Europa League roundup: Inter and United into last 16, Arsenal stunned

The Europa League round of 32 is over. Here’s what happened in Thursday’s captivating second-leg fixtures.

Early kickoffs

Braga 0-1 Rangers – Rangers win 4-2 on agg.

This week’s Europa League slate kicked off a day early, as Rangers became the first side to book a place in the round of 16 when Steven Gerrard’s men claimed a 1-0 victory over Braga in northern Portugal on Wednesday. Despite seeing precious little of the ball – Rangers only enjoyed 30% possession – Ryan Kent’s 61st-minute goal cemented the result for the Scots.

Espanyol 3-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers – Wolves win 6-3 on agg.

An early Jonathan Calleri goal on Thursday had Espanyol dreaming of a miraculous comeback after they were hammered 4-0 in the opening leg in England. But Adama Traore quickly quashed those hopes, canceling out Calleri’s opener just six minutes later to secure Wolves’ place in the last 16. The Argentine scored two goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick, but they proved to be little more than a consolation in the aggregate defeat.

FC Basel 1-0 APOEL Nicosia – Basel win 4-0 on agg.

FC Basel were in complete control of the tie after a comprehensive 3-0 win in the first leg last week, and Fabian Frei’s first-half penalty at St. Jakob-Park added sheen to what was already an insurmountable lead. APOEL, despite having no choice but to push forward and search for goals, didn’t muster a shot on target in the opening half.

KAA Gent 1-1 AS Roma – Roma win 2-1 in agg.

Despite what manager Paulo Fonseca and several Roma players deemed an underwhelming performance in the first leg last week, the Italian side took a 1-0 lead into the return fixture. That lone tally proved crucial. Jonathan David made things interesting when he got on the end of a pinpoint cross in the 25th minute, but Justin Kluivert responded quickly to quell Gent’s comeback bid, sending the Serie A side to the round of 16.

FC Porto 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen – Leverkusen win 5-2 on agg.

Highly coveted transfer target Kai Havertz created goals for Lucas Alario and Kerem Demirbay before scoring one of his own as Bayer Leverkusen beat Porto 3-1 at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal. Moussa Marega bagged a consolation goal in the 65th minute for the hosts with a thumping header, while Tiquinho Soares was sent off in the waning minutes.

Istanbul Basaksehir 4-1 Sporting CP (AET) – Basaksehir win 5-4 on agg.

Edin Visca was the difference for Istanbul Basaksehir, scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 119th minute after his stellar strike in the 91st minute forced the extra period to begin with. Sporting’s Luciano Vietto seemingly sunk the Turkish team’s hopes earlier in the match before Visca’s heroics guided Basaksehir to a first-ever last-16 berth.

LASK 2-0 AZ Alkmaar – LASK win 3-1 on agg.

Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, LASK took the aggregate lead just before the half when Marko Raguz scored from the spot after AZ Alkmaar winger Oussama Idrissi daftly cut down Reinhold Ranftl inside the area. Raguz made it 3-1 on aggregate five minutes after the interval with a close-range strike. As a result, the Austrians progress to their furthest point in European competition since reaching the semifinals of the 1996 Intertoto Cup.

Malmo FF 0-3 Wolfsburg – Wolfsburg win 5-1 on agg.

Josip Brekalo’s curling strike just before the break, along with second-half goals from Yannick Gerhardt and Joao Victor, propelled visitors Wolfsburg to a one-sided 3-0 victory – and 5-1 aggregate triumph – against Swedish side Malmo. The in-form Bundesliga team has now paired four victories with a draw in its last five outings in all competitions. German sides are now 8-0 in the knockout stages of European competition this year.

Late kickoffs

Thursday’s second leg between Red Bull Salzburg and Eintracht Frankfurt was postponed due to a storm warning in the Austrian city. It will now be played Friday at 12:00 p.m. ET. When the contest kicks off, Eintracht will be looking to defend their hefty 4-1 advantage from the first fixture.

Elsewhere, though, fans were treated to an entertaining slate of games rife with late drama.

Ajax 2-1 Getafe – Getafe win 3-2 on agg.

Ajax, last season’s Champions League semifinalists, are out of European competition after La Liga upstarts Getafe earned a vital away goal through Jaime Mata’s early marker. Danilo got one back for the hosts minutes later before Mathias Olivera’s own goal made matters interesting, though the Spaniards’ 2-0 first-leg result ultimately proved insurmountable.

Inter Milan 2-1 Ludogorets – Inter win 4-1 on agg.

In a match played behind closed doors due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, Inter recovered from an early setback, getting first-half goals from Cristiano Biraghi and the red-hot Romelu Lukaku to dispatch Ludogorets and ease into the next round. The Belgian striker has now scored in each of his last four matches for the Nerazzurri in UEFA club competitions.

Benfica 3-3 Shakhtar Donetsk – Shakhtar win 5-4 on agg.

Domestic giants Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk traded goals like school children swapping lunches during Thursday’s frenetic 3-3 draw in Portugal. Shakhtar secured the result when Alan Patrick struck a half-volley into the ground that bounded over the reach of Benfica ‘keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos in the 71st minute.

Manchester United 5-0 Club Brugge – United win 6-1 on agg.

Bruno Fernandes pulled the strings, Odion Ighalo scored his first goal since joining the club in January, and Scott McTominay marked his return to the starting XI with a tally of his own as Manchester United cruised into the last 16 with a dominant 5-0 win over Club Brugge on Thursday at Old Trafford. The job was made far easier than it otherwise might have been when Simon Deli was sent off in the 22nd minute for a blatant – and, frankly, hilarious – handball inside the area. Fernandes opened the scoring from the spot, and it was smooth sailing from there.

Arsenal 1-2 Olympiacos (AET) – Olympiacos win on away goals (2-2 on agg.)

A jaded Arsenal deserved no better than they got against Olympiacos on a frosty evening in north London. Minutes after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s acrobatic scissor-kick gave the hosts the aggregate advantage deep into the second period of extra time, the Gunners kissed European football goodbye when Youssef El-Arabi’s unmarked run resulted in a dramatic 119th-minute goal for the Greek side. A stunning evening at the Emirates.

Sevilla 0-0 CFR Cluj – Sevilla win on away goals (1-1 on agg.)

In the end, Sevilla got the job done in the first leg. Just barely. Youssef En-Nesyri’s late away goal against CFR Cluj last week, which earned the Spanish club a 1-1 draw in Romania, held up as the decisive tally thanks to Thursday’s goalless clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Celtic 1-3 FC Copenhagen – Copenhagen win 4-2 on agg.

Pep Biel’s late strike found safe passage between Fraser Forster’s legs to guide Copenhagen to an away victory at Celtic on Thursday. The Scots clawed the tie back to two apiece on aggregate when Odsonne Edouard leveled from the penalty spot seven minutes from time, but Celtic promptly threw the match away via individual defensive errors.