Europa League: Milan and Arsenal secure their second victory

AC Milan and Arsenal, two of the top favorites, won their second match in the group stage of the Europa League on Thursday. Milan defeated Rijeka 3-2 while Arsenal defeated BATE Borisov 4-2. None of the Spanish clubs were able to secure a victory in the second matchday.

The best result among the Spanish clubs was achieved by Villarreal, who drew 0-0 against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad both suffered defeats, losing to Zorya (1-0) and Zenit (3-1), respectively.

First matchday of the Europa League

AC Milan came close to not securing a victory in their match against Rijeka, but at the final minute of injury time (90+2), Patrick Cutrone scored the winning goal. Before that, Milan had taken the lead with goals from André Silva (14') and Mateo Musacchio (53'), but Rijeka managed to equalize 2-2 with late goals from Boadu Maxwell Acosty (84') and Josip Elez (90' pen). Cutrone's goal ultimately secured the three points for Milan.

Milan currently sits at the top of their group with 6 points, followed by AEK Athens with 4 points, and Austria Vienna with 1 point. Rijeka is at the bottom with 0 points.

Arsenal also secured their second victory, defeating BATE Borisov 4-2 in Belarus. Theo Walcott scored twice (9', 22'), Rob Holding and Olivier Giroud (49') also contributed to Arsenal's win, with Giroud scoring his 100th goal for the Gunners. "We pressed well, attacked well, but we are disappointed with the goals conceded, although we managed to score four goals away from home," highlighted Walcott.

Arsenal currently leads their group with 6 points, followed by Red Star Belgrade with 4 points. BATE is third with 1 point, while Cologne is at the bottom without any points yet.

Basque defeats

For the Spanish clubs, the second matchday was clearly negative. Villarreal, under new coach Javi Calleja, is the only team that can feel somewhat satisfied. Their goalless draw against Maccabi Tel Aviv allows them to accumulate 4 points and lead Group A alongside Slavia Prague, their next opponent in the tournament. "I would be happier with a victory, but I'm proud of the team's work. We improved as the game went on," highlighted Calleja.

Real Sociedad, on the other hand, suffered a 3-1 defeat against Zenit St. Petersburg. The Russian team took the lead with goals from Emiliano Rigoni (5') and Aleksander Kokorin (23'), although Diego Llorente reduced the deficit just before halftime (41'). In the second half, Kokorin scored again (61') to seal the victory. In the first matchday, Real Sociedad won 4-0 against Rosenborg, and now both teams have 3 points in the group. Rosenborg defeated Vardar Skopje 3-1 in the other match of the day, with Vardar being at the bottom without any points. Zenit, who had previously won 5-0 against Vardar, leads the group with 6 points.

This is Real Sociedad's fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.

Athletic Bilbao suffered an unexpected defeat, losing 1-0 at home against Zorya. Igor Kharatin (26') scored the only goal of the match, and Iker Muniain was injured during injury time. After a 0-0 draw against Hertha Berlin in the first matchday, Athletic only has 1 point and is tied with Hertha at the bottom of the group. Östersund is the group leader with 6 points, followed by Zorya with 3.

In addition to Milan, Arsenal, Zenit, and Östersund, other teams with two victories in their groups are Nice, Lazio, Steaua Bucharest, Sporting Braga, and Dynamo Kiev.