Five European Nights of Football: Benfica Demolish St. Gallen as Zalgiris Run Riot in Conference League

UEFA Europa League

The standout scoreline of the entire midweek round belongs to Benfica, who put five unanswered goals past FC St. Gallen in a statement performance that underlines the Portuguese giants’ intent heading into the qualifying stages. A 5-0 demolition is the kind of result that sends a warning to every side left in the draw. Elsewhere in the Europa League, Beşiktaş impressed on the road, beating FC Midtjylland 2-0 in Denmark — a disciplined away performance that will raise eyebrows in Istanbul and beyond. PAOK were equally composed, dispatching Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in Greece to advance their campaign with authority. Anderlecht made home advantage count with a 3-1 win over Hammarby, while Hradec Králové — perhaps the round’s most eye-catching overachievers — beat Tromsø 3-1, a result that will delight the Czech side’s supporters. Maccabi Tel Aviv edged out Sheriff Tiraspol 1-0 in a tight encounter, while Ferencváros and Twente played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, leaving both clubs’ progression finely balanced.

UEFA Conference League

If the Europa League had Benfica’s five-goal romp, the Conference League answered with something even wilder: FK Žalgiris Vilnius hammered Dinamo Tbilisi 7-2 in Vilnius, a scoreline that will take some digesting. Nine goals, five of them for the Lithuanian side — it is the most emphatic result of the entire round across all competitions. Not far behind in terms of spectacle, FC Nordsjaelland were ruthless against Swedish side GAIS, winning 6-0 — a thumping that signals the Danish club’s quality at this level. Ajax, as one might expect, impressed with a 4-1 victory over Vojvodina, while SC Braga were similarly clinical, beating Železničar Pančevo 4-0 to keep their record impeccable. Raków Częstochowa put four past Valletta FC without reply, and FC Sion were just as emphatic in seeing off Bate Borisov 4-0. Motherwell made the trip to the Faroe Islands worthwhile with a 3-0 win in Torshavn, and Hibernian put four past Malisheva with a 4-1 victory — a good evening for Scottish football overall. Among the more surprising outcomes, Latvian side Auda knocked FCSB out of their stride with a commanding 4-1 win, and Inter Turku beat a fancied Başakşehir side 2-0 — a genuine upset. Petrocub and Borac Banja Luka served up the most dramatic draw of the round at 3-3, while Dunajska Streda put Velež firmly in their place with a 3-0 away win. UNA Strassen of Luxembourg fell 1-0 to FK Partizan, and Derry City were edged out 1-0 by HNK Rijeka in a close affair in Northern Ireland. Ludogorets and Hapoel Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos and Paks, and Zrinjski and Valur Reykjavik all shared the points in three separate 2-2 draws, keeping the qualification picture admirably complicated heading into the return legs.

Written by Arlind

Covers daily football news for MatchdayValue — results, standings, and the stories shaping the top five European leagues and the continental competitions.