Bournemouth and Crystal Palace spark Europa League hopes

On Thursday night AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace each secured opening victories in the Europa League group stage, joining Sunderland’s Wednesday win. Bournemouth edged Real Sociedad 2‑1 after an early double, while Palace comfortably beat 10‑man Lech Poznan 4‑0 at Selhurst Park.

Sunderland’s win opens the group

After Sunderland defeated AZ Alkmaar 1‑0 on Wednesday, the English clubs moved onto Thursday to claim their own wins. The result gave the three sides a winning start to the European campaign and set the tone for the group phase.

Bournemouth edge Real Sociedad in a tight battle

The Cherries travelled to the La Liga side Real Sociedad and made a perfect start by scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes. Justin Kluivert broke the deadlock before Rayan doubled the lead with a close‑range header, though Sergio Gomez pulled one back for the hosts around the half‑hour mark.

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic starred with a series of stunning saves to keep Real Sociedad at bay in the second half. Manager Marco Rose said the side “needed to suffer” after a brilliant first half, adding: “It was very intense and tough… In the second half, we were not so sharp. We need to talk about the second half.” He praised the team’s attacking intent, saying, “That’s Bournemouth football. We want to be active and defend forward.”

Crystal Palace cruise past Lech Poznan

Crystal Palace delivered a far more comfortable debut, hammering 10‑man Lech Poznan 4‑0 at Selhurst Park. First‑half goals came from Yeremi Pino, Chris Richards and Jorgen Strand Larsen, with Eddie Nketiah adding a fourth after Radoslaw Murawski was sent off for two bookings.

Midfielder Adam Wharton hailed the performance as “a great step forward”, noting that “there’s still a lot to work on, still early days, lots of new signings”. He praised the attacking mindset of the manager and the crowd’s influence, saying, “When you are on the front you get the crowd behind you as well and on nights like these getting the crowd behind you helps.”

The opening victories give both English clubs early momentum in the Europa League, providing confidence for the group stage ahead and delighting the 2,000 fans who travelled to support Bournemouth’s historic European night.