Feyenoord thumped Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 in their Europa League round of 16 second leg to progress 8-2 on aggregate; Juventus overcome Freiburg while six-times winners Sevilla dispose of Fenerbahce despite second-leg loss
Thursday 16 March 2023 23:25, UK
Juventus defeated 10-man Freiburg 2-0 to advance 3-0 on aggregate in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.
Dusan Vlahovic scored from the penalty spot right on half-time after Freiburg defender Manuel Gudel was sent off for using his hands to deny Adrien Rabiot a goal.
The Italian side controlled the match in the second half and extended their lead five minutes into added time through Federico Chiesa.
In the Netherlands, Feyenoord thrashed Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 to progress 8-2 on aggregate as captain Orkun Kokcu and forward Oussama Idrissi each scored twice.
In Turkey, record six-times Europa League winners Sevilla had to dig deep against Fenerbahce, who won the second leg 1-0 thanks to Enner Valencia's penalty but the Spanish side made the last eight 2-1 on aggregate.
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho's AS Roma held Real Sociedad to a goalless draw in Spain to seal their tie 2-0 on aggregate.
The home side dominated the chances but the Italians held them at bay with stoic defending. Roma were the inaugural Europa Conference League winners last season.
Moussa Diaby's early goal and Amine Adli's second-half strike were enough for Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 2-0 victory at Hungarian side Ferencvaros as the German club advanced 4-0 on aggregate.
Teddy Teuma, Lazare Amani and Loic Lapoussin scored for Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as they defeated Union Berlin 3-0 to secure a 6-3 aggregate win.
They reach the quarter-finals in their first season of UEFA competition as the German side finished with 10 men after a second booking for Janik Haberer in the closing stages.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper Antonio Adan saved from Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli to secure a 5-3 victory on penalties for the Portuguese side following a 1-1 draw in their round of 16 Europa League clash.
The teams finished level at 3-3 on aggregate in the tie but the Lisbon club advanced to the quarter-finals after Adan kept out Martinelli's weak effort.
Premier League leaders Arsenal went ahead when a brilliant ball from Jorginho set Martinelli away on the left and after his shot was saved, Granit Xhaka followed up to smash the ball into the net.
Goncalves scored a magnificent equaliser for the visitors just past the hour-mark as he spotted home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale off his line and struck a shot from just inside the Arsenal half, his 45-yard effort dipping into the net.
Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Marcus Edwards was one-on-one with Ramsdale but had his shot saved, before Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard had just the goalkeeper to beat in extra-time but his strike was deflected onto the post.
Manchester United cruised into the last eight as Marcus Rashford's second-half goal secured a 1-0 win at Real Betis in the last-16 second leg to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate victory.
The English side meticulously protected the comfortable advantage they established at Old Trafford as the Spanish team huffed and puffed to little effect and exited with a whimper.
Juanmi missed a sitter from close range early in the first half that could have changed the script as a packed Benito Villamarin stadium urged on their side to try to wipe out the three-goal deficit.
United goalkeeper David de Gea dived full stretch to deny a long-range effort from 41-year-old Joaquin before Facundo Pellistri struck the post with a close-range strike for the visitors.
De Gea produced an incredible reflex save to keep out a header soon after half-time, but United slowly took control of the game.
Rashford missed a simple chance but atoned immediately, slotting a fine long-range strike inside the left post in the 55th minute.
Juventus are not trying to end the contract of injury-troubled midfielder Paul Pogba, Chief Football Officer Francesco Calvo said on Thursday, assuring the club are looking forward to his return to full fitness.
The French World Cup winner rejoined Juventus in July 2022 following his departure from Manchester United, and has had less than 40 minutes of playing time, coming on as a substitute against Torino and AS Roma in Serie A.
"He's the first one who is not happy with this year and with this latest injury," Calvo told Sky Sports ahead of Juve's Europa League clash at Freiburg.
"When it comes to great players everything is emphasised, for better or for worse. I've read big headlines and that Juventus would like to offload him. Absolutely not.
"He arrived here when he was 19, for him it's a family but we are a family that demands a lot. We hope to have him back as soon as possible."
Pogba, 30, first joined Juventus in 2012 and won four Serie A titles, two Italian Cups before joining United after the 2015-16 season.
"We believe so much in Pogba, otherwise we wouldn't have signed a four-year contract," Calvo added.
"We are as sorry as he is, we speak daily with the player, he knows we are not happy with this situation just as he is not happy."
