The quarterfinals of the 23/24 Europa League kicked off with thrilling matches and surprising outcomes.
Come follow how the games unfolded and who gained the upper hand for the second-leg showdown.
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Index
Europa League
Liverpool 0x3 Atalanta
Liverpool was the favorite to win the clash and even the Europa League. However, Atalanta surprised by convincingly defeating the Reds at Anfield.
At 2 minutes, Van Dijk attempted to clear the danger from the area but hit the ball on De Ketelaere, and the rebound fell to Pašalić. One-on-one with the goalkeeper inside the box, the Croatian shot, but Kelleher saved with his head.
At 3 minutes, Gakpo initiated a counterattack and passed to Darwin Nuñez, who entered the box and shot, saved by Musso in two attempts.
At 15 minutes, Gomez delivered a beautiful pass to Darwin Nuñez, who faced Musso one-on-one but missed the shot wide.
At 25 minutes, Elliot picked up the rebound after the defense cleared a cross and took a placed shot. The ball hit the crossbar and the post but didn’t go into the net.
Atalanta opened the scoring at 37 minutes, Zappacosta advanced from the right and crossed to Scamacca. The forward struck first-time, benefiting from Kelleher’s goalkeeper error to score the game’s first goal.
At 45 minutes, Koopmeiners received a pass and faced Kelleher, who made a great save.
For the second half, Klopp brought on Salah, Robertson, and Szoboszlai in search of a comeback.
At 6 minutes, Robertson took a corner, and Van Dijk headed wide dangerously.
At 9 minutes, Darwin Nuñez won the duel inside the box and passed. Salah’s first attempt was blocked, and then Musso made a beautiful save.
At 15 minutes, De Ketelaere crossed perfectly, and Scamacca appeared unmarked to score Atalanta’s second goal.
At 33 minutes, Robertson passed to Salah, who scored. However, the Egyptian was in an offside position, and the goal was disallowed.
Atalanta sealed the game at 37 minutes. In a ball exit mistake, Scamacca advanced and passed to Ederson. Kelleher made the save, but Pašalić got the rebound and tapped into the empty net.
Atalanta gained a significant advantage, so the Reds will try to overturn the result on April 18th at Gewiss Stadium.
Photo: Lee Smith/Reuters
Milan 0x1 Roma
Roma defeated Milan at San Siro, with Mancini scoring the only goal.
At 8 minutes, Loftus-Cheek back-heeled a pass to Reijnders, who shot from outside the box, saved by Svilar.
At 16 minutes, Dybala took a corner, and Mancini appeared between the defenders to head into the net, securing the solitary goal of the match.
At 20 minutes, Loftus-Cheek nodded a corner into the middle. Giroud headed, and Lukaku cleared off the line.
At 45 minutes, Spinazzola advanced from the left and shot, blocked. The ball hit the net from the outside.
In the second half’s 15th minute, Pellegrini combined with Lukaku, entered the box, and shot wide.
At 26 minutes, Loftus-Cheek laid it back, and Reijnders shot powerfully, saved by Svilar.
At 29 minutes, Adli dribbled from the right and surprised with a shot. Svilar was alert and sent it out for a corner.
At 41 minutes, Chukwueze made a great individual play, passed three defenders, and passed to Giroud in the small box. The Frenchman hit the crossbar.
With the victory, Roma took the advantage, and Milan will attempt to reverse the score on April 18th at the Olympic Stadium.
Photo: Icon Sport
Leverkusen 2×0 West Ham
Leverkusen imposed themselves at the BayArena and gained a good advantage against West Ham.
At 9 minutes, Antonio made a good play, passed Tah, and passed to Kudus in the box, but the Ghanaian shot weakly, and Kovář saved comfortably.
At 19 minutes, Grimaldo attempted from outside the box, and Fabiański made a good save.
At 29 minutes, Schick received in the box and shot across. Fabiański made the save with his fingertips.
In the second half, Leverkusen continued pressing, suffocating West Ham in their defensive third.
At 25 minutes, Grimaldo crossed to the near post, and Schick headed. Fabiański made a great reflex save.
Leverkusen opened the scoring at 38 minutes. Grimaldo took a corner, Boniface shot, the defense blocked, and on the rebound, Hofmann shot with his left foot and scored.
Leverkusen doubled their lead at 45 minutes. In a short corner, Hofmann crossed into the box, and Boniface headed into the back of the net.
With the victory, Leverkusen gained a good advantage for the second leg, which will be on April 18th at the London Olympic Stadium.
Photo: Divulgação/Twitter Oficial do Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica 2×1 Olympique
Benfica took a 2-0 lead, but saw Olympique reduce the deficit with Aubameyang at Estádio da Luz.
At 15 minutes, Tengstedt passed to Rafa Silva in the box, and the Portuguese forward chipped the ball to open the scoring for Benfica.
At 39 minutes, Di María took a free-kick into the box, and David Neres got the rebound and shot dangerously.
In the second half’s 6th minute, Di María initiated a counterattack, combined with David Neres, and scored Benfica’s second goal.
At 21 minutes, António Silva made a mistake, and Aubameyang faced the goalkeeper. The Gabonese striker calmly scored, reducing the deficit for Olympique.
At 39 minutes, Aubameyang took a dangerous free-kick, and the ball narrowly missed the post.
With the result, nothing is settled for the second leg, which will be on April 18th at the Vélodrome.
Photo: Getty Images
Written by Henry Miller.
