Europa League Has Already Given Us Something to Talk About
Hello everyone,
some football nights give us only a result, while others leave us with the feeling that something has already started.
The first matchday of the 2026/27 Europa League felt a little like that.
It is obviously too early to make serious predictions. One match is only one match, and football has a wonderful way of turning yesterday’s certainty into today’s mistake. Still, the opening round gave us enough goals, surprises and unexpected stories to make it worth remembering.
For Juventus, the evening was almost perfect.
A 5-0 victory against N.E.C. Nijmegen is the kind of result that can change the atmosphere around a team. Juventus scored five goals, kept a clean sheet and had five different players on the scoresheet.
It was not a nervous 1-0 win followed by twenty minutes of defending. Juventus continued to attack and kept adding to the damage.
Nicolás González opened the scoring, followed by Kerim Alajbegović. Nick Woltemade converted from the penalty spot, Zeki Çelik made it four and Randal Kolo Muani completed the night.
Three goals before half-time gave Juventus a comfortable advantage, and the rest of the match became more about control than survival.
Of course, I think the sensible reaction is simply to enjoy the result without turning it into something bigger than it is.
Juventus have started beautifully, but there are still seven league-phase matches to play. European football usually becomes more difficult when the opponents are stronger and the pressure increases.
Milan’s opening night was much harder to enjoy.
The 0-2 defeat against Benfica at San Siro leaves the Rossoneri without points, and that is obviously not the start they wanted. Losing at home in Europe always feels particularly disappointing.
The positive side is that the new league-phase format gives Milan time to react. One defeat does not decide the entire campaign.
The next challenge will come away from home against Salzburg on 15 October.
That could be an important moment for Milan. European seasons are often shaped by the reaction to disappointment rather than by the first result itself.
Then there were the stories that make football so enjoyable.
Beşiktaş beat Marseille 4-1 in Istanbul and gave Vincenzo Italiano a memorable European debut. After the match, the stadium celebrated the Italian coach with Toto Cutugno’s “L’Italiano”.
It is one of those scenes that would feel almost impossible to plan.
And then there was Torreense.
This might be my favourite story from the whole first round.
A Portuguese club from the country’s second tier travelled to Norway and beat Lillestrøm 2-1. Torreense had to defend their advantage with ten men, which made the achievement even more impressive.
There is something beautiful about European football when clubs that do not normally appear in the biggest headlines suddenly find themselves under the lights.
Torreense now have three points and a story they will remember for a very long time.
Bournemouth also made their European debut memorable, winning 2-1 away against Real Sociedad. Crystal Palace went even further in terms of the scoreline, defeating Lech Poznań 4-0.
The English teams therefore enjoyed an excellent opening night.
Elsewhere, Ferencváros beat Celtic 3-1, Union SG won 3-0 at Viktoria Plzeň, OFI Crete surprised Hoffenheim with a 2-0 victory and Sparta Praha won 4-1 away from home.
There were also two goalless draws, between Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Dinamo Zagreb and between Sturm Graz and Rennes.
That is what I like about the Europa League.
It is not simply about the biggest clubs.
Sometimes the most interesting match is the one nobody expected to be interesting.
The standings after the first round already look a little unusual. Juventus are at the top, Crystal Palace are second and Torreense are in 12th place. Milan, meanwhile, are down in 31st.
But I would not read too much into that yet.
There are still seven matches to play, and the league phase is long enough for the table to change several times.
The second matchday arrives on 15 October.
Juventus will travel to Celta Vigo, while Milan will visit Salzburg.
Those two games could begin to tell us whether the opening night was simply a good or bad evening, or whether something more meaningful is beginning to develop.
For now, though, I would rather leave the predictions alone.
The first matchday gave us goals, surprises, new European faces and a few stories that nobody could have written before kick-off.
That is probably exactly what we want from a European football season.
Sometimes the best stories are the ones you do not see coming.
What did you think about the opening matchday?
Which team or result surprised you the most?
Sources
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👤 Author: @condividisulweb
5-0 con cinco goleadores distintos y tres antes del descanso, eso no es nomás suerte, es que Juventus los pasó por arriba a los holandeses. Lo de Milan en San Siro contra Benfica ya es otra cosa, perder de local en Europa siempre duele de la puta madre. Che, y la visita a Salzburgo el 15 de octubre la van a tener que jugar con el cuchillo entre los dientes o se les complica la clasificación.
Hi, yes, Juventus, as we haven't seen in a long time, scored in the cup with half a team. We'll see if their performance against Celta Vigo will be as commendable. AC Milan, on the other hand, is scandalous; you're right when you point out that with further negative results they'll be at risk. We'll see in the next matches.