Bournemouth win first-ever European home game, extending strong Europa League start
Premier League club Bournemouth beat Austria's Sturm Graz 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League, their first European home match in the club's 127-year history. It is their second win in as many games in the competition.
Bournemouth, an English Premier League football club, beat Austria's Sturm Graz 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League, a European club competition. It was the first European home match in the club's 127-year history. The result means Bournemouth have won both of their opening games in the tournament, something no other English side had managed in a major European competition since Bolton in the UEFA Cup 21 years ago.
From near-extinction to Europe
Before kick-off the stadium played Andy Williams' "Impossible Dream", and supporters raised a large tifo reading "Minus 17 to European dreams". It refers to 2008, when the club went into administration, were relegated from League One and were handed a 10-point deduction. To be allowed to play in League Two in 2008-09, the club, then managed by Eddie Howe, had to accept a further 17-point deduction. They still survived, finishing 21st, and that laid the foundations for success that led to a first promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
The match
Bournemouth's first European goal at home came late in the first half, when Evanilson headed in a cross from right-back Adam Smith. Smith, now 35 and the club's longest-serving player, first joined on loan from Tottenham in 2011, made the move permanent in 2014 and has played more than 430 times for the club. Captaining the side, he was substituted midway through the second half and the home fans chanted his name.
Former Bournemouth defender Joel Ward told TNT Sports the club should savour the night, and credited owner Bill Foley for his investment.
What comes next
In the Premier League, Bournemouth's season has yet to take off. They are 18th and are one of three teams, with Fulham and Tottenham, still without a win. Head coach Marco Rose, who replaced Andoni Iraola in June, said the team should take the same unity into the next game. They face Sunderland on Sunday, and Italy's AC Milan visit the Vitality Stadium next week.
