Alessandro Circati Leads Benfica’s Europa League Win as Australians Make Their Mark

Alessandro Circati’s growing role at Benfica is becoming difficult to overlook. The Socceroos defender played the full match as Benfica beat Omonoia Nicosia 4-1 in Cyprus, turning a level half-time score into a third straight Europa League league-phase win.

His passing was a major part of the performance: Circati completed 104 of 113 attempts, a 92 per cent rate, and sent 14 passes into the final third. He also had three shots, made two clearances and won three of four duels. Benfica sit top of the table with nine points, a month after Circati made his first start for the club in a 2-0 win at AC Milan.

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Circati contributed in both boxes. He had a shot blocked before the interval and flicked on a corner after the restart, though Vangelis Pavlidis couldn’t finish the chance. With Benfica protecting a 2-1 lead, Circati also stopped Négo’s counterattack. Pavlidis had put Benfica back in front four minutes into the second half; Fredrik Aursnes and Gianluca Prestianni added late goals to settle the match.

Dukuly’s late assist earns Celje a first point

Yaya Dukuly helped Celje salvage a 2-2 home draw with Salzburg, supplying the assist for Armandas Kucys’ 90th-minute equaliser after the Slovenian side had fallen two goals behind.

Sota Kitano opened the scoring in the ninth minute, and Jesper Lindstrom extended Salzburg’s advantage shortly after half-time. Blaž Kramer cut the deficit in the 50th minute before Dukuly’s late contribution completed the comeback. Celje’s first point of the league phase leaves them 29th after two opening defeats.

Kuol gives Jablonec a threat against Brighton

Garang Kuol came on in the 62nd minute of Jablonec’s 0-0 home draw with Brighton, helping the Czech side claim its first Conference League point. The Socceroos forward nearly created a late winner: with about 15 minutes left, he drove into the penalty area before the ball reached defender Sláma, whose shot Brighton’s goalkeeper tipped over.

Kuol is on loan from Sparta Prague and had scored a 93rd-minute consolation in Jablonec’s 3-2 opening loss at Freiburg. The 2022 World Cup forward is beginning to collect regular minutes in Europe again, giving his club another attacking option as the campaign continues.

Arzani starts in Ferencváros’ third straight win

Daniel Arzani played 75 minutes of Ferencváros’ 4-1 home victory over Torreense. He was substituted for Maiga with the Hungarian side leading 2-1; the result moved Ferencváros to nine points from three matches.

Arzani scored against former club Celtic in the opening 3-1 win, then returned to European football after spending last season on loan with Melbourne City in the A-League.

Elsewhere in Europe

Reporting by Associated Press

Bournemouth recorded a 3-0 Europa League win over 10-man AC Milan, their biggest result in their first European campaign. Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was dismissed after shoving Tyler Adams in the face during a corner, having already conceded a penalty. Marcus Tavernier scored from the spot against substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, and Amine Adli curled in a late free kick.

Bayer Leverkusen also reached three wins from three, with Jonas Hofmann scoring twice in three minutes in a 2-0 victory at OFI Crete. Juventus were held 2-2 by Rennes after a late winner was ruled out for offside.

Sunderland’s bid for a third consecutive win ended in a 1-1 draw at Lech Poznan. Timur Tutierov headed the Premier League side in front in the second minute, but substitute Leo Bengtsson earned the hosts a first point with a second-half equaliser.

Crystal Palace drew 2-2 with 10-man Besiktas, Celtic lost 2-1 at home to Celta Vigo, and Hoffenheim claimed their first points with a 3-0 win over Ligue 1 leaders Lyon. Real Sociedad posted the biggest score of the night, winning 6-0 away to Lillestrom.

Marseille suffered a third straight defeat, losing 1-0 to Sturm Graz, while Union Saint-Gilloise beat Israeli champions Hapoel Beer-Sheva 4-0 in a match played without fans in Dusseldorf, Germany, after authorities in Leuven, Belgium, declined to host it over public safety concerns.

In Istanbul, Palace twice came from behind against Besiktas. Wilfred Ndidi scored first for the hosts before Yeremy Pino levelled; Jean Philippe Mateta then put Palace ahead, only for Junior Olaitan to make it 2-2. Palace couldn’t turn a 13-minute numerical advantage after Umit Akdag was sent off.

Former Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah scored for Tranbzonspor in a 2-0 win over Hearts, marking his 150th appearance in European competitions. It was his second goal in the competition, following his strike in the previous 4-2 victory away at KuPS Kuopio.

For the Australian contingent, the clearest signal is the spread of meaningful contributions: Circati is playing full matches for a table-leading Benfica, while Dukuly, Kuol and Arzani are finding ways to influence results across Europe.