Europa League Round-Up: Loftus-Cheek Shines, Late Dramain Amsterdam and Marseille
Milan Dominate Rennes with Loftus-CheekDouble
Ruben Loftus-Cheek continued his impressive form, scoring twice to lead AC Milan to a commanding 3-0 victory over Rennes in thefirst leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off. The English midfielder has now scored five goals in five games for Milan, putting them in a strong positionahead of next Thursday’s second leg. Rafael Leao added the third goal for the Italians.
Lukaku Secures Draw for Roma, Aubameyang Reaches Milestone
Romelu Lukaku scored a second-half equalizer forRoma, securing a 1-1 draw against Feyenoord. The Belgian striker now has six goals in this season’s tournament, tying him for the top scorer spot alongside Brighton’s Joao Pedro and Marseille’s Pierre-EmerickAubameyang.
Aubameyang, meanwhile, reached a significant milestone, scoring his 30th career goal in the Europa League during Marseille’s 2-2 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk. The game was played in Hamburg due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Aubameyang’s opener equaled the competition’s record goal return, but Shakhtar fought back to equalize twice, first through Mykola Matvienko and then through Brazilian teenager Eguinaldo in stoppage time.
Di Maria’s Late Penalty Secures Benfica Win, Icardi Strikes for Galatasaray
Angel Di Maria scored a98th-minute penalty to give Benfica a 2-1 victory over Toulouse. Mikkel Desler had equalized for the French side after Di Maria’s opener, but the former Real Madrid midfielder secured the win for the Portuguese side.
Mauro Icardi scored a late winner in stoppage time to giveGalatasaray a 3-2 victory over Sparta Prague. The match saw both teams reduced to 10 players, with Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson receiving a red card and Sparta midfielder Matej Ryne being sent off for a second yellow.
Sporting Lisbon Earn Away Win, Ajax Stage Dramatic Comeback
Sporting Lisbon earned a comfortable 3-1 away win over Young Boys.
In the Europa Conference League, Ajax staged a dramatic comeback, scoring two goals in stoppage time to draw 2-2 against Bodo/Glimt after trailing 2-0. Branco van den Boomen’s penalty and Steven Berghuis’ impressive lob cancelled out Albert Gronbaek’s two goals for the visitors.
Other Notable Results:
- Union Saint-Gilloise came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt.
- Sturm Graz defeated 10-man Slovan Bratislava 4-1.
- Molde defeated Legia Warsaw 3-2 in their first competitive game of the year.
Looking Ahead:
The victors of these knockout round play-off ties will advance to the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will face the teams that topped their respectivegroups.
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