Brighton made an emphatic start to their UEFA Conference League campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Kauno Zalgiris on Thursday, while Monaco secured an away win against CSKA Sofia and Ajax suffered a surprise defeat to Hajduk Split.
The Seagulls dominated their Lithuanian opponents at the Amex Stadium, extending their winning streak across all competitions to five matches and strengthening their credentials as potential Conference League title contenders.
Georginio Rutter broke the deadlock late in the first half, converting Ibrahim Osman's cutback after a VAR review confirmed the Ghanaian winger had narrowly kept the ball in play.
Rutter then turned provider, setting up Jack Hinshelwood to double Brighton's advantage just before halftime.
The French forward continued his impressive performance after the break, scoring his second goal in the 53rd minute to put the hosts firmly in control.
Matt O'Riley completed the comfortable victory with a header, ending a goalscoring drought that had lasted more than a year.
Brighton entered the league phase following a convincing 4-0 victory over Norwegian side Tromso in August's play-off round.
The competition marks only the club's second European campaign, having previously reached the Europa League round of 16 during the 2023-24 season.
Despite their limited European experience, the Seagulls are considered among the favourites to lift the Conference League trophy.
Success would make Brighton the third consecutive English winner of the competition, following Chelsea and Crystal Palace. West Ham United also claimed the title in 2023.
With five successive victories in all competitions, Brighton are building momentum as they pursue their first major European trophy.
Ligue 1 leaders Monaco continued their impressive form with a 2-1 victory away to Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia.
Germany Under-21 international Paris Brunner opened the scoring early, registering his seventh goal in eight appearances.
Ansu Fati doubled Monaco's advantage before halftime, putting Filipe Luis's side in a commanding position.
CSKA Sofia responded through Dutch forward Joel Zwarts, but Monaco held firm to secure all three points.
The result continued Monaco's strong start to the campaign and highlighted Brunner's growing influence in attack.
Four-time European champions Ajax endured a disappointing evening, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Croatian side Hajduk Split.
The Dutch giants were unable to recover against their determined hosts, beginning their Conference League campaign with a setback.
Italian side Atalanta enjoyed a more successful outing, securing a comfortable 3-1 victory over Cypriot opponents Pafos.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah found the net as Turkish side Trabzonspor claimed an entertaining 4-2 away victory against Finnish club KuPS Kuopio.
Salah's contribution helped Trabzonspor secure an important opening result in their European campaign.
German side Freiburg maintained their excellent early-season form with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Czech opponents Jablonec.
Last season's Europa League runners-up, who have also emerged as surprise Bundesliga leaders this term, continued their strong momentum with another European success.
Scottish side Hearts were forced to settle for a point after drawing 1-1 with Danish outfit Nordsjaelland.
The result left Hearts searching for greater consistency as they look to make an impact in the Conference League.
With Brighton producing one of the standout performances of the opening round, the English club have already established themselves as serious contenders for European silverware.
