Visitors crash the party in Europa League quarterfinals

The quarterfinals got off to a roaring start, with one massive upset and all four road teams coming away with positive results, even if only one of them won. If this first leg is any indication, the final stretch of the Europa League is going to set new heights for the insanity and chaos this competition is known for.

What. A. SHOCK. Many Napoli fans were hopeful of getting something out of this match, but no one expected THIS. Two goals in either half gave Napoli an incredible win over one of the hottest teams in Europe . Napoli were just hoping to put themselves in to a good position for the home leg next week, but instead they may have put the tie to bed on the strength of Marek Hamsik’s brace and two other great goals. They did suffer the ignominy of surrendering a goal to Nicklas Bendtner, though, so not everything went 100% smoothly.

Sevilla struggled badly against the incredible talent of their Russian opponents in the first half, with Zenit dominating the run of play and grabbing a vital away goal just before the half hour mark. Sevilla slowly wormed their way back into the match in the second half, though, riding their home field advantage for all it was worth and finally finding a winner in the closing minutes of the match. That away goal may prove to be a big advantage for Zenit, though, as few teams from Europe come to Russia and manage to play well.

Fiorentina had a bright start, applying good pressure to their hosts in Ukraine, but they got too cute on some of their counter attacks and breakaways. That cost them some very good scoring chances, then they were put to the sword by some sloppy defending and an insane deflection that gave Kyiv an early lead. The Ukrainians went in to a defensive shell for most of the second half to preserve that slim lead, but Fiorentina’s relentless pressure finally found them a breakthrough and equalizer late in injury time. That away goal will give them a big edge going back to Italy in the second leg, and Kyiv’s miracle run may now be over.

This match was... not exciting. Both sides played cagey, trying not to concede as much as anything else. Brugge did well to avoid giving up goals to a very talented Dnipro side, but this result definitely favors the Ukrainians, as their Belgian opponents will find it hard going in the return leg next week. In fact, despite being on the road in a hostile environment, Dnipro seemed to win most of the run of play, which bodes well for their ability to beat Brugge and reach the semifinals.