Juventus denied at the death, Sunderland claim Europa League point

Paris: Bayer Leverkusen extended their winning streak in the Europa League to three matches, thanks to a double from Jonas Hofmann, as they defeated OFI Crete 2-0 at the away venue. Meanwhile, Juventus and Sunderland both fell behind in Thursday's third matchday of the competition. Ferencvaros maintained their position at nine points, defeating Portuguese side Torreense 4-1, while Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium secured a 4-0 victory over Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

All three teams – Saint-Gilloise, Sunderland, and Juventus – now share seven points from three games. Juventus had the opportunity to come back from behind and secure a win against French side Rennes, but their late winner was disallowed for a marginal offside infringement. Zeki Celik gave Juventus the lead in the fifth minute, but an error ten minutes later allowed Musa Al-Taamari to equalize.

Just before halftime, Boulaye Dia put Rennes ahead. However, Nick Woltemade scored a handball and subsequently converted the resulting penalty, making the score 2-2. The decision to disallow Jhon Lucumi's 88th minute strike via VAR was the most contentious moment of the game. The Polish side Sunderland drew 1-1 with Polish club Poznan, taking the lead in the second minute through Timur Tutierov.

Despite dominating the match, they were unable to secure the victory. With two home games remaining, the second round of the competition remains within reach for Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland. In the Conference League, former Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Trabzonspor with a penalty, helping them secure a 2-0 win over Scottish side Hearts.