Thursday evening ended the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
One of them was a Belgian derby between the teams "Genk" and "Gent". However, there was not much intrigue here, as "Genk" had already defeated their opponents on the road with a score of 5-2, and today they maintained the lead they had.
The match between Istanbul's "Besiktas" and Piraeus' "Olympiacos" brought much more action. The first leg of these teams ended in a draw 1-1, so both teams had almost equal chances to progress.
The Turks playing at home started the match well and built a convincing lead after goals from Vincent Aboubakar and Ryan Babel. The match took a different turn when Tarik Elyounoussi managed to reduce the Greek club's deficit, and in the 39th minute, Aboubakar received a red card for unsportsmanlike behavior. However, in the second half, the hosts not only managed to hold on, but Babel scored again, and Cenk Tosun made the lead even more convincing.
In Russia, the clubs "Krasnodar" and "Celta Vigo" played. The Spaniards had won at home 2-1, but playing away against clubs from this country is usually not easy.
And so it was today - Krasnodar's team slightly dominated the statistics, but representatives of "La Liga" launched several effective attacks in the second half of the match, in which Hugo Mallo and Iago Aspas stood out. Therefore, the "Celta" team will also be seen in the quarter-finals.
Later in the evening, "Manchester United" tried to beat the "Rostov" club at their home ground, with whom they had played a draw 1-1 away. These matches, in which Lithuanian Gediminas Mazeika refereed, were far from perfect, but "The Red Devils" extended their lead through Juan Mata's goal and can rejoice in their place in the top eight. However, this result was overshadowed by the injury to the world's most expensive footballer, Paul Pogba.
The German derby between Monchengladbach's "Borussia" and Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" did not disappoint. The first leg at the latter's ground had ended 1-1, but today Dieter Hecking's proteges seemed to have secured their place in the next stage, when they were already leading 2-0 before halftime. However, "Schalke" players fought back in the second half, and thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka and Nabil Bentaleb, they triumphed with a better result away.
Meanwhile, the eleven of "Lyon" held their ground against the "Giallorossi" team in Rome. The score after precise strikes from Mouctar Diakhaby and Kevin Strootman in the first half was 1-1, but when Lucas Tousart scored an own goal, the situation deteriorated. However, "Roma" failed to achieve a wider victory, so Lyon's 4-2 win at their home ground can celebrate their progress to the next stage.
Among the eight best teams in the tournament, also advanced against "Kobenhavn", Amsterdam's "Ajax", and completed the job started away, Brussels' "Anderlecht".
Results (in parentheses - total ratio of two matches):
"Besiktas" 4 - 1 (5 - 2) "Olympiacos" [1-0] 10' Vincent Aboubakar [2-0] 22' Ryan Babel [2-1] 31' Tarik Elyounoussi 39' Vincent Aboubakar ("Besiktas") sent off the field [3-1] 75' Ryan Babel [4-1] 84' Cenk Tosun
"Krasnodar" 0 - 2 (1 - 4) "Celta" [0-1] 52' Hugo Mallo [0-2] 80' Iago Aspas 86' Charles Kabore ("Krasnodar") sent off the field
"Genk" 1 - 1 (6 - 3) "Gent" [1-0] 20' Timothy Castagne [1-1] 84' Louis Verstraete
"Ajax" 2 - 0 (3 - 2) "Kobenhavn" [1-0] 23' Bertrand Traore [2-0] 45' Kasper Dolberg (from 11 meters penalty)
"Anderlecht" 1 - 0 (2 - 0) APOEL [1-0] 65' Frank Acheampong
"Gladbach" 2 - 2 (3 - 3) "Schalke" [1-0] 26' Andreas Christensen [2-0] 45' Mahmoud Dahoud [2-1] 54' Leon Goretzka [2-2] 68' Nabil Bentaleb (from 11 meters penalty)
"Manchester United" 1 - 0 (2 - 1) "Rostov" [1-0] 70' Juan Mata
"Roma" 2 - 1 (3 - 4) "Lyon" [0-1] 16' Mouctar Diakhaby [1-1] 18' Kevin Strootman [2-1] 60' Lucas Tousart (own goal)
