Europa League scores: Juventus advance, Benfica and Sevilla coast
FC Porto threw away their advantage quickly, while Juventus and Benfica had little trouble hanging onto the leads they built in the first leg.
Claudio Villa
Lyon were always facing an uphill battle after losing the first leg, 1-0, at home. They fell behind another goal early when Andrea Pirlo curled in a gorgeous free kick, but actually managed to fight back. Jimmy Briand headed past Gianluigi Buffon in the first half, bringing Lyon within a goal of going up on away goals. But Claudio Marchisio locked up the tie for Juventus, scoring their second goal of the night in the 68th minute.
Sevilla 4-0 FC Porto (4-1 aggregate)
Porto were extremely unlucky to concede at the beginning of this match, with Carlos Bacca drawing a penalty on a clear dive that Ivan Rakitic converted. But they absolutely crumbled from there, conceding two more goals before the half-hour mark and another in the second half. They can complain about the referee’s call on the first goal, but that only leveled the tie. Everything that happened after that was on them.
Benfica 2-0 AZ Alkmaar (3-0 aggregate)
This tie was never in doubt for Benfica, who coasted to a shutout win at home. Rodrigo scored both goals for the hosts.
Valencia 5-0 FC Basel AET (5-3 aggregate)
Basel looked to have this tie locked up with a 3-0 win in Switzerland, but they’re in extra time. Valencia have put together an excellent performance at the Mestalla, scoring three times to force extra time. Paco Alcacer had a hat trick, completing it with the winning goal in extra time after Basel had a man sent off.
See More:
