AC Milan’s Europa League campaign took a severe blow after a 2-0 home defeat to Ferencvaros on Thursday. Meanwhile the Olympique de Marseille and Juventus secured vital wins to boost their European standings.
Milan suffered their third defeat in four matches, dropping to 28th place with just three points. Ferencvaros capitalized on a 52nd-minute mistake by goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani allowing Lenny Joseph to roll the ball into an empty net. Joseph added a second 14 minutes later. Despite Bamidele Yusuf’s 77th-minute red card, the Hungarian side held firm to reach 12 points, tied at the top with Benfica and Bournemouth.
"I won't give up on this competition. As long as we're not mathematically out, we'll keep fighting" said Milan manager Ruben Amorim.
In Germany, Amine Gouiri’s 77th-minute solo goal earned Marseille a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen securing their first three points of the tournament.
In the Netherlands, Juventus defeated AZ Alkmaar 2-1. Teun Koopmeiners opened the scoring in the 19th minute against a team captained by his brother Peer. Randal Kolo Muani doubled the lead before halftime and Mexx Meerdink’s late goal was not enough for the hosts. The win leaves Juventus fifth in the table with 10 points.
Elsewhere Daichi Kamada scored deep in stoppage time to help 10-man Crystal Palace salvage a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. Bournemouth maintained a perfect record with a 3-1 comeback victory away at Sparta Prague following a red card for the host team.
