Bournemouth repeats European achievement of Bolton after 21 years

AFC Bournemouth has achieved a remarkable feat in European competitions, becoming the first English team to win their first two matches in continental competitions since Bolton Wanderers in the 2005-2006 season.

AFC Bournemouth began their campaign in the competition with a 2-1 victory over hosts Real Sociedad on September 17, marking their first win in European participation. They then confirmed their strong start in the second round.

The English team secured their second victory against SK Sturm Graz with a score of 3-0 on Thursday, in a match held at their home ground. Evanilson opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, before Rayan added the second goal in the 76th minute, while Álvaro Rodríguez completed the hat-trick from a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time.

This achievement comes after AFC Bournemouth successfully secured two consecutive victories at the beginning of their European journey, confirming their impressive start in the competition and placing them among the English teams that have made an ideal start at the continental level.

The last similar achievement by an English team was by Bolton Wanderers, who won their first two matches in European competitions during the 2005-2006 season, before AFC Bournemouth repeated this feat nearly 21 years later.

This historic record gives AFC Bournemouth's European debut added significance as the team seeks to continue its positive results and confirm its ability to compete on the continental stage.