Europa League results and highlights of Round of 16 first legs update: Liverpool, Roma, Marseille, and Milan scored goals, and the last-16 openers provided plenty of entertainment.
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Sparta Praha 1-5 Liverpool
The Reds were ruthless in Prague, opening up a sizable lead to take back to Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister earned and converted an early penalty. Jürgen Klopp’s side were three up by the break thanks to two fantastic strikes from Darwin Núñez. Sparta created numerous chances but failed to take them, and Caoimhin Kelleher denied them. However, they pulled one back through Conor Bradley’s goal just after half-time. However, Luis Díaz and Dominik Szoboszlai added further gloss.
Key stat: Sparta Praha have not won the first leg in their last 16 UEFA competition two-legged ties (D6 L10).
Roma 4-0 Brighton
Romelu Lukaku had an early bullet header saved, but there was no let-up for Brighton; Paulo Dybala rounded the keeper to put Roma ahead on 13 minutes, and though Danny Welbeck had chances saved at the other end, it was 2-0 by half-time, Lukaku exploiting a defensive error to get his seventh Europa League goal of the season. Gianluca Mancini’s finish and a diving Bryan Cristante header left Roberto De Zerbi’s side facing an impossible-looking deficit in the second leg.
Key stat: Roma have lost only one of their last 31 UEFA home matches (W23 D7), while Lukaku has now scored 27 Europa League goals; only Radamel Falcao (30) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (33) have more.
Qarabağ 2-2 Leverkusen
Patrik Schick equalized in stoppage time as Bayer Leverkusen extended their remarkable unbeaten run this season to 35 matches. Yassine Benzia’s emphatic strike gave the hosts a deserved lead before Juninho doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time following a fine solo run. After Florian Wirtz’s dinked finish had reduced the arrears, Schick rose highest inside a crowded penalty area to salvage a draw for the Bundesliga leaders.
Key stat: Leverkusen scored their 100th and 101st goals of the 2023/24 season in the Azerbaijani capital.
Marseille 4-0 Villarreal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck twice as Marseille secured a comprehensive first-leg victory over the 2020/21 Europa League winners. Two goals in six first-half minutes—a close-range Jordan Veretout header and a Yerson Mosquera own goal—stunned the visitors before Aubameyang’s coolly taken penalty made it 3-0 before half-time. Aubameyang’s exquisite finish increased the hosts’ advantage. Villarreal’s misery was compounded when sub-Alberto Moreno was dismissed for a second bookable offense midway through the second period.
Key stat: Aubameyang scored his 32nd and 33rd Europa League goals against Villarreal, extending his lead over Radamel Falcao (30) at the top of the competition’s all-time goalscorers’ list.
The second leg will take place on Thursday, 14 March, with extra time if the aggregate scores are level after 90 minutes (the away goals rule has been abolished). The eight winners advance to the draws for the remainder of the competition on Friday, 15 March.
Benfica 2-2 Rangers
In a thrilling, often end-to-end game in Lisbon, Rangers struck first through Tom Lawrence’s seventh-minute header. Benfica eventually settled, and David Neres forced several fantastic stops from Jack Butland, including a 13th-minute double save from Neres and Arthur Cabral. Harry Souttar’s handball allowed Ángel Di María to level from the spot. Still, Dujon Sterling tapped in Fábio Silva’s cross in the first half, adding time to shock the Eagles once more. Rangers defended impressively until Connor Goldson headed past his keeper amid intense Benfica pressure.
Key stat: Benfica have never lost a Europa League home match at Estádio do SL Benfica.
Freiburg 1-0 West Ham
West Ham rued missed second-half opportunities as they lost to a late goal. The Hammers beat Freiburg home and away during the group stage but returned to London in arrears after substitute Michael Gregoritsch tapped in Roland Sallai’s driven ball across the area. Prior to that moment, West Ham had been on top, with Lucas Paquetá heading over and Jarrod Bowen’s curler superbly tipped away by Noah Atubolu.
Key stat: Gregoritsch has scored five goals in the Europa League this term, the most by a Freiburg player in a single campaign in European competition.
AC Milan 4-2 Slavia Praha
Milan established a two-goal advantage over ten-man Slavia Praha, who had El Hadji Malick Diouf sent off at San Siro. David Douděra’s volley canceled out Olivier Giroud’s opener before Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek put the hosts in control. Although Ivan Schranz pulled one back, Christian Pulišić proceeded to restore the Rossoneri’s cushion late on.
Key stat: Milan has won all seven meetings with Czech sides on home soil.
Sporting CP 1-1 Atalanta
These teams, who also met in the group stage, head back to Bergamo all square after an action-packed opener in Lisbon. Unerring first-half finishes from the hosts’ Paulinho and the visitors’ Gianluca Scamacca kept the balance. At the same time, the woodwork was struck an incredible four times. Emil Holm and Scamacca hit the same post within 60 seconds of each other before Atalanta’s equalizer, with a third La Dea player, Ademola Lookman, and Sporting’s Sebastián Coates being denied by the frame of the goal after half-time.
Key stat: Sporting CP have won just two of their last 25 UEFA competition matches against Italian clubs (D10 L13).
