The second matchday of the Europa League group stage featured plenty of goals and exciting matchups in the games that kicked off at 10:00 p.m., with Vangelis Pavlidis standing out after scoring in Benfica’s 4-1 victory over Celtic.
The Portuguese side essentially sealed the victory in the first half, when they took a 3-0 lead, with Duran scoring twice and Bach adding another goal. Celtic pulled one back in the second half, but Pavlidis, who came on as a substitute in the 67th minute, sealed the final score in the 89th minute, making his team’s victory even more emphatic.
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Juventus celebrated a big away win, defeating Celta Vigo 2-1 in Vigo. The home team took the lead in the first half, but the Italian side fought back after the break, equalizing through Voltemande in the 58th minute and securing the win in stoppage time with a goal by Kolo Muani.
Bournemouth also put on an impressive performance, defeating Sturm Graz 3-0 while controlling the match and creating numerous chances. Evanilson opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, Ryan made it 2-0 in the 76th minute, and Rodriguez sealed the final score with a penalty kick in the 90+2nd minute.
Finally, Dinamo Zagreb defeated Anderlecht 1-0, Ferencváros beat Viktoria Plzeň 2-1, and Beşiktaş came away with a “road win” (2-3) from Hoffenheim’s home field.
In the standings, Omonia is in 6th place, and Olympiacos is one of 10 teams tied for first place with two wins in as many matches, having scored 3 goals and conceded 1, following their 1-0 away win over Marseille. For its part, OFI is in 18th place with 3 points, having recorded one win and one loss, with a goal difference of 3-2, following its 2-1 loss to Rennes.
Results from Matchday 2:
- Marseille – Olympiacos 0-1
- Rennes – OFI 2-1
- Sparta Prague – Lillestrøm 1-1
- Alkmaar – Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2-1
- Lech Poznan – Bayer Leverkusen 0-4
- Celje – Omonia 0-3
- Lyon – Crystal Palace 3-2
- Salzburg – Milan 0-4
- Union Saint-Gilloise – Real Sociedad 1-1
- Torrence – Sunderland 1-2
- Benfica – Celtic 4-1
- Bournemouth – Sturm Graz 3-0
- Celta – Juventus 1-2
- Ferencváros – Viktoria Plzeň 2-1
- Dinamo Zagreb – Anderlecht 1-0
- Jagiellonia – Ararat 3-1
- Nijmegen – Levski Sofia 1-1
- Hoffenheim – Besiktas 2-3
*photo source: AP
