Europa League roundup: Wolves, Roma advance to round of 16

The second legs of the Europa League round of 32 are underway. Here's a rundown of what's happened in Thursday's matches so far.Early kickoffsBraga 0-1 Rangers (Rangers win 4-2 on agg.)This week's Europa League slate kicked off a day early, as…

27.02.2020 20:08

The second legs of the Europa League round of 32 are underway. Here's a rundown of what's happened in Thursday's matches so far.

Early kickoffs

Braga 0-1 Rangers (Rangers win 4-2 on agg.)

This week's Europa League slate kicked off a day early, as Rangers became the first side to book a place in the round of 16 when Steven Gerrard's men claimed a 1-0 victory over Braga in northern Portugal on Wednesday. Despite seeing precious little of the ball - Rangers only enjoyed 30% possession - Ryan Kent's 61st-minute goal cemented the result for the Scots.

Espanyol 3-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves win 6-3 on agg.)

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An early Jonathan Calleri goal on Thursday had Espanyol dreaming of a miraculous comeback after they were hammered 4-0 in the opening leg in England. But Adama Traore quickly quashed those hopes, cancelling out Calleri's opener just six minutes later to secure Wolves' place in the last 16. The Argentine scored two more goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick, but they proved to be little more than consolation in the aggregate defeat.

FC Basel 1-0 APOEL Nicosia (Basel win 4-0 on agg.)

FC Basel were in complete control of the tie after a comprehensive 3-0 win in the first leg last week, and Fabian Frei's first-half penalty at St. Jakob-Park added sheen to what was already an insurmountable lead. APOEL, despite having no choice but to push forward and search for goals, didn't muster a shot on target in the opening half.

KAA Gent 1-1 AS Roma (Roma win 2-1 in agg.)

Despite what manager Paulo Fonseca and several Roma players deemed an underwhelming performance in the first leg last week, the Italian side took a 1-0 lead into the return fixture. That lone tally proved crucial. Jonathan David made things interesting on Thursday when he got on the end of a pinpoint cross in the 25th minute, but Justin Kluivert responded quickly to quell Gent's comeback bid, sending the Serie A side to the round of 16.

FC Porto 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen (Leverkusen win 5-2 on agg.)

MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP / Getty

Highly-coveted transfer target Kai Havertz created goals for Lucas Alario and Kerem Demirbay before scoring one of his own as Bayer Leverkusen beat Porto 3-1 at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal. Moussa Marega bagged a consolation goal in the 65th minute for the hosts with a thumping header, while Tiquinho Soares was sent off in the waning minutes.

Istanbul Basaksehir 3-1 Sporting CP (Extra time, tied 4-4 on agg.)

Edin Visca's stellar strike for Istanbul Basaksehir in the first minute of added time on Thursday has forced an extra period with the scoreline locked at four goals apiece over two legs.

LASK 2-0 AZ Alkmaar (LASK win 3-1 on agg.)

Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, LASK took the aggregate lead just before the half on Thursday when Marko Raguz scored from the spot after AZ Alkmaar winger Oussama Idrissi daftly cut down Reinhold Ranftl inside the area. Raguz made it 3-1 on aggregate five minutes after the interval with a close-range strike. As a result, the Austrians progress to their furthest point in European competition since the semifinals of the 1996 Intertoto Cup.

Malmo FF 0-3 Wolfsburg (Wolfsburg win 5-1 on agg.)

Stuart Franklin / Bongarts / Getty

Josip Brekalo's curling strike just before the break, along with second-half goals from Yannick Gerhardt and Joao Victor, propelled visitors Wolfsburg to a one-sided 3-0 victory - and 5-1 aggregate triumph - against Swedish side Malmo. The in-form Bundesliga team has now paired four victories with a draw in its last five outings in all competitions.

Late kickoffs

  • Ajax vs. Getafe (0-2 on aggregate)
  • Arsenal vs. Olympiacos (1-0 on aggregate)
  • Benfica vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (1-2 on aggregate)
  • Celtic vs. FC Copenhagen (1-1 on aggregate)
  • Inter Milan vs. Ludogorets (2-0 on aggregate)
  • Manchester United vs. Club Brugge (1-1 on aggregate)
  • Sevilla vs. CFR Cluj (1-1 on aggregate)

Thursday's second leg between Red Bull Salzburg and Eintracht Frankfurt was postponed due to a storm warning in the Austrian city. A makeup date has not yet been announced. When the match is rescheduled, Eintracht will be looking to defend their hefty 4-1 advantage from the first fixture.

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