Roma defeated Feyenoord 4-2 in a penalty shootout to move on to the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday. This came after a 1-1 tie in extra time, mirroring the first leg outcome.
Mile Svilar, the goalkeeper for Roma, stopped shots from David Hancko and Alireza Jahanbakhsh during the shootout, securing their spot in the knockout stages. The decisive penalty was scored by Nicola Zalewski.
Santiago Giménez scored for Feyenoord in the fifth minute with a deflected shot from close range, but Roma’s captain Lorenzo Pellegrini equalized 10 minutes later with an impressive curled shot into the top corner.
With obvious enthusiasm, Roma aggressively pursued the lead with opportunities from Bryan Cristante, Pellegrini, and Rick Karsdorp. The home team continued to keep Feyenoord on the defensive for the rest of the first half.
Feyenoord’s defensive efforts remained strong against Roma, with goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther preventing Romelu Lukaku’s shot and a subsequent rebound just before the game went into extra time. In the final minutes, Wellenreuther denied Lukaku once more before ultimately saving his shot in the penalty shootout.
Despite a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Rennes on Thursday, Milan advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League. Despite Benjamin Bourigeaud scoring a hat-trick for the hosts, it was not enough to prevent the Italian team from securing a 5-3 overall win.
Rennes took on a challenging task after Milan dominated with a strong 3-0 victory at home in the initial match. Despite the rainy weather, Rennes began with an aggressive approach.
Bourigeaud found the back of the net with a well-placed shot in the 11th minute, while Luka Jovic responded with a strong header to tie the game. Bourigeaud later scored a penalty in the second half after Martin Terrier was tripped by Simon Kjær, but Milan’s Rafael Leão equalized in the 58th minute.
“We put in maximum effort from the beginning to the end, despite our position and the goals we let in. This hat-trick is a testament to the hard work of the entire team,” Bourigeaud stated in an interview with uefa.com.
In the 68th minute, Rennes was given another penalty when Jovic committed a handball. Bourigeaud successfully scored his third goal from the spot.
Stefano Pioli, manager of Milan, stated to Sky Sports Italy that although we have qualified, everyone will have their own opinions. The first leg may have seemed simple to progress to the next round, but it was not an effortless task. There are still various aspects that need to be assessed.
On Friday, Milan will discover their round of 16 opponent after being relegated to the Europa League for finishing third in their Champions League group. Pioli commented that the match tonight highlighted their offensive capabilities, but they need to limit the opportunities given to their opponents.
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Qarabag from Azerbaijan progressed to the next round after an exciting match against Braga from Portugal. Despite losing 3-2 in extra time, Qarabag won the overall tie with a score of 6-5. Despite being down to 10 players in the second half, Qarabag managed to push the game into extra time and secured their victory with a late goal from Nariman Akhundzade.
Benfica and Toulouse shared the spoils in a goalless draw as the Portuguese champions advanced to the last 16 after beating the struggling French team 2-1 at home in the first leg.
In the second leg of the match between Freiburg and Lens, after a scoreless first leg in France, Freiburg emerged victorious with a 3-2 win after extra time. Lens took the lead with goals from David Costa and Elye Wahi, but Freiburg’s Roland Sallai managed to score before halftime and in stoppage time to equalize. In extra time, Michael Gregoritsch scored the winning goal for Freiburg, securing their spot in the next round.
Sparta Prague bounced back from a 3-2 loss in the first leg against Galatasaray, pulling off an upset against the Turkish team with a 4-1 victory at home. This secured their advancement with a final aggregate score of 6-4. The Czech champions scored three goals after Galatasaray’s Kaan Ayhan was given a red card in the 68th minute, leaving them with only 10 players on the field.
Sporting has a 4-2 lead over Young Boys overall, despite Young Boys scoring a late goal in the return game for a 1-1 tie.
Marseille came from a goal down to beat Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 following a 2-2 draw last time out. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who levelled for the French side in the 23rd minute, became the competition’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals.
Source: theguardian.com
