The Europa League Night No One Was Expecting, Twists, Turns and Shocks Everywhere

Thursday's Europa League Roundup

Well, last night’s Europa League action was a whirlwind. Despite not being as goal-heavy as the Champions League, there were shocks in almost every game, with some teams being more fortunate than the others. The results have reshaped the table entirely and left a certain Scottish side rock bottom amidst another defeat. Featuring Sean Dyche’s defensive masterclass and a shock blow for Unai Emery and Aston Villa, this is your Thursday night Europa League roundup.

A Bad Day To Be British (For Some)

As mentioned previously, Rangers sit at the bottom of the Europa League table after failing to register a single point in their first 3 matches. Danny Rohl’s first Europa League game with Rangers wasn’t a good one, as they lost 3-0 to SK Braan. The Rangers boss wasn’t forgiving to his players and even apologised, saying it was a “disgraceful performance”. Playing any side in the Europa League isn’t easy, but Rangers were the favourites, and the players now have a lot to prove to their new boss.

Another shock result came in Aston Villa’s 2-1 away defeat to Go Ahead Eagles. Now if you didn’t know, Go Ahead Eagles are a mid-table Eredivisie side and were only promoted back into the league four years ago. Aston Villa were wasteful after missing an abundance of chances, which included Emi Buendia’s missed penalty that could have hauled Villa back in the game at 2-2. It hasn’t been an easy season for Villa so far with their lack of spending power; this result leaves them at a steady 10th place. A bonus for Villa is that summer signing Evann Guessand was able to score his first goal for the club.

Oh Sean Dyche, how everyone has missed you. It wasn’t misery for all the British sides, as Nottingham Forest defeated Portuguese giants Porto 2-0. Attack wins you games, but defence wins you titles, and last night proved that as Forest got their first clean sheet since April last season.

After a dreary start to the new campaign for Forest, owner Evangelos Marinakis will be happy that his third appointment of the season has delivered instantly. However, many pundits are still unhappy with his treatment of Ange Postecoglou. The City Ground certainly promises to produce an interesting season.

"I'm teaching the Brazilians about my voice, they've never heard a voice like this" 😆

Sean Dyche on conversing with the Brazilian players at Nottingham Forest 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/mHsG24I1sK

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 24, 2025

Cannot Be Stopped

It was a better night for three clubs, as Braga, Lyon and Midtjylland all maintained perfect starts in the Europa League, winning all three games.

Portuguese side Braga cruised to a comfortable win over Red Star Belgrade as they quietly rise up the table. Belgrade created little, giving Braga an easy night. 31-year-old Ricardo Horta was the star of the show, picking up two assists in what was a brilliant creative show from the midfielder. Braga are definitely an underdog story worth keeping an eye on, their 2-0 win sending a message out to the rest of their competitors.

Lyon also had a comfortable win as they defeated Swiss giants Basel 2-0. Basel did themselves no favours after giving the ball away cheaply and letting former Bayern midfield general Corentin Tolisso score his third in all competitions this season. Basel tried to fight back, but their fate was sealed after Lyon got a second in the 90th minute.

And topping the table are the Danish, FC Midtjylland, who confidently dispatched three past Maccabi Tel Aviv while also keeping a clean sheet. A special shoutout to Phillip Billing, who scored the third of the evening and undoubtedly could be playing at a higher level. His decision to return to his home nation wasn’t necessarily a bad one, as they sit 1st in the Europa League and 2nd in the Danish Superliga. Another big away win, another three points. Everyone make way for Europa League favourites Midtjylland. I know it’s an early shout, but stranger things have happened.

😌😌😌 https://t.co/ED5Zq6ciDy

— FC Midtjylland (@fcmidtjylland) October 23, 2025

Around The Grounds

There were also comeback wins for both Celtic and Young Boys. The happier of the two Scottish sides last night, Celtic were able to rally together at home and beat Sturm Graz after two goals in quick succession in an action-packed phase which also included a red card for the away side. Young Boys managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Ludogorets after an exhilarating second half where they defeated the Bulgarian side 3-2.

Despite beating Lyon last week in Ligue 1, Nice couldn’t rectify their good league form as they lost 2-1 to Celta Vigo. 38-year-old Iago Aspas opened the scoring for Vigo, once again proving that age is just a number.

And ending with potentially the most entertaining game of the night, PAOK defeated Lille 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller. Andrija Živković had arguably the performance of the night, netting two goals and also obtaining an assist. Despite ending the game with 10 men, after Tomasz Kedziora received his marching order in the 96th minute, the Greek side held out, winning what was undoubtedly the most chaotic game so far produced in the 2025/26 Europa League tournament.