By Open Chronicle Sports
The second night of the UEFA Europa League league-phase opener delivered goals, emphatic victories and several memorable European moments as Matchday 1 concluded on Thursday, 17 September.
For Portuguese football, the night belonged to Torreense. The club returned from Norway with a remarkable 2–1 victory over Lillestrøm, joining Benfica — winners at Milan a night earlier — in making a perfect start to Portugal’s Europa League campaign.
Elsewhere, Juventus produced the biggest victory of Thursday with a 5–0 demolition of N.E.C., Crystal Palace overwhelmed Lech Poznań 4–0, Beşiktaş defeated Marseille 4–1 and Bournemouth celebrated a memorable 2–1 victory away to Real Sociedad.
Nine matches, nine different stories — and a dramatic conclusion to the opening round.
Lillestrøm 1–2 Torreense — a European night to remember
Torreense could hardly have asked for a better beginning to their Europa League campaign.
Travelling to Norway represented an immediate test, but the Portuguese side emerged with a 2–1 victory over Lillestrøm and three valuable away points.
Beyond its importance in the league table, this was the kind of result that can become part of a club’s history.
European competition brings Torreense onto a very different stage, against unfamiliar opponents and in environments far removed from the rhythms of domestic football. Winning the opening fixture away from home therefore carries considerable symbolic as well as competitive significance.
It also completed an excellent opening round for Portugal.
Benfica had beaten Milan 2–0 at San Siro on Wednesday. Twenty-four hours later, Torreense followed with another Portuguese away victory.
Two clubs. Two away matches. Two victories. Six points.
Torreense now have something tangible on which to build as the league phase develops.
Juventus 5–0 N.E.C. — the biggest win of the opening round
Juventus supplied Thursday’s most emphatic performance.
A 5–0 victory over N.E.C. gave the Italian club three points, five goals and the strongest goal difference produced across the entire opening matchday.
In the Europa League’s 36-team league format, that last detail should not be overlooked.
Every team plays only eight matches, meaning clubs can finish level on points despite never facing one another. Goal difference can consequently become an important separator when determining the top eight, play-off positions and elimination places.
Juventus could scarcely have constructed a better statistical starting point.
For N.E.C., it is the opposite. There are seven opportunities to recover, but the Dutch club begins from the most difficult goal-difference position in the competition.
Crystal Palace 4–0 Lech Poznań — an emphatic European start
Crystal Palace were almost as impressive.
The English club swept aside Lech Poznań 4–0, combining attacking authority with a clean sheet to immediately establish themselves among the strongest performers of Matchday 1.
European competition often presents clubs with unfamiliar tactical problems, different refereeing rhythms and opponents they rarely encounter domestically.
Palace showed few signs of needing time to adjust.
Four goals, none conceded and three points represent an almost perfect opening night.
The challenge now is converting that spectacular beginning into consistency across the remaining seven league-phase fixtures.
Beşiktaş 4–1 Marseille — Istanbul delivers another European statement
One of Thursday’s most striking results came in Türkiye.
Beşiktaş defeated Marseille 4–1, handing the French club a painful opening defeat while immediately giving themselves a significant goal-difference advantage.
The result reinforces something the Europa League has demonstrated repeatedly across different eras: travelling to Istanbul is rarely straightforward.
Marseille now face an early recovery mission. Losing one of eight league-phase matches is far from terminal, but conceding four goals makes the consequences greater than simply leaving without points.
For Beşiktaş, it was an outstanding start.
Celtic 1–3 Ferencváros — Hungarian success in Glasgow
Ferencváros produced one of Thursday’s most impressive away results with a 3–1 victory at Celtic.
Celtic Park traditionally provides an intense European environment, making three away goals and three points particularly valuable for the Hungarian club.
Ferencváros therefore leave Matchday 1 positioned alongside the large group of opening-round winners, while Celtic already face greater pressure ahead of their next European assignment.
And that next match carries additional interest for Portuguese followers: Celtic travel to face Benfica on Matchday 2.
After losing their opener at home, the Scottish club will arrive in Lisbon looking for a response.
Real Sociedad 1–2 Bournemouth — history on a European debut
For Bournemouth, Thursday was about more than three points.
A 2–1 victory away to Real Sociedad gave the English club a memorable result on its first European appearance.
San Sebastián is hardly an easy location in which to begin a continental adventure, yet Bournemouth emerged with maximum points against an experienced Spanish opponent.
There is a difference between qualifying for Europe and proving that a team can compete once it gets there.
Bournemouth accomplished both within their opening night.
Whatever happens over the remainder of the campaign, their first European match now has a permanent place in club history — and it ended with victory.
Viktoria Plzeň 0–3 Union SG — Belgian side make their intentions clear
Union Saint-Gilloise were another side to flourish away from home.
Their 3–0 victory over Viktoria Plzeň was among Thursday’s strongest performances and gives the Belgian club an excellent early position.
Three away goals, a clean sheet and three points provide exactly the combination clubs seek from the opening round.
Plzeň, meanwhile, must recover from a home defeat that also leaves them with a three-goal deficit in the early standings.
OFI Crete 2–0 Hoffenheim — Greek side take maximum points
OFI Crete produced another notable result by defeating Hoffenheim 2–0.
The Greek side combined victory with a clean sheet, placing themselves immediately among the clubs on three points.
For Hoffenheim, the result represents an early setback and another example of the difficulties presented by the league-phase format.
There are no conventional groups in which a club can immediately calculate what it needs against three familiar opponents. Every match introduces a different challenge, making dropped points harder to contextualise until several rounds have been completed.
Levski Sofia 0–1 Salzburg — three points without the fireworks
Not every victory needed four or five goals.
Salzburg completed a professional 1–0 away win against Levski Sofia, collecting the same three points as the evening’s more spectacular winners.
That distinction matters.
League phases can encourage attention to goal difference, but accumulating victories remains the fundamental objective. Salzburg leave Bulgaria with maximum points and no goals conceded.
For an opening European away fixture, little more was required.
Thursday belonged to the away teams
One of the clearest patterns from 17 September was the success of teams playing outside their own stadiums.
Torreense won in Norway.
Bournemouth won in Spain.
Ferencváros won in Scotland.
Union SG won in Czechia.
Salzburg won in Bulgaria.
Five of Thursday’s nine matches therefore ended in away victories.
That is significant in a competition where every club receives only four home fixtures during the league phase. Taking maximum points on the road can substantially reduce the pressure attached to the remaining schedule.
Portugal leave Matchday 1 with a perfect record
For Open Chronicle’s Portuguese coverage, the conclusion to the first round could hardly be stronger.
Milan 0–2 Benfica on Wednesday.
Lillestrøm 1–2 Torreense on Thursday.
Portugal’s two Europa League representatives therefore begin with six points from six — remarkably, both collected away from home.
Benfica’s victory came on one of European football’s grandest stages. Torreense’s carried a completely different significance: a club building its own European history and immediately demonstrating that it belongs in the competition.
Different contexts, identical outcomes.
Europa League · Thursday 17 September results
OFI Crete 2–0 Hoffenheim
Levski Sofia 0–1 Salzburg
Beşiktaş 4–1 Marseille
Celtic 1–3 Ferencváros
Crystal Palace 4–0 Lech Poznań
Viktoria Plzeň 0–3 Union SG
Juventus 5–0 N.E.C.
Lillestrøm 1–2 Torreense
Real Sociedad 1–2 Bournemouth
Matchday 1 is complete
Thursday’s results close the first of eight league-phase rounds.
Juventus leave the opening matchday with the competition’s biggest victory. Crystal Palace, Beşiktaş and Union SG have established significant early goal-difference advantages. Bournemouth have a historic first European victory. Ferencváros and Salzburg have valuable away wins.
And for Portugal, there is an especially compelling beginning.
Benfica and Torreense entered the Europa League from very different positions in the European football landscape, but after Matchday 1 they share exactly the same record:
Played one. Won one. Three points.
Attention can now turn to Matchday 2 on 15 October — with both Portuguese clubs entering it from a position of strength.