German players and former Bundesliga stars were on action in the early Europa League and Conference League fixtures on Thursday.

Paris Brunner continued his excellent start to the season as he scored inside the first five minutes before assisting Ansu Fati's goal in Monaco's 2-1 win over CSKA Sofia. The Germany U21 international netted seven goals from his first eight club appearances this season.

The winger struggled to break into Monaco's first team since leaving Borussia Dortmund in 2024, but he's now the difference maker for the Ligue 1 side under Filipe Luis. There is a big possibility that the 20-year-old will be included in Jürgen Klopp's squad for November's international break after he scored a brace in his debut for the U21s.

Brunner missed Monaco's 2-2 draw with Toulouse in the weekend after a two-game suspension for his controversial goal celebration against Strasbourg. He'll not be available for the trip to Lorient on Sunday before his next chance to extend his scoring streak for the Monegasque against SC Freiburg next Thursday.

Meanwhile, experienced German trio Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Thilo Kehrer and Julian Brandt played 90 minutes as Ajax started their Conference League campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Hajduk Split. Flares from the home fans interrupted the game for over ten minutes in the second-half.

The former Barcelona goalkeeper played for Germany in Klopp's debut, while Brandt already scored six goals for his new club. Kehrer joined Ajax from Monaco on the deadline day in an initial loan deal.

In a marquee Europa League fixture, ex-Bayern midfielder Corentin Tolisso scored the opening goal for Lyon to help them to a 3-2 win over Conference League champions Crystal Palace. Daichi Kamada, who won this competition with Eintracht Frankfurt, scored for Palace before the final whistle of the exhilarating encounter between two clubs with past history of similar ownership group.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Alphadjo Cisse scored a hat-trick for AC Milan in their 4-0 win away at RB Salzburg. The Austrian giants hired the German coach Danny Rohl at the start of the season. Rangers’ former coach was Hansi Flick's assistant during the World Cup in Qatar.