SUNDERLAND, England, September 16, 2026: A 53-year absence could easily have turned Sunderland’s return to European football into an occasion bigger than the match itself. Instead, they stayed patient long enough to beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0, while Benfica produced the night’s more ruthless statement hundreds of miles away by defeating AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro.
The results came through very different forms of control. Sunderland had to manage the emotion surrounding their first European appearance since 1973 before Enzo Le Fée converted the decisive second-half penalty. Benfica had to manage Milan, a hostile stadium, and the spaces that opened whenever the Italian side pushed forward.
By the end of Wednesday’s opening block, the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League already had history, an upset at San Siro, a comeback in Piraeus, a four-goal away victory for Sparta Praha, and three points for Lyon in Brussels.
For supporters following the competition throughout the season, every result and developing storyline can be tracked through The Sports Encounter’s UEFA Europa League hub and our wider global soccer coverage.
Europa League Opening Night: Key Facts
| Key Detail | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar | Sunderland won 1-0 |
| Sunderland milestone | First European match since 1973 |
| Sunderland scorer | Enzo Le Fée, penalty |
| AC Milan vs Benfica | Benfica won 2-0 at San Siro |
| Benfica scorers | Dodi Lukébakio and Jakub Kamiński |
| Benfica milestone | First competitive win over Milan at the seventh attempt |
| Biggest Wednesday win | Sparta Praha beat Ararat-Armenia 4-1 |
| Other winners | Omonia, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos and Lyon |
The official UEFA Matchday 1 round-up confirms the complete set of Wednesday results and the major events from the opening night.
Sunderland Turn 53 Years of Expectation Into Three Points
There was no realistic way for Sunderland to treat this like an ordinary home game.
The club had not appeared in European competition since 1973. For a large section of the Stadium of Light crowd, this was therefore not a return they remembered. It was a first European night they had spent years hearing older supporters talk about.
That kind of occasion creates energy, but it can also distort a football match. Players start chasing the moment. Every missed chance becomes louder. Every misplaced pass brings a nervous reaction.
Sunderland resisted that temptation.
They nearly opened the scoring in the first half when Le Fée curled an effort against the post, but the miss did not turn their football frantic. AZ survived, reorganized, and reached halftime level.
The pressure increased after the break before Sunderland finally found their way through from the penalty spot. Le Fée converted, and the hosts protected the advantage to complete a 1-0 win.
Sunderland’s official match report confirmed the end of the club’s long wait for a European victory.
Le Fée Finds the Answer That Escaped Him Against Arsenal
The identity of Sunderland’s match-winner added another layer to the result.
Only days earlier, Le Fée had stood over a penalty against Arsenal in the Premier League with an opportunity to put Sunderland ahead. David Raya saved it. Arsenal scored 121 seconds later and eventually left Wearside with a 2-0 victory.
Our analysis of Sunderland’s defeat to Arsenal showed how quickly that match turned on two decisive moments despite the home side creating genuine problems for the champions.
This Time the Penalty Changed Sunderland’s Night
Against AZ, Le Fée received another opportunity from 12 yards and converted it.
The contrast is useful because it shows how thin the line can be between two very different headlines. Sunderland did not need to reinvent their entire performance between the Arsenal defeat and their European opener. They needed to execute the moment that had escaped them a few days earlier.
This time they did.
Why Sunderland’s First Win Matters in the League-Phase Format
Emotionally, the victory ends a wait stretching back more than five decades. Competitively, its value is much more immediate.
The Europa League league phase places 36 clubs into a single table. Each team plays eight different opponents. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, clubs finishing ninth through 24th enter the knockout-phase play-offs, and teams placed 25th or lower are eliminated.
The Sports Encounter examined why those margins matter in our UEFA league-phase draw guide, which explained how the new structure removes the safety net traditionally associated with dropping into another European competition.
Sunderland therefore leave Matchday 1 with something more useful than a memorable night. They already have three points in a system where every place can eventually affect qualification and knockout seeding.
Benfica Remove the Noise From San Siro
Sunderland’s task was to control their own emotion. Benfica’s challenge was to control Milan’s.
San Siro can become a difficult place for visiting teams once Milan establish territorial pressure, but Benfica prevented the match from developing that rhythm.
Dodi Lukébakio opened the scoring after driving inside and finishing from outside the penalty area. Georgiy Sudakov later hit the post before Benfica doubled their advantage after halftime, with Jakub Kamiński finishing after Souffian El Karouani delivered the ball back into danger.
Benfica’s official account of the match described a controlled performance that produced the club’s first victory over Milan in an official competition.
Lukébakio Exposes the Space Milan Could Not Protect
The first goal contained the most important tactical clue of the night.
Benfica did not need long spells of possession around Milan’s penalty area. They needed space.
Kamiński’s movement helped create the opening before Lukébakio attacked centrally from the right and finished decisively. Milan had players behind the ball, but Benfica reached a shooting position before the defensive structure could properly reset.
That pattern continued whenever Milan committed numbers forward.
Benfica Were More Dangerous After Milan Lost Their Shape
The distinction matters because Milan have already shown this season that they can survive difficult periods inside matches.
They recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Lazio after Diego Moreira scored twice in two minutes, a comeback covered in our Serie A Saturday analysis.
Against Benfica, the usual path back into the contest never appeared.
The Portuguese side were disciplined enough to defend the first phase and quick enough to threaten the spaces Milan created while trying to recover.
Kamiński Rewards Benfica for Staying Inside the Attack
Benfica’s second goal was different from their first and arguably more revealing.
The initial move did not immediately produce the finish. Kamiński’s first route toward goal was blocked, but Benfica kept the attack alive rather than allowing Milan to clear and reset.
El Karouani returned the ball into the area and Kamiński finished the second phase.
This is where good attacking sides separate themselves from teams that simply create chances.
Benfica did not regard the blocked first attempt as the end of the move. Their players remained connected around the penalty area, recovered possession quickly, and punished Milan before the defensive line could settle.
Trubin Stops Milan From Creating a Late Crisis
Milan did improve as the match progressed, particularly after Christian Pulisic entered from the bench.
That improvement never became a comeback because Anatoliy Trubin prevented the first goal that might have changed the atmosphere.
UEFA highlighted a full-stretch save from Pulisic as one of the decisive late moments of the game.
At 2-1, San Siro could have become chaotic. At 2-0, Benfica remained in control.
Milan had already demonstrated a more patient version of attacking football when Gonçalo Ramos broke Venezia’s resistance at San Siro. Benfica presented a completely different examination because they carried a genuine transition threat throughout the match.
Milan could not simply keep pushing players forward without increasing the danger at the other end.
Benfica’s Qualifying Work Now Looks More Important
Benfica did not arrive in the Europa League league phase automatically.
They had to negotiate qualifying, eventually reaching the competition proper after progressing through the play-offs. Their qualification was part of our complete Europa League play-off wrap.
San Siro showed why simply reaching the league phase was not going to satisfy them.
Away wins against major clubs carry obvious psychological value, but in this format they also reduce the pressure on later home fixtures. Benfica now return to Lisbon with three points already secured from one of the most intimidating away assignments on their eight-match schedule.
Milan’s Domestic Start Did Not Prepare Them for This Problem
Milan’s first weeks in Serie A had provided reasons for optimism.
They opened the season with an away victory at Torino, part of TSE’s opening-weekend Serie A review, before following that result with another victory over Venezia.
The early pattern suggested a side capable of remaining composed until chances eventually arrived.
Benfica challenged that assumption by forcing Milan to play from behind while still respecting the threat at the opposite end.
The Italian side had possession and late opportunities, but Benfica dictated where the dangerous moments occurred.
That is a much more serious European problem than simply having an off night in front of goal.
Lyon Survive Anderlecht’s Second-Half Push
Lyon appeared to have taken control in Brussels when Noah Nartey and Keito Nakamura put the French side two goals ahead inside the opening 22 minutes.
Anderlecht refused to disappear.
Mihajlo Cvetković headed the hosts back into the game after the hour mark, and Lyon were forced into a much deeper defensive contest than the opening stages suggested.
Pavel Šulc eventually cleared Andrew Omobamidele’s attempt off the line as Lyon protected a 2-1 victory.
It was not as commanding as Benfica’s performance or as historically significant as Sunderland’s, but it delivered the same reward: three opening-night points.
Sparta Praha Make the Biggest Numerical Statement
The largest victory of Wednesday came in Armenia, where Sparta Praha defeated Ararat-Armenia 4-1.
Tobias Guddal scored the first two goals of the 2026-27 Europa League campaign and immediately gave Sparta a useful goal-difference advantage.
That detail may eventually matter.
With all 36 clubs occupying one league table, qualification can become congested around the eighth and 24th positions. Every goal can influence the final order once points and tiebreakers begin separating clubs.
Omonia Create the Night’s Quiet Upset
Omonia’s 1-0 victory over Celta lacked the profile of events in Sunderland and Milan, but it carried its own significance.
Celta reached the Europa League quarterfinals last season. Omonia had not won in the competition proper since December 2020.
Jure Balkovec ended that drought with a late long-range winner.
It was exactly the kind of result that makes the league-phase format uncomfortable for established clubs. There is no return group fixture against the same opponent. Three lost points are simply gone.
Leverkusen Begin Smoothly as Olympiacos Recover
Bayer Leverkusen opened with a controlled 2-0 home victory against Celje despite a strong performance from visiting goalkeeper Žan-Luk Leban.
Olympiacos had a more difficult route to the same three points.
The Greek side fell behind against Jagiellonia before recovering to win 2-1 in Piraeus.
Those two victories illustrated another early feature of the competition. There is no single way to navigate an eight-match league phase. Some nights require control. Others require recovery.
Europa League Matchday 1: Wednesday Results
| Fixture | Result |
|---|---|
| Ararat-Armenia vs Sparta Praha | 1-4 |
| Omonia vs Celta | 1-0 |
| AC Milan vs Benfica | 0-2 |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs Celje | 2-0 |
| Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Dinamo Zagreb | 0-0 |
| Olympiacos vs Jagiellonia | 2-1 |
| Anderlecht vs Lyon | 1-2 |
| Sturm Graz vs Rennes | 0-0 |
| Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar | 1-0 |
What Comes Next on Europa League Matchday 1?
Wednesday completed only half of the opening round.
Thursday brings another nine matches, including Juventus against N.E.C. Nijmegen, Celtic against Ferencváros, Beşiktaş against Marseille, Crystal Palace against Lech Poznań, and Real Sociedad against Bournemouth.
The remaining fixtures are:
- OFI Crete vs Hoffenheim
- Levski Sofia vs Salzburg
- Beşiktaş vs Marseille
- Celtic vs Ferencváros
- Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznań
- Viktoria Plzeň vs Union SG
- Juventus vs N.E.C. Nijmegen
- Lillestrøm vs Torreense
- Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth
What Opening Night Actually Told Us
One round cannot define a European season, particularly when every club still has seven league-phase matches to play.
It can expose useful early truths.
Sunderland showed they could carry the emotional weight of a historic night without losing control of the match. Benfica showed they could travel to one of Europe’s most famous stadiums and punish an opponent whose domestic form suggested greater resistance. Lyon showed they could survive a momentum swing. Sparta Praha collected both three points and an early goal-difference advantage. Omonia reminded everyone that reputation guarantees very little in a one-off league-phase meeting.
The strongest lesson, however, came from the two headline matches.
Sunderland and Benfica won in completely different ways, but both understood what their opponents could not afford to give them.
AZ could not allow Sunderland’s crowd to believe the historic return would end in victory. Le Fée gave them exactly that belief.
Milan could not give Benfica space to attack while chasing the game. They did, and Benfica repeatedly made that space hurt.
That is why Wednesday felt like more than the first collection of results.
Europe returned to Sunderland after 53 years. Benfica finally conquered Milan. And the Europa League immediately gave its 36 teams a warning that eight matches may sound like plenty until the first three points have already disappeared.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Sunderland last play in Europe before 2026?
Sunderland’s previous European appearance came in 1973. Their match against AZ Alkmaar on September 16, 2026 ended a 53-year absence from European competition.
What was the Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar score?
Sunderland beat AZ Alkmaar 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in their opening 2026-27 UEFA Europa League league-phase match.
Who scored for Sunderland against AZ Alkmaar?
Enzo Le Fée scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the second half.
What was the AC Milan vs Benfica score?
Benfica defeated AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro on Europa League Matchday 1.
Who scored for Benfica against AC Milan?
Dodi Lukébakio scored Benfica’s opening goal before Jakub Kamiński doubled the advantage after halftime.
Had Benfica ever beaten AC Milan before?
No. UEFA confirmed that Benfica’s 2-0 victory at San Siro was their first competitive win over AC Milan at the seventh attempt.
Which teams won on Wednesday in the Europa League?
Sparta Praha, Omonia, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Lyon and Sunderland all won their opening matches.
What was the biggest Europa League win on opening night?
Sparta Praha recorded the largest victory, beating Ararat-Armenia 4-1 away from home.
How does Europa League league-phase qualification work?
The top eight clubs in the 36-team league qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth through 24th enter the knockout-phase play-offs, while clubs ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated.
When does Europa League Matchday 1 continue?
The opening round continues on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with nine more matches including Juventus vs N.E.C. Nijmegen, Celtic vs Ferencváros, Beşiktaş vs Marseille, Crystal Palace vs Lech Poznań and Real Sociedad vs Bournemouth.