Images from the Europa League quarter-final matches on Thursday.
Cherki stoppage-time strike earns Lyon draw
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, with visiting goalkeeper Andre Onana's errors costing his side dear.
Onana was the centre of attention in the Groupama Stadium after his pre-match war of words with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic, and the pressure told as his mistake gifted Thiago Almada a 25th-minute opener.
A timely equaliser right on halftime from Leny Yoro, the young centre-back's first goal for United since joining in the close season, levelled things up, before Joshua Zirkzee's late header looked to have earned the visitors a battling victory.
Cherki, however, capitalised on another Onana error, when the Cameroonian could only push Georges Mikautadze's shot straight out to him, denying United a win to galvanise their disappointing season.
"We are really disappointed (to concede late)," United boss Ruben Amorim told TNT Sports. "We should have taken a one-goal advantage to the next game but we have the next game at home -- we will try to win that game.
"When one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake so we continue like that."
For all their domestic struggles, the Europa League has been a safe haven for United this season, with Amorim's side coming into Thursday's first leg as the only team in this year's competition unbeaten.
The visitors started well, creating the better openings – with Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund wasting a glorious early chance. That miss proved costly, as Onana's error gifted Lyon the opener.
The pre-match discourse had been centred on the clash between Onana and former United midfielder Matic. Onana had said United were “way better” than their French opponents, with Matic biting back, labelling the United stopper one of the worst goalkeepers in the club's history.
"It was not a strategy by Nemanja Matic at all," Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca said. "I think that's something normal.
"Of course we need to respect everyone’s opinion and I think Nemanja and Andre Onana forgot about this tonight, so everything is good now."
Onana got plenty of abuse from home supporters every time he touched the ball, with the glaring mistake that allowed Almada's free kick to drift all the way in not helping his cause.
United did not let their heads drop, however, with Yoro doing well to guide Manuel Ugarte's strike into the net with his head, the centre-back becoming the club's youngest-ever defender to score in Europe.
United retreated in the second half, with Lyon passing up several big chances before Bruno Fernandes picked out Zirkzee to spark wild scenes of celebration, before joy quickly turned to despair in stoppage time.
10-man Rangers hold Bilbao to goalless draw
Rangers held Athletic Bilbao to a nail-biting goalless draw at home in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, despite being reduced to 10 men early on.
Bilbao failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage after Rangers defender Robin Propper was sent off in the 13th minute for a foul on Inaki Williams.
The visitors, appearing in the last 16 of a major European competition for the first time since 2015-16, had a couple of clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with both Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet coming close.
However, goalkeeper Liam Kelly produced a series of fine saves to keep them at bay as the Scottish Premiership side defended strongly and even threatened when Cyriel Dessers fired wide from long range.
The game was delayed for seven minutes in the second half due to an injury to 18-year-old Bailey Rice, who was carried off on a stretcher after taking a knock on the head.
Bilbao, who finished second in the league phase, thought they had broken the deadlock when substitute Alex Berenguer scored in the 76th minute.
The winger, however, was flagged offside after a VAR review but a penalty was awarded as the ball had bounced off the hand of defender James Tavernier before the goal.
"The sending-off seemed pretty clear to me. I didn't see the penalty well though, but it seemed a bit strange. Yet at the last moment we lacked clarity and didn't manage to convert the spot kick," Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde said.
"The draw is not what we wanted considering they played with 10 men and we had chances," he added.
Goalkeeper Kelly again emerged as the hero with a crucial save from Berenguer to keep the result scoreless as Bilbao failed to score in a European game for the first time in their last 19 matches.
"That was a proper Rangers performance. That's the exact reaction I wanted. That's what I spoke about on Monday and the players tonight showed a performance full of heart, grit and determination," Rangers boss Barry Ferguson told TNT sports.
The return leg will be played next Thursday at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao and the winners will face either Lyon or Manchester United, who drew 2-2 in the first leg, for a place in the final in Bilbao.
Eintracht hold Spurs to a draw
Tottenham Hotspur had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in a lively first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, with Pedro Porro cancelling out the visitors' early opener by Hugo Ekitike.
Eintracht took a sixth-minute lead through striker Ekitike, who slotted home from outside the box into the bottom right corner, before Porro levelled for Tottenham 20 minutes later, flicking the ball in with a smooth finish from close range.
"Next week will probably be the biggest game of the season," Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall said of the return leg next Thursday.
"We go there for confidence, try to play like we did in the second half, and hopefully score more than them."
For Tottenham, who are 14th in the Premier League with seven rounds to go in a largely disappointing domestic season, winning the competition is their only remaining pathway to European action next season.
Eintracht, the 2022 winners, are still well-placed to earn Champions League qualification via the Bundesliga standings where they are currently third, two points above fourth-placed Mainz.
The German side, playing in their first European quarter-final since lifting the trophy, took a quick lead after Ellyes Skhiri won a duel with James Maddison and immediately sent the ball out to the left flank.
From there, the well-positioned Ekitike dribbled his way up to the edge of the area before scoring low past Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
"I just took the ball and believed I could score from that position," Ekitike said.
"I think it was a good goal but I wish I could have managed to help the team more."
Tottenham, aiming to reach the last four of a European competition for the first time since their run to the 2019 Champions League final, equalised in the 26th minute through defender Porro.
Dominic Solanke played Maddison into the box from the left and the midfielder set up Porro for a first-time finish.
Ekitike should have restored the lead for the visitors just before the interval when he struck low from the edge of the box but Vicario easily saved his weak shot.
Tottenham, who finished fourth in the league phase one point above Eintracht, continued to have more possession after the break and Bergvall came close to putting Tottenham in front with a stunning shot from a distance.
However, the Swedish midfielder hit the woodwork. Rodrigo Bentancur did the same two minutes later and Eintracht goalkeeper Kaua Santos denied Maddison from close range just before the hour mark.
Brennan Johnson misfired a great chance from near the penalty spot in the dying minutes.
The winners after the second leg will face either Lazio or Norway's Bodo/Glimt for a spot in the final in Bilbao. Bodo won the first leg 2-0 earlier on Thursday.
Lazio freeze as Bodo/Glimt take first leg win
Two goals from Ulrik Saltnes spurred Bodo/Glimt to a 2-0 home victory over Lazio in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, with the one-sided encounter played out in freezing conditions.
Lazio arrived in a windy Bodo to find snow had blanketed the pitch in the early hours. Although the artificial turf was cleared in time for kick-off, the Italians struggled to adapt to the challenging zero-degree conditions in northern Norway, spending much of the match pinned back and on the defensive.
Aiming to become the first Norwegian team ever to reach a European Cup semi-final, Bodo/Glimt neutralised Lazio's defence, attacking the box time and again. In contrast, Lazio registered just a single shot on target throughout the match.
"I am incredibly pleased with a lot but I do not think we should get carried away," Bodo/Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen told Viaplay. "We have a clear identity and an incredible strength within us. We should be happy with that."
The hosts seized early control, with Jens Petter Hauge firing a clever, short shot in the opening minutes that Lazio keeper Christos Mandas had to stretch to push out of danger.
Just after the half-hour mark, Bodo/Glimt came close again when Ole Didrik Blomberg received the ball inside the box but it slid off his foot as he prepared his shot and the effort went well wide.
Bodo/Glimt made the breakthrough just two minutes after the restart when Saltnes finished at close range following a precise short pass from Ole Didrik Blomberg to give the hosts the lead.
As the hosts looked to double their advantage, their sharp, quick passing continued to trouble the Lazio defence but several promising opportunities were squandered as they struggled to convert their finishing touches.
Bodo/Glimt scored their second goal in the 69th minute when Saltnes was played through and he lofted the ball over Mandas. Although Alessio Romagnoli managed to clear it, the ball had already crossed the line.
Saltnes came close to scoring a hat-trick in the final minutes but Mandas made a crucial save. The Lazio back-up keeper made another save in the last seconds from Odin Bjortuft's attempt.
"They had speed in their exchanges because of the artificial pitch. I believe that the second leg will be a different game and qualification is still open," Lazio manager Marco Baroni told Sky Sport Italia.
The return leg will be next Thursday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
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