Benfica's opening Europa League win puts Milan on the back foot
Nesta quarta-feira, Benfica opened the Europa League campaign with a 2‑0 victory at the San Siro, while Milan returned to the competition with a barren start, still seeking their first point. The match, played on 16 September 2026 at 16h Brasília time, highlighted the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs.
Match details
The fixture formed the opening round of the Liga Europa, designated as Round 1, and was hosted in Milan, Italy (ITA). Local: San Siro, Milan (ITA). Both sides entered the game with the aim of securing early momentum in the continental tournament.
Dodi Lukebakio broke the deadlock in the 16th minute of the first half after receiving the ball from Jakub Kaminski on the right, cutting inside and firing from outside the box. In the second half, Souffian El Karouani delivered a low cross to Kaminski, who struck home in the eighth minute to double Benfica’s lead.
Table impact and upcoming fixtures
With the win, Benfica leap‑frogged to three points, sitting in third place and inside the direct qualification zone for the round of 16. Milan, by contrast, remain on zero points, occupying the 34th position in the group standings.
Milan’s next league assignment is a Serie A clash against Lecce on 20 September 2026, scheduled for 15h45 at the San Siro (ITA). Benfica will travel to the Estádio do Dragão in Porto (POR) for their Portuguese league encounter with Porto on the same day at 16h30.
Other Europa League results on Wednesday included Sunderland’s 1‑0 win over AZ, Sturm Graz’s 0‑0 draw with Rennes, Anderlecht’s 1‑2 defeat to Lyon, Olympiacos’ 2‑1 victory against Jagiellonia, Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s 0‑0 stalemate with Dinamo Zagreb, Bayer Leverkusen’s 2‑0 triumph over Celje, Omonia’s 1‑0 success versus Celta de Vigo, and Ararat‑Armenia’s 1‑4 loss to Sparta Prague.
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