Plus: Romelu Lukaku scores as Roma draw 1-1 with Feyenoord; Angel Di Maria grabs late winner for Benfica against Toulouse; Marseille's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equals record for most goals in the Europa League in draw with Shakhtar Donetsk; Ajax stage comeback to draw 2-2 with Bodo/Glimt
Friday 16 February 2024 00:04, UK
Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice for AC Milan in a 3-0 win over Rennes in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off.
Loftus-Cheek's double takes him to five goals in five games for Milan, who take a strong advantage into next Thursday's second leg. Portugal forward Rafael Leao added the third goal for the Italians.
The victors of these ties will progress to the last 16 where they will face the teams that won their Europa League group.
Romelu Lukaku's second-half goal secured a 1-1 draw for Roma at Feyenoord. He levelled in the second half after Brazilian winger Igor Paixo put the hosts ahead with a header in first-half added time.
Lukaku has now scored six goals in this season's tournament, making him the joint-top scorer alongside Brighton's Joao Pedro and Marseille's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Aubameyang netted his 30th career goal in the Europa League on Thursday as Marseille drew 2-2 with Shakhtar Donetsk. The game was played in Hamburg due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Aubameyang's opener just past the hour equalled the competition's record goal return. Mykola Matvienko equalised four minutes later for Shakhtar, who were playing in their first competitive game for two months.
Marseille thought they had won the first leg when Iliman Ndiaye scored in the 90th minute but there was a late twist as Shakhtar equalised in stoppage time through Brazilian teenager Eguinaldo.
Angel Di Maria scored a 98th minute winner from the penalty spot for Benfica as they beat Toulouse 2-1. Mikkel Desler cancelled out Di Maria's second-half opener for the French side before the former Real Madrid midfielder clinched the win.
Mauro Icardi scored a late winner for Galatasaray in stoppage time to beat Sparta Prague 3-2 after both teams were reduced to 10 players.
Jan Kuchta had scored for Sparta to make it 2-2 just minutes after Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson received a red card. Sparta midfielder Matej Ryne was later sent off for a second yellow.
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Sporting Lisbon earned a 3-1 away win at Young Boys.
In the third-tier Europa Conference League play-off round, Ajax escaped embarrassment in Amsterdam by scoring two goals in stoppage time to come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
Branco van den Boomen's penalty and Steven Berghuis' impressive lob cancelled out Albert Gronbaek's two goals for the visitors in the space of six minutes.
Bodo/Glimt's Odin Luras Bjortuft gave away a penalty and was sent off for a foul on reported Man Utd target Brian Brobbey, which sparked Ajax's dramatic late turnaround.
Belgian league leader Union Saint-Gilloise also came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 home draw against Eintracht Frankfurt despite having a player sent off.
Forward Mika Biereth scored the opening goal early on for Sturm Graz in a 4-1 victory over 10-man Slovan Bratislava.
Fredrik Gulbradsen struck twice within seven minutes early in the game to lead Molde to a 3-2 win over Legia Warsaw in the Norwegian team's first competitive game of the year.
Elsewhere in the Europa Conference League, Olympiacos beat Ferencvaros 1-0.
