AC Milan suffered their first defeat under Ruben Amorim, losing 2-0 at home to Benfica as the Europa League began Wednesday, while Sunderland won on their return to European competition after a 53-year absence.

Seven-time European champions Milan had won two and drawn two of their opening four Serie A games, but were given a reality check by Benfica on the opening day of the Europa League league phase.

Milan were profligate in front of goal and were made to pay by the visitors, who maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

“I change all the time, we need to start with a base, we have two months of work,” Amorim, who said before the game that he does not “know if I’ll have the time needed,” told Sky Sport Italia when asked if he would change tactics.

“We lost tonight, but we will find the solutions to adapt to these games, because we need to create an idea, but we also need to win, so of course we can adapt,” he added.

Benfica, who lost to Milan in the 1963 and 1990 European Cup finals, were able to enjoy their first-ever win over the Italian giants.

Marco Silva’s side grabbed a 16th-minute lead through a superb individual goal from Dodi Lukebakio, as the Belgian cut inside from the right and unleashed a left-footed drive into the far bottom corner.

The Portuguese powerhouse extended their advantage eight minutes after the interval when Jakub Kaminski slammed in Souffian el Karouani’s left-wing cross.

Sunderland back with bang

Regis Le Bris’s Sunderland clinched a 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar at a raucous Stadium of Light in their first European match since the Cup Winners’ Cup second round in 1973.

Sunderland were the stronger team in the first half but failed to take their chances, with Enzo Le Fee going closest when he struck the post.

The Black Cats were awarded a penalty 20 minutes after the restart for Weslley Patati’s foul on Le Fee.

The Frenchman, who had a penalty saved by David Raya in Saturday’s Premier League loss to Arsenal, stepped up to slot the spot-kick into the corner.

Sunderland were indebted to goalkeeper Robin Roefs when he made an excellent save to deny AZ attacker Valdemar Byskov an equalizer in the 81st minute.

“Now that we are here I’m just trying to enjoy every moment,” said Sunderland defender Trai Hume.

“We have a great team, great staff and unbelievable fans. We fully deserve this moment and we are going to keep pushing this season.”

Lyon put some of the disappointment of their dramatic Champions League play-off loss to Fenerbahçe behind them with a 2-1 victory at Anderlecht.

The visitors quickly took control in Brussels as Noah Nartey put them in front after less than eight minutes.

Keito Nakamura’s deflected strike doubled the lead midway through the first half and gave the Japan winger his first Lyon goal since signing from Reims.

Anderlecht pulled one back through teenage striker Mihajlo Cvetkovic’s header after halftime, but Lyon held on under severe pressure.

Bayer Leverkusen saw off spirited Slovenian champions Celje 2-0 in Germany.

Leverkusen forged ahead when Celje midfielder Svit Seslar put through his own net in the 15th minute and Argentina international Facundo Medina made the points safe with 16 minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, Olympiacos came from behind to beat Poland’s Jagiellonia 2-1, while Sparta Prague brushed aside Ararat 4-1 in Armenia and Cypriots Omonia edged out Celta Vigo.

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Istanbul will host the 2027 Spanish Super Cup from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, bringing Spain’s premier four-team tournament to Türkiye for the first time following a five-year run in Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced Thursday.

The introductory meeting for the high-profile tournament was held at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities. The press conference featured prominent political and sports dignitaries, including Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gül, Saudi Arabian Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Royal Court Advisor and General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan, and World Ethnosport Union President Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan.

The four-team marquee competition will feature global powerhouses Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Real Sociedad. The tournament will unfold across three of Istanbul’s primary football venues.

The first semifinal between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will take place on Feb. 2 at Fenerbahçe’s Şükrü Saracoğlu Sports Complex, while the second, featuring Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will follow on Feb. 3 at Beşiktaş’s home ground.

The final match will be held on Feb. 6 at Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex.

Speaking at the launch event, TFF boss Hacıosmanoğlu emphasized Istanbul’s growing stature as a global capital for international sporting events, citing the city’s successful track record in staging major UEFA fixtures.

“We have successfully completed many major organizations, especially the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “Most recently in May, we hosted football fans from all over the world in Istanbul as part of the UEFA Europa League final. Now, we will put all our experience forward for the 2027 Spanish Super Cup. The Spanish Super Cup, which has been held in Saudi Arabia for five years, will take place in Istanbul between Feb. 2 and Feb. 6,” he said.

He noted that the tournament will be broadcast live in more than 150 countries, offering significant global exposure for Türkiye and its sporting infrastructure. Domestically, the matches will be broadcast on HT Spor.

“The Spanish Super Cup will reach millions of football fans by being broadcast live in more than 150 countries worldwide,” Hacıosmanoğlu added. “In this respect, the organization will make a significant contribution to Türkiye’s international visibility and brand value. Football fans coming to Istanbul will not only witness the struggle of world stars, but also have the opportunity to closely experience our country’s thousands of years of history, unique culture, and strong passion for sports.”

Expressing his appreciation to political leadership and international partners, Hacıosmanoğlu extended gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi officials, and RFEF leadership for facilitating the agreement. He also thanked host clubs Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray for providing their stadiums and training facilities.

Saudi Arabia holds the hosting rights to the expanded Super Cup format under a multi-year agreement with the RFEF.

Turkish sports authorities underscored that full administrative capabilities will be mobilized to ensure seamless hospitality for visiting teams, officials, and international supporters.

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With Ballon d’Or voting set to close in less than two weeks, top contenders are mounting unusually public campaigns for football’s biggest individual prize.

This self-promotion is a relatively recent development in a team sport where, until a few years ago, the top individual prize went largely unnoticed until it was time to present it.

But now, the Ballon d’Or dominates the football conversation during the months when the new European season is still finding its feet.

The trophy will be presented on Oct. 26, while the final sprint began on Sept. 8 when France Football, the award organizer, released the list of 30 candidates to succeed Ousmane Dembele.

The ceremony will be in London, even though only five of the 30 nominees play in the English Premier League.

The award carries no cash prize, but it has become worth increased income and status to players and their teams.

Many stars have related bonuses in their boot contracts while the award also increases their overall marketing value and that of their club.

The two all-time leading Ballon d’Or winners, Lionel Messi, who has picked up the trophy eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won five times, both have annual sponsorship income estimated by Forbes at more than $65 million.

Clubs can expect to sell more merchandise if one of their players wins.

Some 100 invited journalists – one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings – will cast votes.

With no clear favorite, the stars and their PR agencies are stepping up their campaigns. Achievements are shamelessly paraded to scrape together votes.

‘I deserve it’

“For me, Mbappe and I, we’re the two best players in the world,” Lamine Yamal, who has won the World Cup and La Liga in 2026, said in an interview on Movistar Plus.

“I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I deserve it because of what I’ve won,” the 19-year-old added.

He was responding to the Frenchman, who days earlier had emphasized the award’s individual nature – after a year in which he won no trophies with either Real Madrid or France, who lost a World Cup semifinal to Spain, but scored 10 World Cup goals to take his tally to an all-time leading 22.

“Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out, a global event. Who am I voting for? Myself,” said the striker, who was also the top scorer in last season’s Liga and Champions League.

His manager, Jose Mourinho, did not hesitate to back up the argument: “We know who has made history this summer and he’s not from PSG or the Spanish national team.”

In 2024, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony after learning just before they were due to travel that none of their seven nominees had won.

This year, Paris Saint-Germain have a record 10 nominees, after retaining the Champions League.

That number, and also the side’s reputation for collective team spirit, may count against them.

Their leading candidates are Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz, the only player on the list to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup this year.

‘Why not dream?’

“Why not dream?”, the unassuming Spanish midfielder told French television.

PSG are refusing to pick one individual while arguing that the winner has to be one of their players.

“Kvara and Doue are incredible players. For me Kvara could win the Ballon d’Or, as could Dembele and others,” said coach Luis Enrique.

Dembele told France Football that he would not try to influence the poll.

“May the best player win; in any case, it’s not us who are voting,” he said. “I never sell myself. It’s up to them to decide.”

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane, who scored 73 goals while leading Bayern Munich to a German domestic double and his country to third in the World Cup, remains quiet.

Bayern are speaking up for their leader, putting together a video in which team-mates said that Kane should win.

“He deserves to win it, 100 per cent, without a doubt,” said Colombian Luis Diaz, who is also on the shortlist.

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Beşiktaş host French side Olympique de Marseille Thursday to open their UEFA Europa League campaign, looking to extend a flawless home record and welcome back star striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Black Eagles enter the newly structured league phase on strong footing under manager Vincenzo Italiano, boasting a fully healthy squad with no reported injuries.

Central to Italiano’s attacking setup is Vlahovic, who returns to the lineup after serving a one-match domestic suspension in the Süper Lig following a disciplinary sanction stemming from the derby victory over Fenerbahçe.

The 26-year-old Serbian international missed Beşiktaş’s recent domestic fixture against Erzurumspor, but he has been in clinical form this season, scoring four goals across five appearances in all competitions.

The Istanbul powerhouse earned their place in the Europa League’s main stage through a grueling qualifying path, successfully navigating three rounds.

Beşiktaş initiated their European campaign in the second qualifying round with 1-0 and 2-0 victories over Danish side Midtjylland before eliminating Czech club Hradec Kralove with consecutive 1-0 wins in the third round.

In the play-off round, Beşiktaş secured a 3-0 home victory against Lithuanian club Kauno Zalgiris before dropping the return leg 1-0 away, advancing comfortably on aggregate.

Across six European qualifying fixtures this season, Beşiktaş compiled a 5-1-0 record, conceding just a single goal while scoring eight. Marseille, by contrast, qualified directly for the competition’s league phase.

Dominance on home soil has been the defining feature of Beşiktaş’s season thus far. The Istanbul club have won all six of their home fixtures across the Süper Lig and European play at Tüpraş Stadium, traditionally known to supporters as Dolmabahçe

In addition to their three European victories, Beşiktaş have registered domestic wins at home against Eyüpspor (1-0), Çorum FK (6-2), and Erzurumspor (3-0), outscoring opponents by a combined 15-2 margin on home turf.

Beşiktaş also carry strong overall momentum into Thursday’s match on the heels of a three-game winning streak. After suffering consecutive 1-0 setbacks against Alanyaspor in domestic play and Kauno Zalgiris in the second leg of the play-offs, Italiano’s squad rebounded with victories over Çorum FK, Fenerbahçe, and Erzurumspor.

Italiano has submitted a deep squad to UEFA for the campaign, anchored in goal by Alexander Nübel alongside Doğan Alemdar and Mehmet Tuğra Yeşilyurt. The defensive unit features Emmanuel Agbadou, Tiago Djalo, Rıdvan Yılmaz, Kassoum Ouattara, Taylan Bulut and Amir Murillo.

In midfield, Beşiktaş possess extensive depth with Wilfred Ndidi, Orkun Kökçü, Leandro Trossard, Vaclav Cerny, Fabio Miretti, Salih Özcan, and Junior Olaitan. Upfront, Vlahovic leads an attacking group that includes South Korean forward Hyeon-gyu Oh, Ernest Poku, and Turkish international Semih Kılıçsoy.

The opening-round fixture at Tüpraş Stadium is scheduled for a 10 p.m. local kickoff, with Italian official Andrea Colombo appointed to referee the match.

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Lionel Messi was named Tuesday to Argentina’s squad for an Oct. 6 friendly against Benin, which will serve as his farewell match after retiring from international football last month.

The 39-year-old said in August he was retiring from Argentina duty after a two-decade international career that included winning the 2022 World Cup and Copa America triumphs in 2021 and 2024.

“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on Oct. 6 here in Argentina,” said Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia.

The match against Benin will take place at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, which can accommodate 85,000 spectators.

Tapia also invited all of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winners to join Messi for what he said would be an “unforgettable” occasion.

Argentina begin a series of three friendlies against Bolivia on Sept. 30 in Cordoba – their first match since losing the World Cup final to Spain – before taking on Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on Oct. 3.

Messi has been included in the squad for the third match against Benin, when he is expected to make his 208th and final appearance for the national team. He is Argentina’s all-time record scorer with 125 goals.

Following the death of his father Jorge last month, Messi had said he had “serious doubts” about continuing to play football of any sort for “much longer.”

“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul but I understand that it is the right time,” Messi said when he called time on his Argentina career.

His contract with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season.

Last month FIFA ordered Argentina to play their next home match with capacity reduced to 50% for breaches of its disciplinary code relating to using a sports event for making demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.

After Argentina beat England 2-1 in a tense World Cup semifinal in July, several players held up a banner saying: “The Falklands are Argentine.”

The friendlies are also expected to count toward suspensions handed down following incidents after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain.

Midfielder Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban, while defender Nahuel Molina was suspended for seven games and Thiago Almada for one.

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AC Milan and Benfica will renew one of European football’s most storied rivalries Wednesday when the former champions meet at San Siro to open their Europa League campaigns.

Both clubs fell short of expectations last season, missing out on Champions League qualification, but each enters the competition among the leading contenders to lift the trophy in Frankfurt next spring.

Milan’s failure to secure a place among Europe’s elite followed a dramatic collapse at the end of last season. Six defeats in their final 10 Serie A matches cost them valuable ground and ultimately triggered a sweeping change in the club’s leadership.

Max Allegri’s second spell in charge lasted only a year before he was replaced by Ruben Amorim, who has overseen an unbeaten start to the new campaign.

The Rossoneri opened with wins over Torino and Venezia before drawing their next two league matches. Juventus snatched a late equalizer in Turin, while Milan showed greater resilience against Lazio, recovering from two goals down to earn a point in Rome.

After missing out on European competition altogether last season, Milan are back on the continental stage for the first time since their Champions League knockout-round playoff exit in 2025.

For Amorim, the Europa League also offers a chance to rebuild his European reputation after his Manchester United side lost the 2025 final. The Portuguese previously established himself as one of Europe’s most promising coaches during a successful spell at Sporting Lisbon.

That makes Wednesday’s meeting particularly intriguing. Amorim spent nine years at Sporting as a player and, as a coach, regularly enjoyed the upper hand over Benfica in Portugal.

History, however, offers the visitors little encouragement.

Benfica have never beaten Milan in six competitive meetings, including European Cup finals in 1963 and 1990. The Portuguese giants will nevertheless arrive in Italy in confident mood after an impressive run of form under new coach Marco Silva.

Benfica also endured a disappointing domestic campaign last season, finishing third in the Primeira Liga under Jose Mourinho. That forced them to navigate the Europa League qualifying rounds, where Silva’s tenure began with an unexpected defeat to Swiss side St. Gallen.

The Eagles quickly recovered, crushing St. Gallen 5-0 in the second leg before sweeping aside Hearts 7-2 and AGF 6-2 on aggregate to reach the league phase.

Since then, Benfica have been perfect domestically, winning four straight matches while scoring 12 goals. Their latest victory was particularly dramatic, with a late surge turning a potential draw against Gil Vicente into a 3-1 win and extending their winning streak to seven matches in all competitions.

Silva’s side now face a demanding stretch, beginning with Wednesday’s trip to Milan before an away meeting with Porto.

Milan could make changes for the midweek fixture, although Amorim is expected to retain his familiar 3-4-2-1 formation.

The hosts appear to have a near-fully fit squad after defenders Mattia Gabbia and Mario Gila recovered from minor problems to make the squad against Lazio.

One of the biggest selection questions surrounds Luka Modric. The 41-year-old midfielder has made 156 appearances in European competition, but his last appearance outside the Champions League came in November 2011.

Amorim also has several options available in the attacking positions behind Goncalo Ramos. Alphadjo Cisse, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Omari Hutchinson and Christian Pulisic are all competing for places.

Ramos will have an added incentive if selected, with the former Benfica striker facing his old club.

Benfica, meanwhile, will look to Vangelis Pavlidis to provide the attacking threat. The Greek striker scored six goals during qualifying and has already added eight in the Primeira Liga.

Pavlidis has also maintained an impressive scoring rate in UEFA competition, averaging a goal every two matches.

Benfica will be without Alexander Bah, who remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. Daniel Banjaqui or versatile captain Fredrik Aursnes could therefore be asked to fill the right-back position.

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