2' min
The first evening of Europa League action wrapped up with a mix of expected results and surprises. Much anticipation surrounded Lazio, led by Baroni, as they took to the neutral ground of Hamburg's Volksparkstadion (Germany) to face Dynamo Kyiv.
Fielding a heavily rotated squad, the Biancocelesti approached the match in the best possible way. Boulaye Dia opened the scoring in the 4th minute, assisted by Pedro. In the 33rd minute, Nigerian midfielder Dele-Bashiru netted his first goal in a Lazio jersey, doubling the lead. Just two minutes later, Dia secured a brace, making it 3-0 (bringing his tally to four goals in both Serie A and Europa League this season).
In the 72nd minute, Dynamo Kyiv went down to ten men following a straight red card to Bragaru. Numerical parity was restored in the 82nd minute when Noslin was sent off for violent conduct. Lazio's positive start to the Europa League campaign was marked by a commanding victory in their opener.
In the earlier 18:45 matches, AZ Alkmaar secured a home victory against Elfsborg. The Swedish side initially led through Ouma, but Van Bommel equalized and then added a second to put the hosts ahead. Elfsborg leveled again with Simon Hedlund, but a penalty from Parrott sealed the win for AZ.
Porto’s performance in Norway was disappointing as they fell 3-2 to Bodo/Glimt. Goals from Omorodion and Gul were not enough, as the home side claimed all three points thanks to Hogh and a superb brace from former AC Milan player Hauge.
In Denmark, Midtjylland and Hoffenheim drew 1-1, with Dario Osorio scoring for the hosts and Moerstedt equalizing for the visitors. In Istanbul, Galatasaray, featuring Osimhen and Mertens, defeated PAOK 3-1. An own goal by Baba put the Turkish side ahead, with the Greeks equalizing through Konstantelias. Galatasaray regained the lead with a goal from Akgun, and former Inter star Icardi sealed the win in the 95th minute.
Slavia Prague secured an away victory in Bulgaria (0-2) with goals from Jurasek and Chytil, dispatching Ludogorets. The most surprising result came from Old Trafford, where Manchester United, despite leading through Eriksen's 35th-minute goal, failed to close out the match, allowing Twente to equalize through Lammers, a former player of Atalanta, Empoli, and Sampdoria.
Another 1-1 draw occurred between Nice and Real Sociedad, with Pablo Rosario equalizing after Barrenetxea’s opener. Guessand missed a penalty for Nice in the second half. Meanwhile, a quickfire double from Verschaeren and Dolberg (from the spot) secured a valuable win for Anderlecht against Hungary’s Ferencvaros, with Malouda Traoré’s late goal proving insufficient.
