The opening night of the Europa League delivered plenty of storylines straight away. Benfica left San Siro with all three points, Sunderland won their first European match in 53 years, Bayer Leverkusen comfortably justified their status as heavy favourites, while Rennes somehow failed to score despite having a clear edge in the game.
Nine matches were played on September 16. Based on the 888STARZ odds we recorded before kick-off, favourites won 5 of the 9 games. Two matches ended in draws, while two underdogs took all three points.
The odds below are the ones listed in our pre-match preview. The market may have moved before kick-off.
Milan 0-2 Benfica — the biggest break from the pre-match script
Before the match:
Milan — 2.14 | Draw — 3.65 | Benfica — 3.47
The biggest fixture of the night also produced one of its most unexpected results.
Milan had more of the ball and more territory. According to Sofascore, the hosts finished with 60% possession, 17 shots to Benfica’s 11 and 10 corners to one. But despite all that pressure, Sofascore did not register a single Milan opportunity as a big chance.
Benfica were far more efficient. Dodi Lukebakio opened the scoring in the 16th minute, before Jakub Kaminski made it 2-0 after the break. Anatoliy Trubin finished the night with four saves and played a major role in keeping Milan out.
UEFA also noted that this was Benfica’s first win over Milan in seven attempts.
Milan were not completely outplayed. They had the territory and the volume, but Benfica were simply much better in the moments that actually decided the game.
What happened to the line: Milan failed to justify odds of 2.14, while Benfica’s away win was priced at 3.47.
Sunderland 1-0 AZ — 53 years of waiting end with three points
Before the match:
Sunderland — 1.74 | Draw — 4.08 | AZ — 4.74
The market got the result right here, although Sunderland’s win was anything but comfortable.
The hosts started well, and Enzo Le Fee hit the post before half-time. The only goal arrived in the 66th minute, when the Frenchman converted from the penalty spot.
AZ pushed hard in the closing stages and forced Sunderland to defend deep, but the home side held on.
The bigger story was the occasion itself. Sunderland were playing European football for the first time since 1973 — a 53-year wait — and marked their return with a victory.
What happened to the line: the 1.74 on Sunderland landed, but the game was much tighter than the gap in the odds suggested.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Celje — no surprises
Before the match:
Bayer Leverkusen — 1.22 | Draw — 7.35 | Celje — 13.30
The strongest favourite in our pre-match preview did exactly what was expected.
Leverkusen won 2-0 and opened their campaign with three points. UEFA also highlighted a strong performance from Celje goalkeeper Jean-Luc Leban, who helped prevent the scoreline from becoming heavier.
There is no need to overcomplicate this one. Leverkusen were the stronger side, controlled the match and turned the clear pre-match gap between the teams into a straightforward win.
What happened to the line: 1.22 on Leverkusen fully reflected the final result.
Anderlecht 1-2 Lyon — a strong opening was enough for the French side
Before the match:
Anderlecht — 3.57 | Draw — 3.78 | Lyon — 2.06
Another favourite delivered, although this was far from a one-sided game.
Lyon scored twice inside the opening 22 minutes. Noah Nartey struck first before Keito Nakamura doubled the advantage.
After the break, Anderlecht improved considerably. Mihajlo Cvetkovic pulled one back, the hosts increased the pressure and even forced Pavel Sulc into a goal-line clearance.
Lyon did not dominate for 90 minutes. They simply played their best football during the period when the scoreline was decided.
What happened to the line: Lyon’s away win at 2.06 came through.
Sturm Graz 0-0 Rennes — almost everything except the goal
Before the match:
Sturm Graz — 3.71 | Draw — 3.97 | Rennes — 1.96
This was a good example of why the scoreline alone does not always explain a football match.
According to Sofascore, Rennes had 62% possession, took 23 shots to 11, created two big chances and led the xG battle 1.98 to 0.83.
And still, it finished 0-0.
One of the main reasons was Sturm goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov. He made five saves, four of them from shots inside the box, and received the highest match rating from Sofascore.
So the pre-match 1.96 on Rennes did not suddenly look irrational after the final whistle. The French side were more dangerous and spent more time around the opposition box. They simply failed to turn that advantage into a goal.
What happened to the line: the favourite failed to win, while the draw was priced at 3.97.
Omonia 1-0 Celta Vigo — the biggest upset of the night
Before the match:
Omonia — 4.28 | Draw — 3.47 | Celta Vigo — 1.96
This one was a genuine upset.
Celta spent more time on the ball and attacked more often, but never managed to convert that control into a goal. According to Sofascore, both teams finished with five shots on target, while Omonia managed only three efforts from inside the penalty area.
The decisive moment came in the 88th minute. Jure Balkovec scored from distance to give the Cypriot side a 1-0 win.
It was also Omonia’s first victory in the main stage of the Europa League since December 2020.
Celta spent most of the match on the front foot, but one late moment was enough to leave them with nothing.
What happened to the line: Celta failed to deliver at 1.96, while Omonia’s 4.28 was the highest winning 1X2 price among the nine matches in our pre-match line.
All Europa League Results from September 16
| Match | Result | Winning outcome from our pre-match line |
| Ararat-Armenia — Sparta Prague | 1-4 | Away — 1.66 |
| Omonia — Celta Vigo | 1-0 | Home — 4.28 |
| Milan — Benfica | 0-2 | Away — 3.47 |
| Bayer Leverkusen — Celje | 2-0 | Home — 1.22 |
| Hapoel Beer-Sheva — Dinamo Zagreb | 0-0 | Draw — 3.87 |
| Olympiacos — Jagiellonia | 2-1 | Home — 1.40 |
| Anderlecht — Lyon | 1-2 | Away — 2.06 |
| Sturm Graz — Rennes | 0-0 | Draw — 3.97 |
| Sunderland — AZ | 1-0 | Home — 1.74 |
Sparta Prague produced the biggest win of the night, beating Ararat-Armenia 4-1 in Yerevan. Tobias Guddal scored the first two goals and put the visitors in control early.
Olympiacos also collected the expected three points, although their 2-1 victory was much harder work than the pre-match price of 1.40 might suggest.
What Did the Pre-Match Line Tell Us?
The opening night was a useful reminder of how differently favourites can win — or fail to win.
Where the gap in quality looked obvious before kick-off, most of the favourites did their job. Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Sparta and Sunderland all started with victories.
The more balanced games were where things became interesting. Milan lost at home, Rennes failed to convert a clear statistical advantage, and Celta came away empty-handed against a side priced above 4.00 to win.
That is why post-match analysis is more useful than simply checking whether an odd “landed” or not.
Sometimes the market misreads the balance between two teams. Sometimes the favourite really is better — but football does not turn superiority into the result everyone expected.
The Europa League opening round continues with another nine matches on September 17. After those, we can look at the full picture from Matchday 1.
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