Karim Konate scored twice as Salzburg picked up their first points in the Champions League this season by upsetting Feyenoord with a 3-1 away win.

Feyenoord had won their last two games away at Girona and Benfica and were fancied to continue their momentum, only to be stunned on their return to De Kuip by the youthful Austrian outfit.

Twenty-year-old Konate, who helped Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of the year, put Salzburg ahead two minutes into first-half stoppage time.

An errant roll out by home goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther led to Oscar Gloukh crossing for Konate to head home.

Feyenoord were then caught napping in the 58th minute when Kamil Piatkowski looped a header up in the air from a corner and Konate reacted quickly to volley home a second.

The hosts' position turned worse when substitute Chris-Kevin Nadje was sent off for a studs-up tackle in the 79th minute, though they pulled a goal back just two minutes later through Anis Hadj Moussa.

Salzburg should have settled the outcome when a VAR intervention handed them an 85th-minute penalty, but Konate fluffed the chance for a hat-trick as he rattled the crossbar.

However, Daouda Guindo came off the bench and with his first contribution slammed home a long-range effort to ensure the points would return to Austria.

Data Debrief: Worth the wait for Salzburg

Salzburg have now ended their eight-match run without a win in the Champions League (one draw, seven losses), while scoring for the first time in four games. 

They have now won each of their last three games against Dutch opponents in European competitions after failing to win any of their first four (two draws, two defeats).

Feyenoord's players may not fully realise the enormity of their surprise Champions League victory at Benfica, says head coach Brian Priske.

Antoni Milambo scored twice, becoming the first Feyenoord player to net an away Champions League brace since 2000, while Ayase Ueda was also on target in a 3-1 victory for the Eredivisie side in Lisbon.

It was a second successive away win for Feyenoord in the competition's new-look league phase, and they are up to 16th in the 36-team table.

"This is certainly a great victory. I don't know if we realise how great it is until the heart rate drops a bit and we can enjoy it," said Priske, who was appointed after Arne Slot left for Liverpool.

He struggled initially but has now seen them to four successive wins in all competitions.

"This [Benfica] is a very big club in Europe, with top quality players and a great stadium. This is really a great achievement," said the Danish-born coach.

"The mentality of these boys is incredible. I am very proud of them, how we kept fighting after they pulled one goal back and were mentally strong enough to pull the match over the line with the 3-1 win."

Hailing his players' defensive work, Priske continued: "First of all, you have to work hard, suffer, take on some pain when they have the ball, sacrifice yourself for the team and defend really well. 

"And then offensively we also needed to take moments to outnumber them in the midfield, see if we could outplay them and create some danger.

"Credit to the players. I think they showed all the elements that I talk about here. It's a massive result, but also a performance that shows everyone in our dressing room that we were capable of a lot of things."

Feyenoord’s next Champions League game is at home to Austria's Salzburg, who have lost their opening three games, on November 6.

Antoni Milambo scored twice as Feyenoord claimed an impressive 3-1 victory over Benfica at Estadio da Luz.

Ayase Ueda was also on target for the Eredivisie side, who moved level with their opponents on six points after the opening three matchdays.

Feyenoord broke through in the 12th minute when Igor Paixao cut the ball back for Ueda to slot home.

The Japan international had a second goal chalked off following a VAR review before the visitors doubled their lead on 33 minutes, when Milambo cleverly skipped away from Nicolas Otamendi before finishing.

Benfica, who opened their campaign with back-to-back wins, pulled a goal back at the midway point in the second half, with Timon Wellenreuther parrying Jan-Niklas Beste's effort straight to Kerem Akturkoglu, who made no mistake from close range.

Wellenreuther made smart saves to deny the hosts as they pushed for an equaliser, before Milambo sealed the points with his second goal of the game in stoppage time.

Data Debrief: Milambo matches Tomasson as Feyenoord halt Benfica streak

Benfica had won each of their last six matches in all competitions, but Bruno Lage's side could not prevent Feyenoord from winning successive away games in Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1971.

Ueda broke the deadlock in the 12th minute with what was the Eredivisie side's earliest goal (excluding own-goals) in a Champions League away game since Sebastian Pardo netted just four minutes into their victory over Newcastle United in September 2002.

Milambo then took centre stage, becoming the first Feyenoord player to score twice in a Champions League away game since Jon Dahl Tomasson against Lazio in February 2000.

Benfica midfielder Renato Sanches is due to return from injury in Wednesday's Champions League tie against Feyenoord, head coach Bruno Lage said on Tuesday.

Sanches suffered a hamstring injury in training last month and missed Benfica's last six matches, including their wins over Red Star Belgrade and Atletico Madrid in their opening two Champions League matches.

"Let's be very clear about this, because we have nothing to hide. Renato has been doing a lot of work. We had predicted that he could return a little earlier, then a little later, but I can confirm that Renato will be involved for the game against Feyenoord," Lage said.

Sanches, who was a teenage prodigy at Benfica, has struggled for consistency since his record transfer to Bayern Munich aged 18 in 2016.

He has since played for Swansea City, Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma before the French giants loaned him back to Benfica this campaign.

Lage said only defensive midfielder Leandro Barreiro would be missing from the Benfica lineup for the match due to a thigh injury.

Benfica are on a run of six successive victories, with their 4-0 home win over Atletico earlier this month one of the surprise results of the early stages of the new-look Champions League competition.

"It is important to highlight that the work we did ahead of the Atletico match happens for every game," Lage said.

"First, we understand what we did well in our previous game, and we study the opponent in detail. We define the strategy, practise it and look to instil confidence in the players. That's what we do for every game, be it in the championship, in the Champions League or in the cup.

"We are confident, we've prepared very well and our confidence comes from the fact that when we transmit our ideas to the players, they feel confident that they can play a good game," added Lage, who returned to coach Benfica last month after Roger Schmidt was fired.

Lage was Wolves manager in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and briefly into the next campaign, before losing his job after a run of poor results.

"My time in the Premier League gave me experience that I didn't have before, but that's part of any coach's experience," he told reporters.

"The more experience we have, the more we will learn. The way I work, we learn a lot from the assessments we make of our opponents, but above all from our own team."

David Lopez's name will forever be etched in Girona history after he scored their first Champions League goal, but there was little cause for celebration for the defender after self-inflicted wounds led to a 3-2 home defeat to Feyenoord.

Girona’s maiden Champions League campaign started with a 1-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago, with goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga scoring a late own goal.

On Wednesday, two more own goals, as well as a missed penalty, saw them lose 3-2 to Feyenoord to remain without a point in Europe's premier club competition.

After just two games in the competition, Girona have already equalled the record for the most own goals conceded in a single Champions League campaign, matching Fenerbahce in 2007-08.

However, Michel's men had enough chances to take something from the game, a fact that was not lost on Lopez.

"It was a great game for the spectators in which we did everything possible to win. We created chances, we have to keep going, it's a shame," he told reporters.

"During the match we were receiving small blows that slowed us down. But I am left with the belief that we did not give up at any time."

Girona may be left with a feeling of what might have been, having enjoyed a 64% possession share and attempted 13 shots at goal. 

Next up in the Champions League, they have a home fixture against Slovan Bratislava, a chance to kick-start their European season.

"In the next match we have to keep the three points here no matter what. We have enough quality in the squad to be able to do it," Lopez said.

Girona fell to a second straight Champions League defeat on Wednesday, losing 3-2 to Feyenoord in a pulsating encounter featuring two saved penalties and two own goals.

David Lopez scored Girona's first-ever goal in Europe's premier club competition midway through the first half, reacting quickest when Feyenoord failed to clear a corner to power into the roof of the net.

However, their lead lasted just three minutes before Igor Paixao’s free-kick reached the six-yard box and went in off the chest of Girona defender Yangel Herrera.

Feyenoord then grabbed the lead as 19-year-old Antoni Milambo collected a pass from Paixao to finish, though the visitors missed a chance to go 3-1 up soon afterwards as Ayase Ueda saw a spot-kick pushed away by Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

Midway through the second half, Timon Wellenreuther saved Bojan Miovski's penalty after fouling the Girona forward in the area, but the Spanish side did draw level when Donny van de Beek tapped home in the 73rd minute.

Girona's joy was short-lived, however, as Ladislav Krejci turned Hancko's low cross into his own net to re-establish Feyenoord's lead 11 minutes from time, and they held on to pick up their first three points of the campaign.

Data Debrief: Luckless Girona

After just two games in Europe's premier club competition, Girona have already equalled the record for the most own goals conceded in a single Champions League campaign.

Three of their four goals conceded in the competition have come from their own players, matching Fenerbahce in 2007-08, and they do, of course, still have six league-phase matches to play. 

They are the first team in Champions League history to put through their own net in each of their first two games in the competition.

Girona have been rocked by a couple of injury blows ahead of the first home Champions League game in their history, but coach Michel says they will go all out to beat Feyenoord.

The Catalan side, who qualified for Europe's premier club competition for the first time by finishing third in LaLiga last season, lost 1-0 at Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one.

On the domestic front, they played out a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo on Sunday, losing key men Oriol Romeu and Daley Blind to injury.

The former is expected to miss around eight weeks with the latter likely to be sidelined for a month, but Michel is choosing to remain upbeat ahead of Girona's historic outing.

"It's our new reality. We need to take it one game at a time," Michel told reporters ahead of Wednesday's game at the Estadi Montilivi.

"The midfield without Romeu is short-handed. But tomorrow, we need the best possible eleven to win. We have to look at it like that.

"I'm especially worried about the psychological issue. Romeu didn't play against Rayo Vallecano and got injured. The most important thing is that the head is fine. My concern is to go game by game and the team that plays will be the best possible."

After going toe-to-toe with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona for much of the last campaign, Girona are now being tested by the best sides in Europe and Michel acknowledged it is a challenge to juggle domestic and continental duties.

Girona have had an underwhelming start to the season in LaLiga, winning two and drawing three of their eight matches to sit 12th with nine points.

"The pressure of playing LaLiga and Champions League is difficult. We want to win because making history in the Champions League is a dream for us and for our fans, those who will be on the pitch and those who will be away," Michel said.

"Hearing the Champions League anthem at home will be historic in Girona. The maturity of this squad is great. We have players with a lot of experience who know how to handle this situation.

"From my perspective as a coach, from a management point of view, it is easier to manage the change towards the Champions League. 

"From the 'boom' of playing in the Champions League you need to return to the reality of the league, which is what is going to give us the possibility to continue growing."

Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-0 win over Feyenoord upon their return to the Champions League, but head coach Xabi Alonso said the result did not come easy.

Florian Wirtz's brace along with Alex Grimaldo's strike and Timon Wellenreuther's own-goal handed Leverkusen a comfortable advantage at the break. 

The Bundesliga champions netted four goals in the first half of a game in a major European competition for just the third time after doing so twice in 1994 against PSV Eindhoven (4-2 HT) and GKS Katowice (4-0 HT). 

Alonso's side also became the first away team to lead by four goals at half-time of a Champions League game since Bayern Munich led 4-0 at Viktoria Plzen in 2022.

Despite the scoreline suggesting a comfortable outing for Leverkusen, Alonso credited his side's disciplined performance in a goalless second period. 

"We were not lucky, but efficient in the first minutes. We needed a bit more control on the build-up to find the free spaces," Alonso said. 

"We have good players who understand what the game requires. They are flexible.

"We need to have those registers... be flexible during the game."

Leverkusen's triumph saw them record their joint-biggest win in the Champions League (4-0 vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in October 2013). 

It was also their biggest victory away from home in any European competition since beating Celtic 4-0 in the 2021-22 Europa League.

Alonso's side return to Bundesliga action this weekend when they welcome Wolfsburg to the BayArena on Sunday. 

Bayer Leverkusen opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Thursday, scoring all four of their goals by half-time.

Xabi Alonso's men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip. 

Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.

Another of last season's stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.

Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke of half-time, Timon Wellenreuther diverting the ball into his own net in a failed attempt to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's header.

Feyenoord were never likely to respond from there, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.

Bayer's resounding victory takes them third in the young Champions League standings, with Milan their next opponents in the competition on October 1.

Data Debrief: Wirtz makes the step up

Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Season as Leverkusen romped to the title last term, and he made the step up to Europe's premier club competition look easy on Thursday.

At the age of 21 years and 139 days, he became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut.

Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes (28) is the only midfielder that has been directly involved in more goals in major European competitions than Wirtz (26 – 14 goals, 12 assists).  

Sonia Bompastor has promised there is more hard work to come for her Chelsea players after they readied themselves for the Women's Super League season with a 9-0 hammering of Feyenoord.

Bompastor marked her first match at Kingsmeadow in fantastic fashion on Saturday, with the WSL champions proving far too good for their Dutch opponents.

Sandy Baltimore and Mayra Ramirez struck inside the opening 10 minutes, with Feyenoord's Celainy Obispo subsequently seeing red.

Chelsea were 4-0 up by the break thanks to finishes from Sjoeke Nusken and Wieke Kaptein, with Millie Bright heading home a fifth after the restart.

Substitute Aggie Beever-Jones netted a second-half hat-trick, with Maika Hamano also getting in on the act in a resounding victory.

Chelsea face Aston Villa in their WSL opener on September 20, and former Lyon coach Bompastor says the task is now to be fully prepared for that fixture.

"I can't wait to get to that moment, only two weeks now," she said.

"We are really excited to get to that moment, but we still have two weeks to work and we’ll make sure we work really hard to be ready for that first game.

"We had two main goals – the first one was defensively, we wanted to have high pressure, and be strong in transition. With the ball, I wanted them to play in a nice way, in an attacking style, so with nine goals, it was definitely good and it’s what we had been working on in training.

"I really liked the stadium, the atmosphere. It’s really cool, especially when you win and score a lot of goals. I hope all the games this season, they’ll have the same fun. We’ll keep working really hard to make sure they come and enjoy our games."

Hugo Bueno has completed a season-long loan move to Feyenoord from Wolves, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday. 

Bueno, who made 21 league appearances under Gary O'Neil last campaign, will link up with the Dutch side who drew in their first league game with Willem II on Saturday.

The 21-year-old managed just 830 minutes from his 25 outings in all competitions last year, with Rayan Ait-Nouri or Matt Doherty often preferred at left-back. 

Bueno has the opportunity to test himself among Europe's elite, with Feyenoord competing in the Champions League this season after finishing second in Arne Slot's final season at the club.

Wolves' sporting director Matt Hobbs was quick to reassure supporters that the Spaniard's switch would not leave O'Neil short in terms of defensive cover. 

“Some people might think we’re leaving ourselves short, but we’ve got a number of players who can cover in that area of the pitch," Hobbs said. 

"It’s really important for us and Hugo that he goes and plays.”

Brighton have completed the signing of midfielder Mats Wieffer from Feyenoord.

The 24-year-old has penned a five-year contract, with the Seagulls paying a reported £25.4million (€30m).

Having joined Feyenoord in 2022, Wieffer proved to be a key figure for now-Liverpool boss Arne Slot.

Wieffer played a role in helping Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title in 2023, and then the KNVB Beker last season.

"We’re delighted to welcome Mats to the club, a player whose qualities we have admired for a long time," said Brighton's technical director David Weir.

"He has a lot of experience in the Champions League as well as the Eredivisie and has developed into one of the best deep-lying midfielders in Europe."

Though Wieffer made his Netherlands debut in March last year, he was not called up by Ronald Koeman for Euro 2024.

Wieffer will link up with his former Feyenoord team-mate Yankuba Minteh, who joined Brighton from Newcastle United in a £33m deal last week.

Virgil van Dijk insists his future remains solely with Liverpool as the Reds captain welcomed incoming Dutch compatriot Arne Slot.

Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, with the Dutchman expected to take charge at Anfield from Saturday after sealing his switch from Feyenoord.

The soon-to-be Liverpool boss leaves the Netherlands after three highly successful seasons with Feyenoord, having led them to the league title in 2023.

Slot will be welcomed by two fellow countrymen on the red side of Merseyside, with Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch eager to link-up with their new manager.

As Netherlands began their Euro 2024 training camp on Monday, Van Dijk told a news conference: "I still have a year left on my contract.

"I am club captain and I have made it clear I am there for the new coach and enthusiastic over the next season.

"Obviously, there will be a lot of changes but I am confident we will make a big success of it.

"I congratulated [Slot] of course and I'm really pleased for him and his family. We spoke about the team and the future but now my focus is fully on the national team."

Slot's reign ended with six straight league wins and Feyenoord did not lose any of his final 20 Eredivisie matches at the helm, their last defeat coming against PSV on December 3.

The 45-year-old oversaw exactly 150 games in charge of Feyenoord across all competitions, winning 98 of those contests (65.33 per cent).

Slot also won the KNVB Cup glory in April, overseeing a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in the final of that competition, and Gravenberch believes that success has earnt his Liverpool move.

"I think he can be good for my career, he's a coach who wants to play good football," added Gravenberch.

Arne Slot said it was "not an easy decision" to leave Feyenoord, but ultimately he could not turn down the Liverpool job.

Liverpool finally confirmed Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor on Monday.

Klopp signed off on his nine-year tenure in charge of Liverpool with a 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday.

The German started an "Arne Slot" chant during his leaving speech at Anfield, and a day later, the Reds officially announced the 45-year-old Dutchman's appointment, subject to a work permit.

Slot led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title during his time in charge, as well as the KNVB Beker, while they also reached the Europa Conference League final in 2022.

Speaking to Feyenoord's official website, Slot said: "It is certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you have experienced so many wonderful moments and worked successfully with so many wonderful people.

"But as a sportsman, an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is difficult to ignore.

"At the same time, we understand very well that working at a club like Liverpool is a special and unique opportunity for him. With that in mind, we started the conversation to see if we could find a solution together, and in the end we succeeded."

Feyenoord beat Excelsior in Feyenoord's final match in charge on Sunday.

Liverpool have confirmed Arne Slot will succeed Jurgen Klopp as their new head coach. 

Klopp's glorious nine-year spell with the Reds came to an end on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Wolves, after which the German sang Slot's name to the Anfield crowd.

Slot had previously confirmed he would be taking over, and Liverpool have now formally announced the news.

The Dutchman will officially take charge from June 1, subject to receiving a work permit.

Slot leaves the Netherlands after three highly successful seasons with Feyenoord, during which he led them to the league title in 2023 and was named Eredivisie Manager of the Year on two occasions.

More recently, he led the Rotterdam giants to KNVB Cup glory in April, overseeing a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in the final of that competition.

Feyenoord rounded off their Eredivisie campaign with a 4-0 victory over neighbours Excelsior on Sunday, as they finished second, seven points adrift of runaway champions PSV.