Thursday night's Europa League action delivered one of the most entertaining rounds of the season so far, with 18 fixtures producing 56 goals across the continent. Lyon survived a five-goal thriller against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth celebrated a historic first European night at home with a commanding win over Sturm Graz, Benfica dismantled Celtic in Lisbon and Sunderland needed stoppage time to edge past Torreense in Portugal. With Matchday 2 now complete, the new league-phase table is starting to take shape — and several early frontrunners are already pulling clear.
Lyon 3-2 Crystal Palace: five-goal thriller in Décines
The tie of the night came at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, where Lyon and Crystal Palace served up a five-goal contest that kept both sets of supporters on edge until the final whistle. The hosts controlled the first half and deservedly led 2-0 at the break, Corentin Tolisso reacting quickest to fire home an early opener before Ernest Nuamah converted from Keito Nakamura's cutback in first-half added time. For long spells it looked as though Palace, who had hammered Lech Poznań 4-0 on Matchday 1, would be brushed aside.
Instead, the Eagles roared back after the restart. Yeremy Pino halved the deficit on 50 minutes, finishing a clever set-piece routine to silence the home crowd. Lyon needed a response and got one through Pavel Šulc, whose flicked finish restored the two-goal cushion. But Palace refused to fold, and Daichi Kamada struck on 81 minutes to set up a frantic finish. The visitors pushed for a leveller and came agonisingly close when Chris Richards met a late cross with a powerful header, only for Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif to tip it away and preserve all three points.
It was a second straight win for Lyon, who had beaten Anderlecht 2-1 in Brussels on the opening matchday, and keeps their perfect start to the league phase intact. For Palace, the defeat ends their unbeaten European start, but their attacking intent in the second half will encourage manager and fans alike ahead of the next round of fixtures.
Bournemouth 3-0 Sturm Graz: a night for the history books
AFC Bournemouth marked their maiden European home fixture in style, sweeping aside Austrian champions Sturm Graz 3-0 at a jubilant Vitality Stadium. Marco Rose's side attacked from the first whistle — Marcus Tavernier curling an effort against the outside of the post — and were rewarded just before the break when Evanilson rose highest to guide a spectacular looping header beyond the goalkeeper.
The Austrians, beaten by Rennes on Matchday 1, were not without threat: midfielder Jürgen Heil smacked the frame of the goal with a fierce drive just after the hour. But Bournemouth's strength in depth told in the closing stages. Substitute Rayan prodded home from a corner to double the lead, and fellow substitute Álvaro Rodríguez converted a late penalty to seal a famous victory.
For a club playing European football for the first time in its history, two wins from two — following the 2-1 triumph away at Real Sociedad on Matchday 1 — represents a dream start. The Cherries look increasingly like genuine contenders to finish in the top eight and qualify directly for the knockout stage, and the atmosphere generated on the south coast on Thursday night suggested the players are relishing the occasion as much as the supporters.
Benfica 4-1 Celtic: Lisbon masterclass
Benfica produced the most clinical performance of the evening, overwhelming Celtic 4-1 at the Estádio da Luz. The Portuguese giants, beaten 2-0 by AC Milan on Matchday 1, needed a response — and Jhon Durán provided it in spectacular fashion, chipping a Panenka penalty down the middle before squeezing a second finish in at the near post, either side of Alexander Bah's crisp volley, to put the hosts three up before the interval.
Celtic, who had been thrashed 3-1 at home by Ferencváros on the opening matchday, were competitive in spells — they struck the woodwork three times — and got a foothold when Camilo Durán headed in Haissem Hassan's cross. But Benfica had the final word, Vangelis Pavlidis curling in a clinical finish from the edge of the box to complete the rout.
The defeat was Celtic's fourth in their last five matches in all competitions, and the Scottish champions now prop up the early table with zero points from two games. Their European campaign needs an urgent reboot when Matchday 3 arrives, while Benfica's first win of the league phase moves them into the chasing pack.
Torreense 1-2 Sunderland: Sadiki strikes at the death
Sunderland left it late to secure a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory away to Torreense in Leiria. The Portuguese second-tier side took a stunning lead on 36 minutes when centre-back Volnei Feltes surged forward from inside his own half and powered an unstoppable strike in from distance. Régis Le Bris's men threw everything at the hosts after the break, with Lucas Paes producing a fine stop to deny Nilson Angulo, and finally broke through when Jules Ahoka planted a downward header in from Nordi Mukiele's delivery.
With the clock deep in added time and a late VAR review having denied the visitors a penalty, Noah Sadiki settled it — firing a crisp half-volley into the net from Granit Xhaka's lay-off to spark wild celebrations among the travelling supporters. Sunderland, who beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 on Matchday 1, now have six points from six and continue to look like one of the stories of this season's competition.
