Union Saint-Gilloise win Europa League opener with Sylla impact

Union Saint-Gilloise have made a commanding start to their Europa League campaign, with Massiré Sylla playing a key role in the opening goal of an away victory at Viktoria Plzeň. The Senegalese defender’s contribution extends an impressive beginning to the season for him and gives the Belgian side an early European boost.

Union led 3-0 in the Czech Republic. Relebohile Mofokeng opened the scoring in the 18th minute after Sylla’s long pass exposed uncertainty in the home defence. Mateo Biondic added a second before half-time, finishing a rapid move after Viktoria failed to reorganise defensively.

The hosts improved after the interval but could not turn their opportunities into goals. Union goalkeeper Hervé Koffi had already denied Viktoria a clear chance in the first half, while the visitors remained dangerous and eventually added a third from their first corner. Ondřej Kričfaluši rose above the defence to score his first goal for the club.

The result gives Union a clean-sheet victory to begin their European schedule and underlines their control away from home. Their immediate focus now switches to domestic football, with a trip to Antwerp on Sunday, followed by a home match against OH Leuven. Real Sociedad will then visit on October 15.