Lyon held off Crystal Palace 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, while Sunderland produced a late turnaround to defeat Portuguese second-tier side Torreense. Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Benfica and Bournemouth also won, keeping their unbeaten starts to the league phase intact.
For Palace, the evening was a painful trip back to a former club for manager Pierre Sage. The UEFA Conference League champions suffered their fourth defeat of the season in all competitions.
Lyon edge Crystal Palace in Sage’s return
Lyon led inside the opening 10 minutes through Corentin Tolisso and Ernest Nuamah, and extended their advantage two minutes into first-half stoppage time. Sage said the result left him unable to take any comfort from the occasion. “It’s a very disappointing return because we lost. I can’t take satisfaction from coming back home or seeing familiar faces when the result isn’t there,” he told UEFA.com.
Sage also acknowledged the gulf in performance between the sides. “The scoreline may have been close, but there was a big difference in the way the two teams played. We were nowhere near our usual standards in the first half.”
Yeremy Pino reduced the deficit early in the second half, but Pavel Sulc’s close-range flick restored Lyon’s two-goal cushion. Daichi Kamada pulled one back for Palace with nine minutes remaining, yet the hosts held firm to secure their second win from two matches in the league phase.
Sunderland beat Torreense with late Sadiki winner
Torreense, who won the Portuguese Cup and sit 15th in the second tier, were close to holding their Premier League opponents at the Estadio Municipal de Leiria. They were stunned in the 37th minute, when centre-half Volnei Feltes cut past a weak challenge and struck a powerful shot from 30 yards that left goalkeeper Robin Roefs rooted to the spot.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris brought on first-team regulars Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fee just before the hour, and the change paid off when Jules Ahoka equalised shortly afterwards. A lengthy VAR review then ruled out a late penalty for Sunderland, and Torreense appeared to have earned a famous point.
That hope disappeared in the final seconds. Noah Sadiki struck in the 93rd minute to make it 2-1 for the visitors. Torreense coach Carlos Simoes said the late goal was painful. “Conceding a goal in the last minute is a blow to the chest,” he said. “The players are in the dressing room, devastated.”
Leverkusen, Milan, Bournemouth and Juventus also win
Leverkusen followed their opening 2-0 victory with a 4-0 win at Polish side Lech Poznan. AC Milan cruised to a 4-0 victory at Red Bull Salzburg, with Italian teenager Alphadjo Cisse scoring a hat-trick. Club-record signing Goncalo Ramos made it four on 72 minutes, although a red card for Filippo Terracciano took some of the shine off the win for Ruben Amorim’s men.
Bournemouth enjoyed a comfortable first home game in Europe, beating Sturm Graz 3-0. Evanilson, Rayan and Alvaro Rodriguez scored the goals. Juventus came from behind to win 2-1 at Celta Vigo. Newcastle loanee Nick Woltemade equalised after Hugo Alvarez had given the hosts the lead, and Randal Kolo Muani scored an injury-time winner.
Not every British side had a good night. Martin O’Neill’s Celtic lost 4-1 at Benfica, their fourth defeat in five outings, as their difficult start to the season continued.
