Eight matches, eight shut-outs. Across the Europa League, La Liga and the Championship, Thursday belonged to defenses as much as it did to goalscorers.
Europa League
Benfica were the biggest movers, winning 2-0 away at AC Milan without letting the hosts find a way through. Bayer Leverkusen were similarly comfortable at home, beating NK Celje 2-0. The tighter margins came elsewhere: Omonia Nicosia edged Celta Vigo 1-0, and Sunderland saw off AZ Alkmaar by the same scoreline.
La Liga
Atletico Madrid provided the day's biggest scoreline, thumping Osasuna 4-0 at home while keeping a clean sheet of their own. The other two La Liga results were built on a single goal: Valencia won 1-0 at Deportivo Alaves, and Sevilla did the same on the road at Deportivo de A Coruna.
Championship
In England, Lincoln City took a narrow 1-0 win away at Bristol City, the lone Championship fixture on Thursday's shut-out list.
The pattern
Six of the eight wins to nil were settled by a single goal, a reminder that clean sheets often come down to fine margins rather than dominance. Atletico's four-goal salvo and Benfica's two-goal away win were the exceptions, the only sides to pair a shut-out with more than one goal scored. For six other teams, one moment was enough, and their defenses made sure it stood up.