Monaco stopped at Braga, Lyon win at Porto
Portuguese soil does not have the same smell for all French clubs. If Lyon is ideally placed before the return against Porto, Monaco will have to reverse a complicated situation.
8th round: Goals, stats, reactions…
Braga 2-0 Monaco, score sheet
Abel Ruiz stunned the entire Monegasque defense for deceptive Alexander Nübel from close range to give him a handicap from which Philippe Clément’s players never recovered. Neither Wissam Ben Yedder, nor Kévin Volland and even less Gelson Martins were able to take advantage of the good opportunities before the return to Louis II which promises to be complicated. Especially since Vitor Oliveira, on the edge of added time, doubled the lead for the Arsenalistas.
key stats : Braga have lost just one of their last eight Europa League home games (5 wins, 2 draws).
After that ?
The return matches take place next Thursday. The winners of these double confrontations will be presented in the quarter-final draw on Friday, March 18. There will also be draws for the semi-finals and, for procedural reasons, the final which will take place at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium in Seville on May 18.
Barcelona 0-0 Galatasaray, the score sheet
Napoli fell in the play-off with a superb performance in Italy, FC Barcelona will once again have to seek their qualification outside in a warm atmosphere. Memphis Depay, holder, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, substitute son, broke their teeth on the Cimbom defense.
key stats : FC Barcelona’s last defeat at home in the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup dates back to 1996, when they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern Munich in the semi-final second leg.
The other meetings of the evening:
Sevilla 1-0 West Ham
Rangers 3-0 Red Star
Atalanta 3-2 Leverkusen
Wednesday
Porto 0-1 Lyon
The match began with a head-to-head clash between the inexhaustible Portuguese captain Pepe and Lucas Paquetá, a blow which did not prevent the Brazilian striker from OL from being in all the right moves, especially on a marvelous pass for the competition’s top scorer Karl Toko Ekambi who couldn’t hit the mark. The Dragons goalkeeper Diogo Costa worked to get out a powerful header from Moussa Dembélé then it was the Portuguese who were the most threatening at the end of the first period with a series of corners but Anthony Lopes was vigilant.
Returning from the locker room, Dembélé missed two good chances to open on the score on excellent services from Maxence Caqueret but it was Lucas Paquetá who took charge on the hour mark. Dembélé followed the ball for the Brazilian in the surface which took the ball back in first intention from inside the left to surprise the Portuans. Sérgio Conceição’s men were pushing but Lyon resisted well despite a scare after added time and will come back next Thursday at Décines with a lead to defend.
key stats : Only FC Nantes had achieved the feat of winning on the lawn of the Portuguese giant on the European before the masterstroke of Gones.
Following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, the match between Leipzig and Spartak Moscow will no longer take place as scheduled. Leipzig qualify directly for the quarter-finals.
Abolition of the away goals rule
Overtime clashes include both teams scoring the same number of goals over both legs no longer decided by the number of away goals scored, but by two 15-minute extra time and, if applicable, a penalty shootout corn.
