The first round of Europa League playoffs brought extreme emotions for European clubs. French Lille OSC plunged into deep crisis after a home defeat to Crvena zvezda Belgrade, sparking fury among local fans. Italian Bologna, with Łukasz Skorupski in the lineup, performed much better, securing a valuable away win in Norway. Spanish Celta Vigo is also close to advancing after a triumph in Thessaloniki.

Crisis at Lille OSC

A 0:1 defeat to Crvena zvezda and aggressive fan behavior after the match deepen the chaos in Bruno Genesio's team.

Success for Poles at Bologna

Łukasz Skorupski keeps a clean sheet, and Bologna wins 1:0 in Norway, taking a step toward the round of 16.

Celta Vigo's Advantage

The Spaniards win in Thessaloniki 2:1 thanks to goals from Aspas and Swedberg, significantly advancing toward qualification.

The Europa League has entered the decisive playoff phase, which will determine the participants for the round of 16. The biggest disappointment of the evening was the performance of Lille OSC. The team led by Bruno Genesio lost at home to Crvena zvezda Belgrade 0:1, continuing a terrible run in 2026. After the match, scandalous scenes erupted as frustrated Lille fans threw fireworks and flares at their own players. This is the ninth winless match in their last ten games for the team from northern France. In much better spirits are the fans of Bologna FC. The Italian team defeated Norwegian SK Brann 1:0 away, with the goal scored in the 9th minute by 19-year-old Santiago Castro. Polish goalkeeper Łukasz Skorupski delivered a solid performance between the posts, keeping a clean sheet. Coach Vincenzo Italiano praised his team's performance after the match, emphasizing that the victory in difficult weather conditions in Bergen is a key step to overcoming their recent form slump in Serie A. The recently introduced league phase format in European competitions has replaced the traditional eight-group division, forcing teams ranked 9th to 24th to play additional playoff matches to enter the knockout phase.In other interesting matches, Celta Vigo won in Greece against PAOK Thessaloniki 2:1. Legendary Iago Aspas once again proved his class, leading his team to victory on difficult ground. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos Athens, featuring Polish striker Karol Świderski, faced Viktoria Plzeň. These results position the Italian and Spanish teams as clear favorites ahead of the return matches, which will take place next week. „Congratulations to Santi, he's a young and hungry player. Working with such players is pure pleasure.” — Vincenzo Italiano The Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille, opened in 2012, is one of the most modern facilities in France, but on Thursday evening it was only half full, reflecting the growing disillusionment of fans with the club's results.

Mentioned People

  • Bruno Genesio — Coach of Lille OSC, criticized for lack of results in 2026.
  • Łukasz Skorupski — Polish goalkeeper for Bologna FC, who played the full match without conceding a goal.
  • Iago Aspas — Captain and leader of Celta Vigo, scorer of a goal in the match against PAOK.
  • Santiago Castro — Young Argentine forward for Bologna, scorer of the only goal in the match against SK Brann.