Thomas Partey and Mikel Arteta greet the supporters after the penalty shootout loss to Sporting. DAVID SMALL
Continuation of the round of 16 second leg of the Europa League this Thursday evening with a multiplex of four matches.
After a first multiplex at the start of the evening, which notably saw Juventus and Manchester United qualify for the quarters, the Europa League continued to animate this European evening this Thursday with four new posters.
No problem for Bayer Leverkusen (0-2) who locked their ticket for the quarterfinals of the competition. Match cut by many faults between Roma and Real Sociedad who left with a clean score (0-0). Royale Union Saint-Gilloise completed their feat by beating Union Berlin (3-0). Long duel until extra time to decide between Arsenal and Sporting.
Arsenal / Sporting: 1-1 (tab 3-5, aggregate score: 3-3; Sporting qualified)
It was the most beautiful poster of the evening and it lived up to expectations. In the first act, Granit Xhaka opened the scoring by taking the ball badly repelled by Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adán on the strike from Gabriel Martinelli (19th). But the meeting got carried away when Pedro Gonçalves equalized with a superb lobbed shot from 50 meters, which left goalkeeper Aaron Ramdsale speechless (62nd). After an eventful extension marked by a post from Leandro Trossard (97th), a big save from Antonio Adan (116th), a save on his line from Ousmane Diomande (117th) as well as an expulsion from Manuel Ugarte (119th), it was Nuno Santos who took advantage of Gabriel Martinelli’s miss to send Sporting to the quarter-finals of the competition after an intense penalty shootout (3-5).
Real Sociedad / AS Roma: 0-0 (aggregate score: 0-2; AS Rome qualified)
After an intense first period, marked by numerous faults, AS Roma put up solid barbed wire to validate their lead made during the first leg in Italy, sealing the fate with this goalless scoreline (0-0). The Spanish players unfortunately fell into the trap of the Italians. Between frustration and sufficiency, Real Sociedad even finished the game at ten following the red card from Carlos Fernandez (90th + 8) at the end of the match. The Italian clubs are definitely in great shape after a three out of three in the Champions League.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise – Union Berlin: 3-0 (aggregate score: 6-3; Royale Union Saint-Gilloise qualified)
The feat is complete. After a completely crazy first leg (3-3) in Germany, the Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise showed great domination and mastery to overcome a cador from the Bundesliga (3-0). The names of the Belgian heroes are Teddy Teuma (18th), Jean Thierry Lazare Amani (63rd) and finally Loïc Lapoussin (90th+4). The German team never knew how to be in place and solid to assume their status as favorites in this double confrontation. Defender Janik Haberer even received a red card (80th).
Ferencváros / Bayer Leverkusen : 0-2 (aggregate score: 0-5; Bayer Leverkusen qualified)
Thanks to their French players, Bayer Leverkusen ensured their qualification for the quarter-finals in Hungary. The tricolor striker Moussa Diaby first opened the scoring (3rd), before he delivered, in the second half, a formidable caviar for his compatriot Amine Adli who doubled the bet (81st). Nothing to complain about: the Germans did the job perfectly to avoid a comeback from Ferencváros by quietly winning the double confrontation without conceding a single goal.
Final scores:
- Arsenal 1 – 1 Sporting (3-3) : Xhaka 20′ ; Gonçalves 62′
- Real Sociedad 0 – 0 AS Roma (0-2)
- Ferencváros 0 – 2 Bayer Leverkusen (0-4) : Diaby 3′, Adli 81′
- Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 3 – 0 Union Berlin (5-3) : Teuma 18′, Lazare Amani 63′, Lapoussin 90’+4
