Thursday, October 22, 2026 was a Europa League night, with 18 matches played and 63 goals scored. AFC Bournemouth beat AC Milan 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Real Sociedad won 6-0 in Norway, which was the biggest win of the night. Below we list every final score, the three stories that mattered most, and what the night means for the league-phase table.
Thursday’s three big stories
1. Bournemouth 3-0 AC Milan
This was the result of the night. Milan have won the European Cup seven times. Bournemouth have never had a long history in UEFA competition. On the south coast, the Cherries still won by three goals and kept a clean sheet.
The margin is what stands out. A 1-0 home win over Milan would already have been a famous night for the club. A 3-0 win means the result was settled well before full time. Over eight league-phase games, a three-goal swing in goal difference can decide a tiebreaker in January.
For Milan, this is a damaging away loss. Big clubs with big squads usually reach the top 24 in this format. However, a heavy defeat on English soil makes the rest of their run less forgiving.
2. Real Sociedad score six in Lillestrom
Real Sociedad won 6-0 away at the Arasen Stadion. It was the biggest margin on the night. Away wins of that size are rare in Europe at any level.
The six goals matter beyond the three points. Goal difference is the first tiebreaker in the Europa League league phase. Goals scored is the second. One night in Norway has given the Basque club a cushion on both.
Lillestrom now face a steep task. Losing by six at home puts them deep in negative goal difference. That makes every remaining point harder to turn into a better position.
3. A bad night for Ligue 1
France’s three clubs did not win a single game.
- Marseille lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz.
- Lyon were beaten 3-0 at TSG Hoffenheim.
- Stade Rennais drew 2-2 at Juventus.
Rennes come out of it best. A point in Turin is a fair return. Marseille losing in Austria is the kind of result that surprises fans who follow only the bigger leagues. Lyon conceding three without reply in Sinsheim is the most worrying of the three scorelines.
Bundesliga sides had the opposite night. Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen both won without conceding.
Europa League results: every score from Thursday
Here are all 18 final scores from Thursday, October 22, 2026, with venues. All matches went the full distance. None were abandoned or postponed.
| Result | Status | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Ararat-Armenia 0-4 AZ Alkmaar | FT | Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium |
| Dinamo Zagreb 2-4 NEC Nijmegen | FT | Maksimir Stadium |
| Ferencvaros 4-1 Torreense | FT | Groupama Arena |
| Juventus 2-2 Stade Rennais | FT | Allianz Stadium |
| Lech Poznan 1-1 Sunderland | FT | Municipal Stadium-Poznan |
| OFI Crete 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen | FT | Pankritio Stadium |
| SK Sturm Graz 1-0 Marseille | FT | Merkur Arena |
| Union St.-Gilloise 4-0 Hapoel Be’er | FT | Merkur Spiel-Arena |
| AFC Bournemouth 3-0 AC Milan | FT | Vitality Stadium |
| Besiktas 2-2 Crystal Palace | FT | Vodafone Park |
| Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo | FT | Celtic Park |
| Jagiellonia Bialystok 0-3 Anderlecht | FT | Stadion Miejski Bialystok |
| Lillestrom 0-6 Real Sociedad | FT | Arasen Stadion |
| NK Celje 2-2 RB Salzburg | FT | Stadion Z’dezele |
| Olympiacos 1-0 Sparta Prague | FT | Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium |
| Omonia Nicosia 1-4 Benfica | FT | GSP Stadium |
| TSG Hoffenheim 3-0 Lyon | FT | PreZero Arena |
| Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Levski Sofia | FT | Doosan Arena |
The English clubs
Three Premier League sides played on Thursday. Between them they took one win and two draws.
AFC Bournemouth 3-0 AC Milan. This was the standout result of the week for English football in Europe. Bournemouth won comfortably and kept a clean sheet.
Besiktas 2-2 Crystal Palace. Vodafone Park is one of the loudest grounds in Europe. A 2-2 draw there is a decent away point for Palace. Palace reached Europe after winning the 2025 FA Cup, the first major trophy in the club’s history. This game showed they can hold their own on a tough European trip.
Lech Poznan 1-1 Sunderland. Sunderland were promoted through the Championship playoffs in 2025. A draw in Poznan against the 2024-25 Polish champions is a solid result on the road.
Dutch clubs win big away from home
Ararat-Armenia 0-4 AZ Alkmaar. AZ travelled to Yerevan and won by four. It was a clean, professional away performance and the joint second-biggest margin of the night.
Dinamo Zagreb 2-4 NEC Nijmegen. This was one of the night’s real shocks. Maksimir is usually a hard place to win. NEC scored four there and gave the Netherlands two away wins with a combined score of 8-2.
Spanish sides take six points
Lillestrom 0-6 Real Sociedad. The biggest win of the night, covered above.
Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo. Celtic lost at home in Glasgow, which hurts. Celtic Park normally gives the Scottish champions an edge in Europe. Celta left with all three points and gave Spain a perfect night.
German, Belgian and Greek winners
OFI Crete 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen. This was a routine away win in Heraklion. Leverkusen won the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2023-24 and reached that season’s Europa League final. They play this competition like a side that expects to go deep.
TSG Hoffenheim 3-0 Lyon. A three-goal home win over a French club with a big European reputation. Hoffenheim’s clean sheet makes it even better.
Union St.-Gilloise 4-0 Hapoel Be’er. The 2024-25 Belgian champions scored four without reply. It was one of the night’s most one-sided results.
Jagiellonia Bialystok 0-3 Anderlecht. Jagiellonia reached the Conference League quarter-finals in 2024-25, so they are not easy opponents at home. Anderlecht won by three anyway. That gave Belgium two wins from two on the night with a combined score of 7-0.
Olympiacos 1-0 Sparta Prague. A narrow home win in Piraeus. Olympiacos won the 2024 Conference League and know how to close out tight European games. This was one of only two 1-0 results on the night.
The rest of the night
Ferencvaros 4-1 Torreense. The Hungarian champions scored four at the Groupama Arena. Torreense, the Portuguese outsiders, came away with only a consolation goal.
Juventus 2-2 Stade Rennais. This was a frustrating home draw for Juventus. For Rennes it was a useful away point, and the only positive French result of the night.
SK Sturm Graz 1-0 Marseille. Sturm won by a single goal and kept a clean sheet against a club with far more money. By reputation, it was the biggest upset of the night after Bournemouth’s win.
NK Celje 2-2 RB Salzburg. Celje reached the Conference League quarter-finals in 2024-25. Holding Salzburg to a draw at Z’dezele continues that run of respectable European nights.
Omonia Nicosia 1-4 Benfica. Benfica are two-time European champions, and they scored four in Nicosia. The win keeps their goal difference healthy.
Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Levski Sofia. The Bulgarian side won in the Czech Republic. Plzen have been a reliable European side in recent years, so a home loss there stands out.
Ref's note
VAR is in use for every Europa League league-phase match. It can only step in for goals, penalties, direct red cards and mistaken identity. A goal that stands after a quiet VAR check has still been reviewed.
Thursday by the numbers
Thursday’s 18 games averaged 3.5 goals per match. Away teams were the story.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 18 |
| Total goals | 63 (3.5 per game) |
| Home wins | 6 |
| Draws | 4 |
| Away wins | 8 |
| Home goals / away goals | 28 / 35 |
| Clean sheets | 9 |
| Biggest win | Lillestrom 0-6 Real Sociedad |
| Highest-scoring game | Lillestrom 0-6 Real Sociedad and Dinamo Zagreb 2-4 NEC (6 goals each) |
| 1-0 results | 2 (Sturm Graz, Olympiacos) |
Away sides scored seven more goals than home sides. That is unusual. In European competition, travel, crowds and pitch conditions usually favour the home team. On Thursday, eight away teams won, and four of them won by three goals or more.
How each country fared
Here is our scorecard by club nation. It covers only Thursday’s games, but it shows which leagues had a good night in the race for UEFA coefficient points.
| Country | Clubs in action | W | D | L | Goals for-against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Sunderland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6-3 |
| Spain | Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8-1 |
| Germany | Hoffenheim, Leverkusen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5-0 |
| Netherlands | AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8-2 |
| Belgium | Union St.-Gilloise, Anderlecht | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7-0 |
| Portugal | Benfica, Torreense | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5-5 |
| Greece | Olympiacos, OFI Crete | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 |
| Austria | Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3-2 |
| Hungary | Ferencvaros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4-1 |
| Bulgaria | Levski Sofia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 |
| Turkey | Besiktas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 |
| Slovenia | NK Celje | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 |
| Italy | Juventus, AC Milan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-5 |
| France | Marseille, Lyon, Stade Rennais | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2-6 |
| Poland | Lech Poznan, Jagiellonia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1-4 |
| Czech Republic | Sparta Prague, Viktoria Plzen | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1-3 |
| Scotland | Celtic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 |
| Croatia | Dinamo Zagreb | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-4 |
| Norway | Lillestrom | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-6 |
| Armenia | Ararat-Armenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-4 |
| Cyprus | Omonia Nicosia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-4 |
| Israel | Hapoel Be’er | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-4 |
Four countries won every game they played: Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Italy and France had the worst nights among the big leagues. Neither won a match, and they conceded 11 goals between them.
What Thursday means for the league-phase table
The Europa League no longer uses groups. Since 2024-25, all 36 clubs sit in one table. Each club plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away.
How the league phase works
- Every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents.
- All 36 clubs are ranked in a single table.
- The top eight go straight into the round of 16.
- Clubs ranked 9th to 24th play a two-legged knockout play-off.
- Clubs ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated, with no drop into the Conference League.
There are no groups and only one table, so every goal counts in the ranking. That is why the big margins on Thursday matter so much.
Winners with big margins
Real Sociedad (+6), AZ Alkmaar (+4), Union St.-Gilloise (+4), Bournemouth (+3), Benfica (+3), Ferencvaros (+3), Anderlecht (+3) and Hoffenheim (+3) all added at least three to their goal difference. If those clubs end up level on points with rivals, Thursday’s goals could separate them.
Clubs under pressure
Lillestrom (-6), Ararat-Armenia (-4), Hapoel Be’er (-4), Lyon (-3), Omonia (-3), Jagiellonia (-3), Milan (-3) and Torreense (-3) all took heavy hits. Milan and Lyon are the clubs most fans will notice. Both have the squads to recover. But in this format, each loss shrinks the room for error before the top-24 cut-off.
The draws
Juventus, Rennes, Besiktas, Crystal Palace, Lech Poznan, Sunderland, Celje and Salzburg all took one point. For the away sides, a point keeps them on track. For the home sides, especially Juventus, these are points they will feel they dropped.
Common myth
“Away goals don’t count anymore.” UEFA scrapped the away goals rule for two-legged knockout ties in 2021. In the league-phase table, though, away goals scored is still the third tiebreaker, after goal difference and goals scored.
Tiebreakers in order
If clubs finish level on points, UEFA separates them in this order:
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Away goals scored
- Wins
- Away wins
- Points won by league-phase opponents
- Opponents’ combined goal difference
- Opponents’ combined goals scored
- Fewer disciplinary points
- UEFA club coefficient
Read in that light, Thursday’s away results look even better. Real Sociedad’s six, AZ’s four and NEC’s four all count toward the third tiebreaker too.
The rest of the week
Thursday finished a busy European week. Champions League nights on Tuesday and Wednesday came first, and our roundups list every score from both. Weekend domestic schedules come next, so most of these clubs return to league play within 72 hours.
FAQ
What was the score of Bournemouth vs AC Milan on October 22, 2026?
AFC Bournemouth beat AC Milan 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium. It was a Europa League league-phase match, and Bournemouth kept a clean sheet.
What was the biggest win in the Europa League on Thursday, October 22, 2026?
Real Sociedad won 6-0 away at Lillestrom at the Arasen Stadion. No other match on the night was decided by more than four goals.
How many goals were scored in the Europa League on October 22, 2026?
Sixty-three goals were scored across 18 matches, an average of 3.5 per game. Away teams scored 35 of them and home teams scored 28.
How did the Premier League clubs do in the Europa League on Thursday?
England went unbeaten. Bournemouth beat AC Milan 3-0, Crystal Palace drew 2-2 at Besiktas, and Sunderland drew 1-1 at Lech Poznan.
Which teams kept clean sheets?
Nine teams kept clean sheets: AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, Sturm Graz, Union St.-Gilloise, Bournemouth, Anderlecht, Real Sociedad, Olympiacos and TSG Hoffenheim.
How many teams qualify from the Europa League league phase?
Twenty-four of the 36 teams go through. The top eight go straight into the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th play a two-legged knockout play-off to reach the round of 16. Teams ranked 25th and below are eliminated.
