- Atalanta Bergamo moved into the round of 16 of the Europa League after a clear 3-0 win at Olympiacos Piraeus.
- Borussia Dortmund can’t get past a 2-2 draw in Glasgow and is eliminated.
- Barcelona flex their muscles against Napoli.
- Porto, RB Leipzig and Sevilla also survive the playoffs.
Olympiacos Piraeus 0-3 Atalanta Bergamo (1-2 first leg)
Atalanta Bergamo are in the round of 16 of the Europa League after a never-threatening 3-0 win against Olympiacos Piraeus. Ruslan Malinowskyi became a big figure in the Bergamasques: The Ukrainian increased to 3-0 within two minutes (67th/69th) in the second half and thus ensured the early decision. After the first of two almost identical goals, the offensive man cheered with a message of peace towards his homeland in Ukraine. Remo Freuler played 90 minutes at Atalanta.
Glasgow Rangers – Borussia Dortmund 2: 2 (4: 2)
Borussia Dortmund would have needed a win by 2 goals to force at least an extra time in Glasgow. But BVB (with Gregor Kobel in goal) couldn’t get past a 2-2 draw against Rangers. The spoilsport for the Germans was James Tavernier: the full-back scored from the penalty spot to take the lead (22′) and leveled the game after the break (57′). The 2:2 was preceded by a major mistake by Dortmund defender Mats Hummels. The European trip for BVB ended much earlier than planned, after all, some in the Bundesliga club’s environment had flirted with the Europa League title.
Lazio Rome 2-2 Porto (1-2)
After 19 minutes, Lazio Roma had made good the mortgage from the first leg at home. Ciro Immobile beat Pepe in a running duel and scored to make it 1-0. Mehdi Taremi with a penalty (31′) and Mateus Uribe (68′) then turned the game around in favor of the guest from Portugal. The Romans threw everything forward towards the end of the game, but it was no more than Danilo Cataldi’s equalizer deep in injury time.
Real Sociedad – RB Leipzig 1: 3 (2: 2)
After RB Leipzig had to settle for a draw in the first leg despite the chances, the Germans showed more accuracy in the guest appearance in Spain. Andre Silva was concerned about the preliminary decision, who made it 2-0 after about an hour with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area into the crossbar. Before the break, the Portuguese failed because of Sociedad goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, but Willi Orban put the extra shot into the net to lead 1-0. In the closing stages, the Spaniards had a few chances to force extra time. In the 89th minute, Emil Forsberg made the final decision in favor of the Germans with a hand penalty.
Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Seville (1-3)
With Sevilla going through the first leg, the Andalusians were able to afford a 1-0 defeat in the Croatian capital. The only goal of the game came from Mislav Orsic, who struck from the penalty spot after about an hour. Because the Europa League record winner’s defense subsequently tightened, the defeat had no consequences.