3/7/2024–|Last updated: 3/8/202412:42 AM (Mecca time)
English Liverpool put one foot forward in the quarter-finals of the Europa League football competition with a great victory over its Czech host Sparta Prague 5-1 on Thursday in the first leg of the 16th round, while Roma stunned its English guest Brighton with a clean 4-0 victory.
At the Letna Stadium in Prague, Liverpool took the lead in the 6th minute through Alexis McAllister from a penalty kick, and Darwin Nunez added the second and third goals in the 25th and third minutes of first-half stoppage time.
In the 53rd minute, Luis Diaz added the fourth goal for the English team, while Dominik Suboslai scored the fifth goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half.
Nunez’s missile hits Sparta Prague’s net#European_League #Liverpool_Prague pic.twitter.com/9xntsf9CCU
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 7, 2024
Hungarian Soboszlai scores the fifth goal for Liverpool against Sparta Prague, announcing the end of the match and deciding qualification.#European_League #Bayer_Leverkusen_Karbach pic.twitter.com/wlusVkBChm
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 7, 2024
Leverkusen escapes defeat
For its part, German Bayer Leverkusen escaped defeat against its host, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, as it succeeded in overturning a two-goal deficit to a 2-2 draw.
The Azerbaijani team took the lead in the 26th minute through Algerian Yacine Benzia, and Brazilian Juninho added the second goal in the second minute of stoppage time in the first half.
Karbach of Azerbaijan scores the second goal against Bayer Leverkusen, leaders of the German League#European_League #Bayer_Leverkusen_Karbach pic.twitter.com/6mGDQHCXP2
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 7, 2024
In the 70th minute, Florian Fritz scored the first goal for Leverkusen, and his teammate Patrik Cech equalized in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half.
Leverkusen equalizes in the last breath of the match#European_League #Bayer_Leverkusen_Karbach pic.twitter.com/JxzTBQwtlg
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 7, 2024
Roma sweeps Brighton
In another match in the same round, Roma continued its brilliance with its new coach and former star, Daniele De Rossi, after it defeated its English guest, Brighton, 4-0.
Roma took the lead through Paulo Dybala in the 12th minute, Romelu Lukaku added the second goal in the 43rd minute, Gianluca Mancini scored the third goal in the 64th minute, and 4 minutes later Brian Cristante scored the fourth goal.
Dybala gives Roma the lead against Brighton.
The “VAR”… confirmed the validity of the goal of the Roma Wolves (1-0)#European_League #Roma_Brighton pic.twitter.com/CV3ogtmtyN
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 7, 2024
A goalless draw loomed over the Dutch match between Ajax Amsterdam and its English guest, Aston Villa, and both teams did not succeed in translating the available opportunities into goals throughout the 90 minutes of the match, so the referee blew the final whistle for a goalless draw and postponed the resolution of the matter until the return match next Thursday.
In another match in the same round, French Lille came close to reaching the round of 8, after defeating its host Sturm Graz of Austria 3-0.
Jonathan David scored the first goal for the French team in the 28th minute, the same player added the second goal in the 51st minute, and Idon Zegrova added the third goal for Lille in the 71st minute.
Norwegian Molde beat its Belgian club, Club Brugge, 2-1. Molde took the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal scored by Halldor Stefnik, and Club Brugge equalized with a penalty kick goal scored by Maxime De Cubier in the 85th minute.
In the second minute of stoppage time for the second half, Frederik Gulbrandsen scored Molde’s second goal.