Europa League 2018: Updated Tables, Scores After Thursday's Group Results

AC Milan recovered from an early scare against Dudelange on Thursday to win 5-2 in the UEFA Europa League, keeping them in control of their qualification hopes.

The minnows from Luxembourg had surprised the Serie A side early on and led 2-1 before Milan fought back. Also in Group F, a 1-0 win for Real Betis over Olympiakos ensured they made it into the knockout stages.

Elsewhere there were big victories for Arsenal, Chelsea and Sporting CP, while Eintracht Frankfurt hammered Marseille 4-0. The biggest surprises of the evening saw Lazio lose 2-0 at Apollon Limassol, while La Liga leaders Sevilla slumped to a 1-0 loss at Standard Liege.

Here are the results from Thursday's matches and a review of some standout moments from Matchday 5.

Thursday Results

Group A

Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Ludogorets

FC Zurich 1-2 AEK Larnaca

Group B

Rosenborg 0-1 Celtic

Salzburg 1-0 Leipzig

Group C

Bordeaux 2-0 Slavia Prague

Zenit Saint Petersburg 1-0 Copenhagen

Group D

Fenerbache 0-0 Dinamo Zagreb

Anderlecht 0-0 Spartak Trnava

Group E

Qarabag 1-6 Sporting CP

Vorskla 0-3 Arsenal

Group F

AC Milan 5-2 Dudelange

Real Betis 1-0 Olympiacos

Group G

Rangers 0-0 Villarreal

Spartak Moscow 1-2 Rapid Vienna

Group H

Apollon 2-0 Lazio

Frankfurt 4-0 Marseille

Group I

Malmo 2-2 Genk

Sarpsborg 2-3 Besiktas

Group J

Krasnodar 2-1 Akhisar

Standard Liege 1-0 Sevilla

Group K

Jablonec 0-1 Rennes

Astana 0-1 Dynamo Kiev

Group L

BATE Borisov 2-0 Vidi

Chelsea 4-0 PAOK

Group Standings (Games, Points, Goal Difference)

Group A

1. Bayer Leverkusen: 5, 10, +3

2. FC Zurich: 5, 9, +1

3. Ludogorets: 5, 5, -2

4. AEK Larnaca: 5, 3, -2

Group B

1. Red Bull Salzburg: 5, 15, +10

2. Celtic: 5, 9, -1

3. RB Leipzig: 5, 6, +1

4. Rosenborg: 5, 0, -10

Group C

1. Zenit St. Petersburg: 5, 11, +3

2. Slavia Prague: 5, 7, -1

3. Copenhagen: 5, 5, -1

4. Bordeaux: 5, 4, -1

Group D 

1. Dinamo Zagreb: 5, 13, +8

2. Fenerbahce: 5, 8, +1

3. Spartak Trnava: 5, 4, -4

4. Anderlecht: 5, 2, -5

Group E

1. Arsenal: 5, 13, +9

2. Sporting: 5, 10, +7

3. Vorskla: 5, 3, -6

4. Qarabag: 5, 3, -10

Group F

1. Real Betis: 5, 11, +5

2. AC Milan: 5, 10, +5

3. Olympiakos: 5, 7, +3

4. Dudelange: 5, 0, -13

Group G

1. Villarreal: 5, 7, +5

2. Rapid Vienna: 7, 4, -4

3. Rangers: 5, 6, +1

4. Spartak Moscow: 5, 5, -2

Group H

1. Eintracht Frankfurt: 5, 15, +11

2. Lazio: 5, 9, -1

3. Apollon Limassol: 5, 4, -2

4. Marseille: 5, 1, -8

Group I

1. Genk: 5, 8, +2

2. Besiktas: 5, 7, -1

3. Malmo: 5, 6, 0

4. Sarpsborg 08: 5, 5, -1

Group J

1. Krasnodar: 5, 12, +3

2. Sevilla: 5, 9, +9

3. Standard Liege: 5, 9, -2

4. Akhisarspor: 5, 0, -10

Group K

1. Dynamo Kiev: 5, 11, +2

2. Astana: 5, 8, +2

3. Rennes: 5, 6, -3

4. Jablonec: 5, 2, -3

Group L

1. Chelsea: 5, 15, +9 

2. BATE Borisov: 5, 6, -2

3. Vidi: 5, 6, -2

4. PAOK: 5, 3, -1

Visit the UEFA website to see the group tables in full.

Thursday Recap

When Milan fell 2-1 down at the San Siro, there were some nervous looks from those in black and red on the pitch and in the stands.

Matteo Bonetti of ESPN wasn't pleased with the attitude showed by some of the Milan players early in the match:

In the latter stages, the class of the Italian team did shine through against a tiring opponent, as they grabbed an equaliser in the 66th minute before they scored another three times in the final stages.

The win means avoiding defeat against Olympiacos next time out would see Milan through; the Greek side lost to Real Betis on Thursday, and the win was enough for the Andalusian team to move into the final 32.

Spanish football journalist Colin Millar praised their performance and encouraged Betis to showcase that kind of form on a more consistent basis:

Having already qualified for the knockout stages, Arsenal took a young side to Vorskla and ran out routine winners. They still haven't guaranteed top spot though, as Sporting CP hammered Qarabag in the heaviest win of the night.

Perhaps the most eye-catching score of the evening came in the meeting between Frankfurt and Marseille, as the former hammered last year's finalists, 4-0. 

As German football journalist Archie Rhind-Tutt relayed, the Bundesliga team are among the most exciting sides to watch anywhere in Europe:

Frankfurt are one of three teams with a perfect record, along with Chelsea and Salzburg. In the latter's group, RB Leipzig are in danger of missing the knockout stages, as they were beaten by the Austrian outfit and Celtic secured a big away win in Rosenborg.

Meanwhile, Rangers clung on to draw 0-0 with Villarreal despite being down to 10 men for more than half of the game. The Scottish Premier League team sit in third in their group but can still qualify with a win over Rapid Vienna on Matchday 6.