by Sporting Lisbon knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League with a penalty shootout win after Pedro Goncalves’ stunning equalizer, while Manchester United and Juventus advanced to the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Sporting fell behind when Granit Xhaka put Premier League leaders Arsenal ahead at the Emirates Stadium.
But Portuguese midfielder Goncalves forced extra time when he beat Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with an impressive strike from 46 yards.
With reality star Kim Kardashian and her son Saint, an Arsenal fan, among the spectators, the match finished tied 1-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate, requiring penalties to settle the tie.
Sporting emerged with a stunning 5-3 victory on penalties when Gabriel Martinelli’s effort was saved by Antonio Adan and Nuno Santos sent in the winning shot.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called the result “a big blow” and criticized his team for wasting opportunities.
“There were moments in the first 75 minutes when we weren’t at our level. We distributed all the balls and we didn’t have the ability to win the game,” said the Spaniard.
“There were chances to win it after extra time. There was a lot of uncertainty with the penalties. It was a very difficult match.”
It was a much quieter night for Manchester United as Marcus Rashford’s deflected shot from distance earned Real Betis a 1-0 win and a 5-1 aggregate result.
Joaquín hit the post for Betis and Juanmi missed two clear chances for the hosts who started well, desperately trying to reverse their three-goal deficit at the lively Benito Villamarín stadium.
However, Rashford’s brilliant goal early in the second half ended the tie.
“Once you score the first goal, the game is over and they don’t believe anymore,” Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said.
“That’s another step (forward) that we took mentally, a winning attitude, to deal with it.”
– Juventus advance easily –
Three-time champions Juventus beat a 10-man Freiburg 2-0 to progress to 3-0 on aggregate, with goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa.
Juventus, who led Freiburg by a goal in the first leg, thought they had taken the lead when Vlahovic struck from close range, but VAR ruled out the offside.
The Serbian striker broke the tie just before the break from the penalty spot after Manuel Gulde tapped into the box and saw his second yellow card.
With Juventus in charge and Freiburg outnumbered, the tie was virtually over and Chiesa was victorious in the end.
Sevilla, the record six-time winners of this competition, suffered a nervous 1-0 defeat at Fenerbahce when Enner Valencia scored from the spot, but still qualified 2-1 on aggregate.
Jorge Sampaoli’s Sevilla, who struggled in La Liga, suffered a loss in Turkey but had done enough at home to progress against Fenerbahce and continue his career.
Michy Batshuayi left the hosts injured early on, damaging their comeback attempt, but Jorge Jesus’s side took the lead when Alex Telles commanded in the box.
Veteran Ecuadorian striker Valencia scored his 24th goal of the season for Fenerbahce.
Sevilla resisted progressing despite second-half pressure from the hosts as they searched for a second goal to force extra time.
Feyenoord thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 on the night at De Kuip to advance to the last eight 8-2 on aggregate.
José Mourinho’s Roma drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad to advance 2-0 on aggregate, while Bayer Leverkusen beat Ferencvaros 2-0 for a 4-0 aggregate triumph.
In the UEFA Conference League round of 16, Fiorentina defeated Sivasspor 4-1, winning 5-1 on aggregate, but Lazio, another Serie A side, were knocked out, losing 2-1 to AZ Alkmaar that night and 4-2 on aggregate.
West Ham defeated AEK Larnaca 4-0 to complete a 6-0 aggregate ride, with Anderlecht beating Villarreal 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 win in Spain.
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