Athletic Bilbao secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Elfsborg in the Europa League on Thursday, positioning themselves alongside Lazio atop the leaderboard of the 36-team competition.
Lazio, however, let slip the opportunity to maintain their flawless record through five matches as they played to a goalless draw against Ludogorets at Stadio Olimpico. In the match in Spain, Bilbao saw goals from Adama Boiro, Benat Prados, and Gorku Guruzeta.
The tournament format mirrors that of the revamped Champions League; the top eight clubs after the eight-match league phase will qualify directly for the round of 16, scheduled for March, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will participate in playoffs set for February.
Later Thursday, Manchester United was set to face Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt, marking the debut of new manager Rúben Amorim at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Tottenham hosted a Roma side struggling for form.
In another match, Galatasaray drew 1-1 against AZ Alkmaar despite being up against the ropes. Victor Osimhen equalized for the Turkish side shortly before halftime, marking his third goal in two Europa League outings, while Sven Mijnans had opened the scoring for Alkmaar. The match ended with the Dutch team reduced to ten players due to a red card issued to substitute Kees Smit in stoppage time.
Lyon also made headlines, dismantling host Qarabag with a score of 4-1. Georges Mikaukadze led the charge with two goals, and both substitute Corentin Tolisso and Malick Fofana contributed a goal each.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv managed to snap a streak of four consecutive losses by defeating Besiktas 3-1 at a neutral site in Debrecen, Hungary. This change of venue was prompted by the Turkish authorities who opted against hosting the match following recent unrest during a Maccabi match in Amsterdam, where violent incidents left multiple fans injured after their team suffered a 5-0 defeat against Ajax. As a result, this match was played without an audience due to a request from Hungarian authorities.
For Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Gavriel Kanichowsky, Dor Perets, and Weslley Patati each got on the scoresheet, while Rafa Silva responded for Besiktas.
Dynamo Kyiv, struggling this season, faced their fifth consecutive defeat, falling 2-1 to Viktoria Plze?. Vladyslav Kobaiev scored a late consolation goal for the Ukrainian team, marking their first goal in this competition.
In the lower-tier Conference League, Chelsea continued their strong performance, achieving a perfect start with a fourth consecutive victory, winning 2-0 against Heidenheim away from home.