The second leg matches of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 left another exciting night full of goals and emotions. Despite their resounding defeat in the first leg, Villarreal came close to turning around their tie against Marseille. In turn, Leverkusen managed to turn around a more than complicated situation against Qarabağ while Liverpool thrashed Sparta Prague again. In addition, the three Italian teams managed to advance to the round and reach the quarterfinals.
UEFA.com reviews all the action from this Thursday.
Rain of goals at Anfield. Liverpool and Sparta Prague left one of the most entertaining quarterfinal return duels of the night. Despite the resounding 1-5 victory in the Czech capital, Klopp’s men came out all out and before reaching the quarter-hour mark they already had an advantage… of four goals! Darwin Núñez, Clark, Salah and Gakpo quickly sealed the match, but with nothing left to lose, the visitors let loose and Birmančević closed the gap at the end of the first half. The script remained the same after passing through the locker room and Szoboszlai and Gakpo closed the victory for the ‘Reds’.
Key fact: Liverpool have won all 36 UEFA competition ties in which they have won away from home in the first leg.
Brighton – Roma 1-0 (global: 1-4)
Daniele De Rossi’s team made good on their overwhelming first-leg result (4-0) to ensure their presence among the eight best teams in this edition of the Europa League. Despite being defeated in Brighton after Danny Welbeck’s great goal in the first half, the Italians knew how to defend their advantage against the continuous arrivals of the English team, who were not able to beat Svilar more times and said goodbye after having won their three last Europa League games at home without conceding a goal.
Key fact: Roma have only won one of their last 20 European away games against English teams (seven draws and eleven losses).
Rangers – Benfica 0-1 (global: 2-3)
A hard-fought pass to the quarterfinals for Benfica, achieving a creditable 1-0 win on Scottish soil. A solitary goal from Rafa Silva after the hour mark allowed the ‘Águilas’ to overcome a complicated tie that remained tied from start to finish. Although Philippe Clement’s men sought victory by all means, their lack of aim condemned them to defeat after reaching the final of the tournament in 2022.
Key fact: Benfica reaches its sixth quarter-final in the UEFA Europa League, a record greater than that of any other club.
Slavia de Prague – AC Milan 1-3
Milan did not fail and qualified for the quarterfinals, beating Slavia Prague again. The expulsion of Holeš after 20 minutes of play eased the way for the Italians, who left with a 0-3 lead at the break after goals from Pulišić, Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leão, the last of them a precise shot into the top corner. work of the Portuguese forward. In the second half, Jurásek closed the gap and scored the “honour” goal for the Czech team, which said goodbye to the European competition against one of the candidates for the title.
Key fact: Milan have only lost one of their last 14 games in UEFA competitions against Czech teams (nine wins and three draws).
West Ham – Friburgo 5-0 (global: 5-1)
A resounding victory for the English team in front of their fans that helped them come back from the tie and eliminate Freiburg with a brilliant performance. The locals took the lead before the first ten minutes of play were over through Lucas Paquetá and Bowen extended the lead before the break. Far from settling, David Moyes’ men continued to press and Cresswell scored the third with a powerful left-footed shot. Later, Kudus scored a double to close the win, scoring the first of his goals with a Maradonian play.
Key fact: West Ham have won their last eleven UEFA competition home games.
Leverkusen – Karabakh 3-2 (overall: 5-4)
Xabi Alonso’s team achieved an agonizing victory, coming back from a 0-2 deficit at home against Qarabağ. The Azeris, who almost achieved a historic feat for them and that no one has been able to achieve this season, went ahead through Zoubir. Minutes later, the expulsion of Jafarguliyev complicated things for the visitors, but Juninho scored again to, as in the first leg, take a two-goal lead against Leverkusen. However, the Germans remain undefeated this season for a reason and went in search of a comeback, which came through Frimpong’s goal and Patrik Schick’s two goals in injury time. Just like in Baku, the Czech striker saved the Germans “in extremis” and thus qualified his team for the next round.
Key fact: Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last nine Europa League games (seven wins and two draws).
Villarreal – Marseille 3-1 (agg: 3-5)
Bittersweet triumph for the ‘Yellow Submarine’ that bordered on an epic comeback in front of its fans. Although they started with a difficult task after the 4-0 defeat in the first leg, Villarreal came out all out and had chances to beat the French team. Goals from Capoue, Sørloth and Mosquera gave the hosts hope, but Pau López made several crucial saves for his team and Clauss sealed the tie by scoring on the last play after a great individual action by Aubameyang.
Key fact: Marseille reaches the quarterfinals of the Europa League for the first time since the 2017/18 edition, when it reached the final.
Atalanta – Sporting CP 2-1 (global: 3-2)
Atalanta and Sporting CP signed one of the most disputed ties of the round of 16. After their exciting first leg clash in Portugal, the return in Bergamo left another duel with goals and full of emotions in which the locals finally won, including a comeback. Although Pedro Gonçalves opened the scoring for the Portuguese team, Lookman and Scamacca turned the score around for the ‘Dea’, which remains undefeated in its last seven Europa League games this season (five wins and three draws).
Key fact: including the qualifying phase, Atalanta has only lost one of its last 21 Europa League games (12 wins and eight draws).