West Ham v Freiburg, Rangers v Benfica: Europa League last 16, second legs – live
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7 min: Aston Villa 0-0 Ajax (agg: 0-0) A fairly quiet start at Villa Park, with Villa perhaps more cautious because of their oddly poor recent home form.
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Match report: West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (agg: 5-1)
The mighty Jacob Steinberg was at the London Stadium to watch West Ham batter Freiburg. Here’s his report.
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Peep peep! The 8pm games are under way, and it looks darn cold at the English grounds.
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“I’m in a minority of probably just one, but I think Gasset did some things well as the Ivory Coast manager,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Most importantly, he figured out an offensive system that allowed the Elephants to attack in a variety of ways, which is rare in national teams. But he got the emotional tenor of an international tournament completely wrong, which led to near disaster. Club management may suit him better.”
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Thanks Michael, evening everyone. That’s such a strong team Jurgen Klopp has picked, with potentially eight or nine players who will start at Old Trafford on Sunday. It’s not the XI you or I would pick on Football Manager, which is one of the reasons we’re picking teams on Football Manager and Klopp isn’t.
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Updated at 15.56 EDT
A night of contrasting tales for the two British sides. West Ham, 1-0 down from the first leg, put in a performance for the ages to romp into the last eight of the Europa League. What a story this is, building on their Conference League triumph last season.
For Rangers, a hugely disappointing second half ultimately proved the difference over the two ties. Benfica had one moment of quality, with Di Maria and Rafa Silva combining for a fine counter-attacking goal, while Rangers’ forwards were running around like baby giraffes that have just been born.
Going to hand you over to Rob Smyth now, who will take you through the late kick-offs in the Europa League (plus updates on Aston Villa v Ajax in the Conference League).
Thanks, and enjoy!
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Updated at 15.55 EDT
Full-time scores in the Conference League
Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Servette (agg: 0-0, extra-time ongoing)
Fenerbahce 0-1 Union SG (agg: 3-1)
PAOK 5-1 Dinamo Zagreb (agg: 5-3)
Fiorentina 1-1 Maccabi Haifa (agg: 5-4)
ShareFull-time scores in the Europa League
Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (5-1 agg)
Slavia Prague 1-3 Milan (3-7 agg)
Villarreal 3-1 Marseille (3-5 agg)
Rangers crash out, losing at home to Benfica. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.47 EDT
GOALS! Villarreal 3-1 Marseilla (3-5 agg)
In all that Rangers excitement, I am late to update you on two goals in Spain. Mosquera had made it 3-4 on agg, just one goal in deficit, but Clauss has struck in injury time. It’s Marseille that will surely make it through to the quarter-finals!
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Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
90+5 min: Free kick to Rangers. Butland is coming up! Can Rangers salvage anything?
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Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
90+3 min: It’s not beautiful play, but pinball in the box and Cantwell stabs wide, I think he might have been penalised for handball anyway. But Rangers are finally creating some pressure. Has it come too late?
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Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
90 min: Five minutes added on. Rangers desperately need an equaliser.
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Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
87 min: Rangers have been so poor this second half. Substitutes Cantwell and Matondo have made no impact. Lundstram tries a tired shot from range. Benfica are in control, and happy to run the clock down with substitutes and possession.
ShareGOAL! West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (Kudus, 5-1 agg)
84 min: West Ham are cooking on gas. Another brilliant goal, finished by Kudus, but this is a team effort. Kudus starts the move with a neat dummy, Soucek drives forward unchallenged. He squares the ball to Bowen, who lays the ball off first time and Kudus lets fly again from the edge of the area, wrong footing Atubolu and making it five. What a performance from West Ham.
It’s another brilliant goal by Mohammed Kudus and West Ham. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.34 EDT
GOAL! West Ham 4-0 Freiburg (Kudus, 4-1 agg)
78 min: AN ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL SOLO GOAL FROM MOHAMMED KUDUS! What. A. Goal. This is Ben Arfa-esque levels of quality. Kudus picks the ball up outside his own penalty area, skips around Eggestein, drives into Freiburg’s half. He puts Philipp in a blender, turning this way and that, nutmegs another defender on the edge of the area and finishes calmly past Atubolu with his weaker right foot! Ridiculous!
Mohammed Kudus scores a simply sensational goal for West Ham. Stunning stuff from the Ghanaian. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.50 EDT
Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
75 min: Benfica are doing that thing that all Portuguese teams seem very good at doing: killing the game. It helps when you have Neves and Di Maria controlling the tempo. But I should also mention Tengstedt, who has come on up front and held the ball up really well. This is so frustrating for Rangers, who haven’t created a major chance since going behind.
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Villarreal 2-0 Marseille (2-4 agg)
70 min: Marseille have settled and look like they are back in control of this tie. Time is ticking for Villarreal. Parejo, by the way, has been excellent. Always making the right pass, intercepting and snapping into tackles. The problem is his teammates can’t seem to keep the ball.
ShareGOAL! Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 agg)
66 min: Benfica lead in the tie for the first time! The Portuguese hit Rangers on the counter-attack, and Rafa Silva times his run to perfection, Di Maria heading the ball through to the diminutive, pacy winger, who just about stayed in his own half and onside. Rafa Silva sprinted beyond Diomande, picked his spot and finished calmly past the advancing Butland. There was a lengthy VAR check for offside but the goal stands. Benfica fans and players celebrate deliriously in the Scottish rain. Rangers have just over 20 minutes to find a goal and force extra time.
Rafa Silva edges Benfica ahead in the tie. Heartbreak for Rangers. Photograph: Robert Perry/EPAShare
Updated at 15.23 EDT
Villarreal 2-0 Marseille (2-4 agg)
60 min: Amazing really that Gasset got the Marseille job last month so soon after being sacked by Ivory Coast during Afcon.
But you can’t argue with his results since being appointed. Five wins from five in all competitions. This is his first big test in the Marseille dugout. His team have half an hour to hang on. It’s all Villarreal at the moment. Capoue is absolutely relentless in midfield.
ShareGOAL! Villarreal 2-0 Marseille (Sorloth, 2-4 agg)
55 min: Interesting, VERY interesting! More than half an hour to go, and Villarreal are nearly within reach, just two goals away. Marseille, who rested players for this second leg, will be nervy now. Sorloth races onto a through ball from Guedes and brilliantly finishes past Lopez to score his 16th goal of the season, flashing a left-footed shot inside the near post. The goal is initially ruled out for offside, but after a lengthy VAR check, the goal is given. Game on!
Oh, it’s happening! Photograph: Alberto Saiz/APShare
Updated at 15.10 EDT
Europa League team newsLiverpool v Sparta Prague (agg: 5-1)
Mo Salah starts a Liverpool game for the first time since eating Newcastle on New Year’s Day. Jurgen Klopp has picked an intriguingly strong side.
Liverpool Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Salah, Gakpo, Robertson, Clark, Quansah, Bradley.Substitutes: Van Dijk, Diaz, Mac Allister, Adrian, Elliott, Tsimikas, Gordon, McConnell, Koumas, Danns, Musialowski, Mrozek.
Sparta Prague Vindahl-Jensen, Vitik, Zeleny, Krejci II, Preciado, Solbakken, Kairinen, Rynes, Laci, Birmancevic, Kuchta.Substitutes: Olatunji, Karabec, Tuci, Sadilek, Mejdr, Haraslin, Vorel,Vydra, Panak, Wiesner, Sevcik, Surovcik.
Brighton v Roma (agg: 0-4)
Both managers have picked very strong sides, even though this scond leg is likely to be a formality. The strength of Roma’s XI is a compliment of sorts to Brighton.
Brighton Verbruggen, Lamptey, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Gilmour, Gross, Lallana, Enciso, Adingra, Welbeck.Substitutes: Igor, Webster, Moder, Baleba, Steele, Ferguson, Fati, Veltman, McGill, Buonanotte, Peupion, Baker-Boaitey.
Roma Svilar, Celik, Mancini, N’Dicka, Spinazzola, Bove, Cristante, Pellegrini, Zalewski, Baldanzi, Azmoun.Substitutes: Rui Patricio, Karsdorp, Llorente, Paredes, Dybala, Aouar, Pagano, Pisilli, Boer, Costa, Angelino, El Shaarawy.
Bayer Leverkusen v Qarabag (agg: 2-2)
Bayer Leverkusen Kovar, Kossounou, Tapsoba, Hincapie, Andrich, Xhaka, Frimpong, Hofmann, Wirtz, Adli, Iglesias.Substitutes: Hradecky, Stanisic, Tah, Schick, Tella, Grimaldo, Hlozek, Palacios, Puerta, Lomb.
Qarabag Lunev, Vesovic, Mustafazade, Badavi Huseynov, Cafarquliyev, Romao, Jankovic, Leandro Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir, Juninho.Subs: Matheus Silva, Medvedev, Keyta, Xhixha, Gugeshashvili, Isaev, Bayramov, Abbas Huseynov, Patrick Andrade, Medina, Ramazanov, Akhundzade.
Atalanta v Sporting CP (agg: 1-1)
Atalanta Musso, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Holm, De Roon, Ederson Silva, Bakker, Miranchuk, Lookman, Scamacca.Substitutes: Toloi, Koopmeiners, Pasalic, Toure, De Ketelaere, Ruggeri, Adopo, Carnesecchi, Rossi, Hateboer, Scalvini, Zappacosta.
Sporting CP Israel, St Juste, Diomande, Inacio, Ricardo Esgaio, Hjulmand, Goncalves, Matheus Reis, Edwards, Trincao, Gyokeres.Substitutes: Nuno Santos, Neto, Paulinho, Fresneda, Pontelo, Pinto, Koindredi, Francisco Silva, Catamo, Coates, Quaresma, Braganca.
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Updated at 15.34 EDT
GOAL! West Ham 3-0 Freiburg (Cresswell, 3-1 agg)
53 min: West Ham have a cushion! Bowen breaks down the right, his cross is hastily cleared by Ginter and it falls to Cresswell on the edge of the area. The left back has time to take a touch before bending a swerving shot in off the far post. Wow!
It’s another fine West Ham goal, this time by Aaron Cresswell. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.05 EDT
Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
51 min: Close for Rangers! Tavernier gets some room to sweep in one of his textbook crosses. Dessers is wrestling with (I think) Otamendi in the middle. Dessers goes down, shouts for a penalty! Turned away. The ball bounces off Otamendi and flies just inches wide of the Benfica post. So nearly an own goal!
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Villarreal 1-0 Marseille (1-4 agg)
48 min: A early blow for Villarreal as Eric Bailly comes off injured. The more inexperienced Mosquera is on in his place.
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Peeeeeeep! We’re back underway in all four of the games.
ShareConference League team news: Aston Villa v Ajax (agg: 0-0)
Aston Villa Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Alex Moreno, Douglas Luis, McGinn, Bailey, Rogers, Diaby, Watkins.Substitutes: Gauci, Olsen, Tielemans, Digne, Lenglet, Duran, Hayden, Iroegbunam, Kellyman.
Ajax Ramaj, Rensch, Hata, Henderson, Taylor, Brobbey, Kaplan, Mannsverk, Sosa, Sutalo, Hlynsson.Substitutes: Rulli, Pasveer, Gaaei, Akpom, Borges, Medic, Rijkhoff, Van den Boomen, Vos, Fitz-Jim, Tahirovic, Godts.
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This made me laugh.
Fletcher and McCoist are the TNT commentary team for Rangers-Benfica tonight.
ShareHalf-time scores
Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
West Ham 2-0 Freiburg (2-1 agg)
Slavia Prague 0-3 Milan (2-7 agg)
Villarreal 1-0 Marseille (1-4 agg)
Two ties which are completely up for grabs, two ties which (look) like they are done. But can Villarreal get a couple of early goals in the second half?
It’s all-square at a very wet Ibrox between Rangers and Benfica. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.53 EDT
GOAL! Slavia Prague 0-3 Milan (2-7 agg)
45+6 min: This could get ugly. Leao makes it three, curling a beautiful shot from outside the box into the top corner. What a player he is. Stanek didn’t move in the Slavia net.
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Updated at 14.53 EDT
TWO GOALS! Slavia Prague 0-2 Milan (2-6 agg)
Two goals in three minutes! First Pulisic scores for the third straight game before Loftus-Cheek, who has been completely reborn in Milan, puts the tie beyond doubt. Loftus-Cheek scored in the fist leg as well, remember.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek surely ends any hopes of a Slavia Prague comeback with the second goal for Milan. Photograph: Petr David Josek/APShare
Updated at 14.37 EDT
GOAL! Villarreal 1-0 Marseille (Capoue, 1-4 agg)
Surely not. They couldn’t, could they? Capoue, formerly of Watford, heads past Lopez, after a cross from Femenia, formerly of Watford. Game on? Not quite, but not far off.
The veteran Etienne Capoue heads home for Villarreal. Photograph: Alberto Saiz/APShare
Updated at 14.35 EDT
Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
35 min: Lundstram is a lucky boy! He needlessly gives the ball away in midfield and suddenly is four on four. Lundstram then fails to track Di Maria, who races to the byline, cuts the ball tantalisingly across the six-yard line, but a combination of Goldson and Tavernier keep Rafa Silva out at the far post!
ShareGOAL! West Ham 2-0 Freiburg (Bowen, 2-1 agg)
32 min: West Ham take the lead in the tie! Antonio dummies a pass and Bowen races onto it behind. He shrugs off a challenge, steadies himself on the edge of the area, and arrows a low shot into the bottom right corner beyond Atubolu! Great finish, and a lovely little assist from Antonio.
Jarrod Bowen scores a brilliant second goal for West Ham! Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.24 EDT
Slavia Prague 0-0 Milan (2-4 agg)
28 min: Leao goes through on goal, but Stanek makes a fine stop with his feet. You feel that Milan need just one more goal to rubber stamp this tie. That said, the red card has really taken the bite out of the home crowd.
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Villarreal 0-0 Marseille (0-4 agg)
24 min: Marseille nearly extend their lead in Spain! Femenia makes a hash of a clearance and Sarr races through but Jorgensen races out of goal and just beats the Marseille man to the ball!
I should mention that Sorloth has missed two golden chances for Villarreal already. The aggregate score could be quite different.
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Updated at 14.13 EDT
RED CARD FOR SLAVIA PRAGUE’S HOLES!
Slavia Prague 0-0 Milan (2-4 agg)
20 min: The hosts’ unlikely task just become the near impossible. Holes sees red after catching Calabria on the ankle. The referee needed VAR to confirm the decision, but a red card it is.
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Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
15 min: Wright does really well on the right wing, taking on three Benfica defenders to win a corner. Headed clear.
I should mention that there was this tifo at Ibrox before kick-off. A reminder that the Europa League final this year is in Dublin. It is not impossible that they could face Liverpool in the Irish capital, a potential prospect that Uefa have described as “extremely challenging”.
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Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
12 min: Fredrik Aursnes, who is basically a Norwegian regen of a late career Raul Meireles (not just in his appearance but also in the way that he plays), shoots from range for Benfica. Butland, who was snubbed from Southgate’s England squad today, gets down to his right.
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West Ham 1-0 Freiburg (1-1 agg)
10 min: Freiburg so nearly hit back immediately. Some slick passing releases Sallai, and the striker works a yard of space in the box but shoots two yards wide. The Hungarian should have done better!
ShareGOAL! West Ham 1-0 Freiburg (1-1 agg)
We’re all square in the tie! West Ham score from that third corner, with Soucek flicking it on at the near post. Paqueta, completely unmarked taps it in. The London Stadium erupts!
Lucas Paqueta scores for West Ham! Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.00 EDT
West Ham 0-0 Freiburg (0-1 agg)
6 min: Kudus nearly finds space for a spectacular overhead but has to settle for a corner. Freiburg manage to clear two Cresswell deliveries from under their crossbar but West Ham will have a third corner …
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Rangers 0-0 Benfica (2-2 agg)
2 min: Lively start at Ibrox. David Neres, who was terrible in the first leg for Benfica crosses from the left but Souttar stands strong in the middle.
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Peeeeeeeeeeeeep! And we’re off in the four Europa League matches.
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The teams are out. Angel Di Maria looks particularly stonefaced in Glasgow, as does Rangers’ Fabio Silva, who played briefly for Benfica in his youth, but then made his name at Porto. The Portuguese was excellent in the first leg, I thought.
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This is a fascinating West Ham squad at the moment. In Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus, Alvarez they have some elite talent, and yet it still feels very old school West Ham. And I’m not talking about Bobby Moore. More Kevin Nolan. Not that I don’t like Kevin Nolan. But you know what I mean.
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Updated at 13.38 EDT
This is worth a read. Aubemeyang is on the Marseille bench tonight, with the French side 4-0 up on Villarreal from the first leg.
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Ibrox is going to be absolutely rocking tonight. The team is on a rich run of form, Benfica is a pearler of a European tie and there will also be tributes to Thomas McAllister, a fan who lost his life in Lisbon after the first leg.
ShareTeam newsVillarreal v Marseille
Villarreal: Reina, Femenia, Bailly, Mandi, Cuenca, Coquelin, Capoue, Parejo, Goncalo Guedes, Gerard, Sorloth. Subs: Mosquera, Comesana, Jorgensen, Trigueros, Morales, Baena, Altimira, Akhomach.
Marseille: Pau Lopez, Meite, Mbemba, Balerdi, Merlin, Clauss, Kondogbia, Ounahi, Veretout, Ndiaye, Sarr. Subs: Aubameyang, Harit, Moumbagna, Correa, Blanco, Soglo, Tunkadi, Luis Henrique.
West Ham v Freiburg
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Cresswell, Soucek, Alvarez, Kudus, Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Antonio. Subs: Johnson, Ward-Prowse, Phillips, Ings, Ogbonna, Areola, Aguerd, Earthy, Casey, Mubama, Orford, Knightbridge.
Freiburg: Atubolu, Sildialli, Ginter, Gulde, Gunter, Hofler, Doan, Eggestein, Holer, Grifo, Sallai. Subs: Lienhart, Szalai, Keitel, Kubler, Adamu, Muller, Muslija, Philipp, Uphoff, Makengo, Rohl, Gregoritsch.
Rangers v Benfica
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Yilmaz, Diomande, Lundstram, Scott Wright, Lawrence, Silva, Dessers.Subs: Cantwell, Matondo, Roofe, Davies, McCrorie, Barisic, King, Raskin, McCausland, Yfeko, Fraser, McKinnon.
Benfica: Trubin, Bah, Silva, Otamendi, Aursnes, Neves, Florentino, Di Maria, Rafa Silva, Neres, Marcos Leonardo. Subs: Fernandez, Morato, Arthur Cabral, Kokcu, Tengstedt, Joao Mario, Soares, Rollheiser, Araujo, Kokubo, Gouveia.
Slavia Prague v Milan
Slavia Prague: Stanek, Vlcek, Ogbu, Zima, Zmrzly, Holes, Dorley, Doudera, Provod, Wallem, Chytil. Subs: Tijani, Zafeiris, Dominik Pech, van Buren, Jurecka, Sevcik, Schranz, Mandous, Tomic, Sirotnik, Jurasek, Konecny.
Milan: Maignan, Calabria, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez, Adli, Musah, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao, Giroud. Subs: Bennacer, Reijnders, Jovic, Okafor, Kalulu Kyatengwa, Chukwueze, Kjaer, Thiaw, Terracciano, Sportiello, Nava.
SharePreamble
Hello world! Thursday is the new Wednesday, haven’t you heard? An evening for the football hipsters.
What, you’ve never heard of new Benfica wonderkid João Neves?! Ha! He’s got higher-waisted shorts than Javier Zanetti and Scott Parker, an engine like a young James Milner and the vision of a teenage Rui Costa. Stick that up your Champions League and smoke it.
The point is, there are dozens of little storylines here. Some well-thumbed, some waiting to be explored. We have eight second legs on offer in the early kick-offs (5.45pm GMT), and eight matches in the lates (8pm GMT, which will be brought to you later by Rob Smyth).
The 5.45pm (GMT) kick offs:
Rangers v Benfica (2-2 agg)
West Ham v Freiburg (0-1 agg)
Slavia Prague v Milan (2-4 agg)
Villarreal v Marseille (0-4 agg)
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