Portugal's Sporting CP defeated Istanbul Başakşehir 3-1 at home in the first leg of their round-of-32 meeting in the Europa League on Thursday.

Sporting captain Sebastian Coates scored the fastest goal of the night, netting in the third minute.

Striker Andraz Sporar scored from inside the penalty area right before halftime, assisted by Stefan Ristovski.

Argentine Luciano Vietto added another six minutes after the break.

Başakşehir forward Edin Visca converted a penalty in the 77th minute, giving the Turkish club a crucial away goal and hope for the second leg match at home in Istanbul.

Başakşehir is the only Turkish club still playing in European competitions.

Başakşehir qualified for the playoffs as the Group J winner with 10 points, while Sporting was the runner-up in the Group D with 12 points.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta marked his first European game as Arsenal manager with a 1-0 victory at Olympiakos in the first leg of their round-of-32 meeting in the Europa League on Thursday.

Manchester United was held to a 1-1 draw at Club Brugge, while Inter Milan had an easier time at Ludogorets in Bulgaria, with Christian Eriksen scoring his first goal for the Italian club in a 2-0 win.

Another Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, cruised to a 4-0 win over Espanyol thanks to a hat trick by Diego Jota and a spectacular long-range volley by Ruben Neves.

Winning the Europa League may be the best chance for all three Premier League teams to book a spot in the lucrative Champions League next season.

Scottish side Rangers delivered the comeback of the evening by rallying from 2-0 down to beat Braga 3-2 at home.

Five-time Europa League champion Sevilla failed to win again after a 1-1 draw at Romania’s Cluj, while Ajax surprisingly lost 2-0 at Getafe.

Basel, Roma, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg also won.

The second legs are scheduled for next week.