiaso's pass. Juventus had 22 shots, six on target. "In the first half we were a bit slow," Luciano Spalletti told the club's website.

Dinamo Zagreb 1–0 Anderlecht: the night's latest goal, Dion Drena Beljo's penalty on 90+6, beat Anderlecht, who had put six shots on target to Dinamo's three.

Ferencváros 2–1 Plzeň: Kristoffer Zachariassen scored on 49 from Veljko Birmančević's pass and from the penalty spot on 81. Denis Višinský replied on 90 for Plzeň, who had more shots, eighteen to twelve. Ferencváros have won both matches.

1899 Hoffenheim 2–3 Beşiktaş: Amir Murillo scored on 60 from Oh Hyeon-gyu's pass; Fisnik Asllani equalised on 68 from Tim Lemperle's. Oh then scored twice, on 72 from Junior Olaitan's pass and on 79 from Ilhan Fakili's, and Koki Machida's goal on 87 for Hoffenheim, from Vladimír Coufal's pass, was too late. Beşiktaş have scored seven in two matches. Sportschau counts six defeats in seven matches in all competitions for Hoffenheim.

Jagiellonia 3–1 Ararat-Armenia: Zidane Banjaqui gave Ararat-Armenia the lead on 11 from Maxence Carlier's pass; Kamil Jóźwiak equalised two minutes later, on 13. Rodrigo Conceição scored on 38 from Anders Klynge Ferslev's pass and Ousmane Sow on 51 from Jesús Imaz's. It is Jagiellonia's first win.

Marseille 0–1 Olympiakos Piraeus: Santiago Hezze scored on 42 from Chiquinho's pass. Marseille had nine corners to one and five shots on target, and lost again. Olympiakos have won both matches.

NEC Nijmegen 1–1 Levski Sofia: Reinaldo Nascimento Satorno scored for Levski on 35 from Svetoslav Vutsov's pass, and Tjaronn Chery equalised on 64. NEC had 70 per cent of the ball and eight shots on target.

Rennes 2–1 OFI: Taxiarchis Fountas scored on 10 from Nikolaos Athanasiou's pass with one of only two shots OFI had all night. Rennes took 25 shots and thirteen corners before Mahamadou Nagida equalised on 76 and Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal won it on 90.

The table after matchday 2

Ten clubs have won both matches. Juventus lead on goal difference and goals scored, +6 from seven goals, ahead of Leverkusen on +6 from six; Benfica are third on +5, then Beşiktaş, Bournemouth and Omonia on +4, Ferencváros on +3, and Lyon, Sunderland and Olympiakos on +2. Leverkusen and Omonia have won both without conceding, and Dinamo Zagreb have not conceded either. Sparta Praha, Union Saint-Gilloise, Rennes and Dinamo Zagreb have four points. Nine clubs have none: Lech Poznań are last on −8, below Celje, Celtic and Ararat-Armenia on −5, with Marseille, Plzeň, Hoffenheim, Anderlecht and Celta also without a point.

Numbers to know

• 56 goals in eighteen matches, against 47 on matchday 1.
• Seven penalties scored, two of them by Schick in Poznań.
• Three winners in stoppage time: Kolo Muani on 90+2, Sadiki on 90+3 and Beljo on 90+6. Rennes's winner came on 90.
• Cissè's was the night's only hat-trick, completed four minutes into the second half.
• Rennes had 25 shots to OFI's two; NEC had 70 per cent of the ball and drew.

Next up

Matchday 3 is on Thursday 22 October: eight matches at 16:45 UTC, among them Juventus v Rennes, OFI v Bayer Leverkusen and Lech Poznań v Sunderland, and ten at 19:00 UTC, among them Bournemouth v AC Milan, Beşiktaş v Crystal Palace, 1899 Hoffenheim v Lyon and Omonia Nicosia v Benfica. The full list is on the Europa League page.

Sources for the context: AC Milan, Juventus, ANSA, Sky Sports, Sky Sports, Sky Sports, Sportschau.