BOURNEMOUTH BEAT SPARTA PRAGUE 3-1 TO MAINTAIN PERFECT EUROPA LEAGUE RECORD
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By: Hammad Fasasi
Bournemouth maintained their perfect record in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday after coming from behind to secure a 3-1 victory over 10-man Sparta Prague, while Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan suffered their third defeat in four matches.
Gambian forward Ebrima Singhateh gave Sparta Prague the lead in the Czech Republic with an impressive solo effort, after Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook missed a first-half penalty that struck the post.
Sparta’s situation worsened before the break when Tobias Guddal was sent off, and Bournemouth capitalised on their numerical advantage as Tyler Adams restored parity in the 57th minute.
Evanilson put the visitors ahead nine minutes from time before Rayan sealed the victory with a late third goal, extending Bournemouth’s winning run to four matches and sending them to the top of the Europa League table.
The result also extended Bournemouth’s winning streak to seven matches across all competitions ahead of their Premier League trip to Ipswich this weekend.
Speaking after the match, manager Marco Rose described the achievement as significant but warned his players against becoming complacent, urging them to maintain their concentration and build on their momentum.
Meanwhile, AC Milan suffered a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Ferencvaros, who maintained their perfect record in the competition and stayed alongside Bournemouth at the top of the standings.
Haiti international Lenny Joseph scored twice in the second half at the San Siro to secure a deserved victory for the Hungarian side, despite Bamidele Yusuf receiving a red card during the encounter.
Reacting to the defeat, Milan manager Ruben Amorim criticised his players for their poor performance, accusing them of making costly mistakes and failing to show the required level of commitment in front of their home supporters.
Milan are now outside the top 24 places with just three points at the halfway stage of the league phase.
Despite the setback, Amorim insisted that his team would continue fighting for qualification as long as their chances remained mathematically alive.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace salvaged a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim at Selhurst Park, thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser from Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada.
Alexander Prass had given the German visitors an early lead, while Palace were reduced to 10 men after Adam Wharton received a second yellow card.
However, Kamada struck late to rescue a point for Pierre Sage’s struggling side.
Palace, who won last season’s UEFA Conference League, now have five points from four Europa League matches. The club are also struggling in the Premier League, where they sit in the relegation zone, just behind Manchester United on goal difference.
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