Key events
Crystal Palace go down to 10 men!
Adam Wharton is harshly shown a second yellow card, and Crystal Palace, 1-0 down at home to Hoffenheim, are now also undermanned!
More team news!
The teams for the three British sides in 8pm action:
Celtic v Besiktas
Celtic: Johnstone, Lotomba, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, Baur, McGregor, Forrest, Nygren, Tounekti, Hogh. Subs: Sinisalo, Doohan, McCowan, Duran, Sorensen, Osmand, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hassan, McArdle, Murray, Donovan, Ralston.
Besiktas: Nubel, Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Ouattara, Olaitan, Salih Ozcan, Cerny, Trossard, Poku, Oh. Subs: Alemdar, Ndidi, Kartal Yilmaz, Kokcu, Bulut, Vlahovic, Fakili, Ridvan Yilmaz, Djalo, Yasin Ozcan, Bircan, Kilicsoy.
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel).
Sunderland v Dinamo Zagreb
Sunderland: Roefs, Meunier, Danso, Alderete, Methalie, Xhaka, Ahoka, Nilson Angulo, Rigg, Fofana, Isidor. Subs: Moore, Talbi, Brobbey, O’Nien, Mandava, Sadiki, Le Fee, Hume, Whittaker, Jones, Tutierov, Proctor.
Dinamo Zagreb: Kotarski, Valincic, Galesic, Dominguez, Goda, Lisica, Misic, Stojkovic, Kacavenda, Beljo, Orsic. Subs: Zagorac, Filipovic, Radeljic, Rodriguez, Zajc, Hoxha, Prevljak, Ivanusec, Vinlof, Almena, Sunta, Mikic.
Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy)
And in the Conference League:
Getafe v Brighton
Getafe: Soria, Femenia, Boselli, Djene, Mojica, Mangala, Gudelj, Garcia, Satriano, Terrats, Azon. Subs: Letacek, Ferrer, Davinchi, Sazonov, Abqar, Martin, Borja Mayoral, Serrano, Unal, Valou, Risco.
Brighton: Verbruggen, Costinha, Svoboda, Dunk, Hadjam, Gross, Boscagli, Ayari, Yalcouye, Rutter, Hinshelwood. Subs: Steele, McGill, Osman, Kostoulas, Gomez, De Cuyper, Vuskovic, O’Riley, Nti, Ibrahim.
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia).
Not a good night so far for Italian sides: Zachariassen squares to give Lenny Joseph a tap-in, and Milan are 0-2 down at home to Ferencvaros.
On commentary, Glenn Hoddle gushes that Crystal Palace “have footballed their way back into this game”. Which sounds super, though there is still the small matter of the scoreline still to deal with.
The crowd microphones at Thun are picking up some very extreme displeasure from visiting supporters, of the kind that really shouldn’t be broadcast at this hour.
GOAL! Thun 3-0 Hearts (Dursun, 56 mins)
Surely it’s all over now! It’s not a great cross from the left but Dursun flings out a leg, gets a big toe on the ball from the edge of the six-yard box, and Beau Reus can’t react as it flies inside the near post!
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Sparta Prague (Adams, 57)
Bournemouth equalise against 10-man Sparta! And poor Mbe Soh gives the ball away twice in a few seconds to set it up! The first comes as Sparta pass the ball around the defence and he finds someone in the wrong shirt entirely. He gets back in time to prevent a shot but in doing so sends the ball rolling to Tyler Adams, a half-time substitute, who slams it into the bottom corner!
At Stadion Rajko Mitic Inter d’Escaldes’ Domi Berlanga has made it 10-10 by also getting sent off, for a second yellow card, matching Red Star’s Aleksandar Katai, who received a straight red way back in the 35th minute. More importantly, it’s 0-0 in goals.
For every upstart-success story in this game, there’s a how-the-mighty-have-fallen tale. Talking of which, Marc Gual has romped through a rag-bag defence to put Kairat Almaty 1-0 up at Atalanta.
Hoffenheim remain 1-0 up at Palace, in search of their first ever victory over an English side. “Hoffenheim is quite an interesting team,” writes Rebecca Voss. “They’re not popular in Germany because their rise to the Bundesliga shouldn’t have been possible. Hoffenheim town has only three thousand people, give or take, and the club was playing in the eighth league in the 90s. However, a software mogul named Dietmar Hopp was born and raised in Hoffenheim and decided to use some of his money to help his boyhood team. He bought them in 2000, by which time Hoffenheim were in the fifth tier, and immediately Hoffenheim started to become pretty good. They were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2008 after Hopp brought in Ralf Ragnick as manager and some experienced Bundesliga players to lead the team, and they’ve been there ever since. Because of this, German media likes to claim that the club doesn’t have much of a culture or a fanbase. Hoffenheim are currently 12th in the Bundesliga and many Germans are praying for their downfall.”
For more about the genesis of this Hoffenheim side see these articles, 18 and 10 years old respectively:
Having spent an hour or so wondering why the Midtjylland v Ajax game was running so late, I have used my investigative journalist skills to locate an answer.
Back under way, then, it at least some of these games. At Crystal Palace the home side have already won a corner!
The half-time scores in full:
Europa League
Anderlecht 1-0 Salzburg
Crystal Palace 0-1 Hoffenheim
Levski Sofia 0-0 Jagiellonia Białystok
Lillestrøm 0-1 Viktoria Plzen
Milan 0-0 Ferencvaros
NEC 0-1 Omonia Nicosia
Real Sociedad 1-0 Lyon
Sparta Prague 1-0 Bournemouth
Conference League
Aarhus 0-0 Braga
Atalanta 0-0 Kairat
KuPS 0-0 Gent
Lincoln Red Imps 0-0 Hajduk Split
Midtjylland 1-1 Ajax
Mjallby 0-0 Borac
Red Star Belgrade 0-0 Inter D’Escaldes
Thun 2-0 Hearts
Trabzonspor 0-1 Freiburg
It’s half-time now at Thun, where the firework smoke that forced the game to be paused for a few minutes seems to have settled between the ears of the Hearts defenders. 2-0 to the home team there.
True fact: Friday Etim was born on 21 May 2002. It was a Tuesday.
The only game across both competitions in which both teams have scored is at Arena Herning, where Friday Etim has taken advantage of a defensive tumble to run clear from halfway, round the keeper, and equalise for Midtylland against Ajax.
It’s half-time at Selhurst Park, where Hoffenheim have nursed their 1-0 lead into the break. It’s a popular scoreline tonight: tt is currently 1-0 in six of the eight Europa League games, and 0-0 in the other two.
GOAL! Thun 2-0 Hearts (Labeau, 34 mins)
A goal and an assist now for Hearts defenders! It’s a lightning counter-attack from the Swiss which ends with a low cross from the right, and an attempt to clear that only sent the ball rolling to Brighton Labeau, maybe eight yards out, who slams it into the net!
Sparta go down to 10 men!
Moments later, they’re down to 10! It was a ludicrous challenge from Tobias Guddal, not even remotely violent, but very deliberate and entirely off the ball, and it inevitably earns him a second yellow card!
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-0 Bournemouth (Singhateh, 35 mins)
Jakub Surovcik, the Sparta goalkeeper, catches a Bournemouth corner and bowls it out to Ebrima Singhateh, and he does the rest! It’s an excellent run, but when it was one against three on the edge of the Bournemouth defence the chances of him scoring didn’t look great. But somehow he beat them all, ran clear, and finished beautifully!
And I rather underplayed that Hearts own goal. McCart was about 14 yards out, and got a bit of a push in the back from the forward he was racing, but he then got his feet in a muddle and, off balance, scuffed the ball into the corner!
Lewis Cook has missed the penalty! He stutters, sends the keeper the wrong way, and sidefoots into the post! The ball ricochets between the prone goalkeeper and his goalline, and away to safety!
Penalty to Bournemouth! The referee has spotted a handball in the Sparta penalty area, and Hoever certainly blocked a cross with something!
Between Freiburg’s goal at Trabzonspor and Anderlecht’s against Salzburg about six minutes passed. Seventeen games were being played across the two European competitions, so that’s around 102 goalless minutes. Which seems unlikely. Anyway, they’re making up for it now! Ajax have scored against Midtylland, and Omonia Nicosia are 1-0 up at NEC.
GOAL! Thun 1-0 Hearts (McCart own goal, 22 mins)
I’ve seen only the very briefest snippet of this goal, and that from an unhelpful angle, but it was one of those where a defender has to do something with the ball, otherwise an opponent is only going to turn it in. Obviously turning it in themselves is not ideal, but there you go.
A home side has scored! It’s Anderlecht, who have gone one up against Salzburg through Ludwig Augustinsson, and it’s an absolute beauty of a free-kick! From a couple of yards outside the penalty area, he curls it over the wall and the keeper doesn’t even move!
Freiburg go one up at Trabzonspor, a tap-in for Lukas Kubler after Matanovic’s header from a corner comes back off the keeper, and so far 100% of tonight’s goals have been scored by away teams.
A team in blue and red stripes has the ball in the net, but there are no Crystal Palace fans celebrating – because it’s Viktoria Plzen going a goal up at Lillestrom.
Play has meanwhile resumed at Thun, but there will be a good four minutes of smoke-related stoppage time to play before half-time.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Hoffenheim (Prass, 7 mins)
Hoffenheim’s first significant attack, and it’s a good one! They win the ball back at the edge of their D and break fast, first down the right and then with an early crossfield pass to Alexander Prass, sprinting clear from his own half. He hits a hard, low, first-time shot and Dean Henderson takes the sting off it but not the momentum, and it rolls over the line!
Meanwhile Crystal Palace have the ball in the net against Hoffenheim, but Daichi Kamada was well offside.
Fireworks stop play at Thun! There’s no way anyone can play in the amount of smoke that has settled across the pitch in Switzerland.
What a miss! Jonatan Braut Brunes, the Sparta Prague striker, sends the ball squirming just wide of a gaping Bournemouth goal from an admittedly very firm pull-back.
OK, football is now actually happening in all eight early Europa League kick-offs. Milan v Ferencvaros was the last to get going.
Though actually none of the games I’m monitoring have started yet, with delays including the minute’s silence for Jesus de Miguel, the Tenerife striker who died after an on-pitch collision at the weekend. “Perusing the Sparta Prague team sheet,” writes Peter Oh, “I can’t help but wonder, will the club from the Czech capital be able to stop the Cherries’ run of good form? Mbe Soh. Mbe Soh.”
5.45pm: Football o’clock!
The players are emerging from their various tunnels, kick-off mere moments away!
Pierre Sage is asked why Axel Disasi is not in the Crystal Palace squad tonight. “It’s a decision I took today.” Is there a reason for that? “No.” Also from Sage:
We are ready to fight and compete in this game. We need to start a new way, because we need points in every competition, and I think the start of this way is tonight. They are a team who like intensity, sprint a lot, and they play forward, it’s very vertical. But they are able to take control of the play inside too. We have to deal with these two things, and we have to take control first of all today.
Bournemouth’s Marco Rose has a chat about momentum, and his eight changes to the lineup today:
It’s always about hard work and we have to maintain momentum every day, in every training, and every game, and today it’s getting a tough challenge. Everyone is in a good spot. The lads who played the last weeks showed up. I hope we have fresh legs. There is no other option for me, because Sunday we have the next game and then again and again.
And on Bournemouth, and the very good place they currently appear to be in:
It’s always about connections and emotions in football. I really feel the commitment of our fans, of the region. Everyone is so happy after hard times in the 90s. To get this kind of experience, it’s just a joy to be part of it and it makes me proud.
Also today:
(A selection of) team news!
Here’s the all-important team news for the three early kick-offs involving British teams:
Europa League
Crystal Palace v Hoffenheim
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Canvot, Richards, Ahanor, Khalaili, Timber, Wharton, Mitchell, Kamada, Mateta, Pino. Subs: Benitez, Benetton, Nketiah, McNeil, Larsen, Osorio, Mingueza, Williams, James Kalembo.
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Abraha, Kabak, Machida, Rots, Kramaric, Burger, Avdullahu, Prass, Asllani, Lemperle. Subs: Petersson, Philipp, Dulic, Bernardo, Daghim, Lenz, Poller, Fields, Lassig, Wagenbach.
Referee: Horatiu Fesnic (Romania).
Sparta Prague v Bournemouth
Sparta Prague: Surovcik, Hoever, Mbe Soh, Guddall, Suchomel, Macek, Mannsverk, Irving, Singhateh, Brunes, Alcocer. Subs: Hegyi, Kaderabek, Martinec, Eneme, Vitalyos, Grimaldo, Vydra, Vojta, Zeleny, Jurasek, Sochurek, Dyntar.
Bournemouth: Di Gregorio, Smith, Hill, Diakite, Soler, Cook, Christie, Adli, Brooks, Doak, Rodriguez. Subs: Petrovic, Allan, Truffert, Evanilson, Adams, Silva, Tavernier, Kluivert, Rayan.
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)
Conference League
Thun v Hearts
Thun: Steffen, Dahler, Bamert, Burki, Mambwa, Reichmuth, Kait, Roth, Maier, Dursun, Labeau. Subs: Spycher, Burgy, Zoukit, Kristal, Strannegard, Braschi, Derbaci, Christoffersson, Gutbub, Fehr, Ilic, Lengen.
Hearts: Reus, Altena, Walcott, Findlay, McCart, Kingsley, Kerjota, Mendy, McPake, Guendouz, Braga. Subs: Clark, Fulton, Williams, Kabore, Wilson, Pollock, Stevenson, Gillies.
Referee: Kyriakos Athanasiou (Cyprus).
The deluge has arrived! Team news for the British sides on its way. If you have other games you’d like teams from, let me know.
I’ve donned my Mac and raised my brolly in preparation for a deluge of team news. In the meantime, here’s a photo of what looks a fine evening in Prague.
Preamble
Hello world! Another day, another smorgasbord of European delights is being plated up for our delectation tonight. There are, to summarise, too many games going on simultaneously for two eyes to have any hope of following but I’ll do my very best.
Highlights? Well [he writes, copy-and-pasting the preview filed by the Associated Press], Bournemouth travel to Sparta Prague in the Europa League with the aim to stay perfect after four rounds. The English side has been cruising in its maiden European campaign with three wins over Milan, Sturm Graz and Real Sociedad. Bournemouth have also surged to eighth in the Premier League after another three straight wins. “We need to be very reasonable, we know that it’s a long way and I especially know it,” winger Amine Adli, who reached the 2024 Europa League final with Leverkusen, said ahead of the match in Prague. “It’s a long way to the final.”
His former employers also have a 100% record and host pointless Marseille. Milan plays another undefeated club, Ferencvaros, at San Siro, and another Italian giant, Juventus, visit Alkmaar. Struggling Crystal Palace welcome Hoffenheim and Celtic, one of four teams yet to earn a single point, host Besiktas in Glasgow.
In the Conference League, Brighton face Getafe away, while Monaco, up against Danish side Nordsjælland, have been boosted by signing US striker Folarin Balogun.
Today’s fixtures
5.45pm GMT kick-offs
Anderlecht v Salzburg
Crystal Palace v Hoffenheim
Levski Sofia v Jagiellonia Białystok
Lillestrøm v Viktoria Plzen
Milan v Ferencvaros
NEC v Omonia Nicosia
Real Sociedad v Lyon
Sparta Prague v Bournemouth
8pm GMT kick-offs
AZ v Juventus
Bayer Leverkusen v Olympique Marseille
Benfica v Lech Poznan
Celta de Vigo v Union Saint-Gilloise
Celtic v Beşiktas
Hapoel Be’er Sheva v OFI
Sturm Graz v Celje
Sunderland v Dinamo Zagreb
Torreense v Ararat-Armenia
Meanwhile in the Europa League:
5.45pm GMT kick-offs
AGF v Braga
Atalanta v Kairat
KuPS v Gent
Lincoln Red Imps v Hajduk Split
Midtjylland v Ajax
Mjallby v Borac
Red Star Belgrade v Inter D’Escaldes
Thun v Hearts
Trabzonspor v Freiburg
And at 8pm GMT
Copenhagen v Iberia 1999
Getafe v Brighton
Lugano v Kauno Zalgiris
Monaco v Nordsjaelland
Panathinaikos v CSKA Sofia
Riga v Jablonec
Sint-Truiden v Brann
Twente v AE Pafos
Universitatea Craiova v Egnatia
