AZ Alkmaar 2 Lazio 1
AZ Alkmaar secured their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League last-eight, as a 2-1 (4-2 aggregate) victory over Lazio at the AFAS Stadion extended their European winning streak on home soil to seven matches.
Armed with a one-goal advantage after their first-leg triumph in Rome, the hosts looked to assert their authority on proceedings during the opening 20 minutes, with plenty of controlled possession inside the Lazio half.
Despite AZ’s encouraging start, it was the visitors who found the breakthrough against the run of play, as Felipe Anderson collected a neat pass from Mattia Zaccagni and fired a low effort beyond Matt Ryan to level the tie.
Having never lost a European knockout tie after winning the first leg away from home, Pascal Jansen’s side quickly regrouped and equalised just seven minutes later, when the in-form Jesper Karlsson cut inside and unleashed a stunning long-range strike into the far corner.
With half-time looming, both sides continued to commit numbers forward in pursuit of another goal, however the best opportunity was wasted by AZ’s Tijjani Reijnders, who curled narrowly wide from the edge of the box.
Lazio emerged after the restart eager to find a route back into the contest, but Ryan stood firm to thwart a dangerous effort from Luca Pellegrini, while Reijnders fired against the post at the other end to remind the visitors of AZ’s attacking threat.
With time ticking into the final half-hour, Maurizio Sarri turned to his substitutes bench in the hope of injecting some impetus in the final third, however it was the hosts who were celebrating in the 62nd minute, as Vangelis Pavlidis controlled a pass from Karlsson and drilled into the bottom corner to send the home support into raptures.
AZ looked to capitalise on their momentum and went in pursuit of further goals to put the tie beyond doubt, but wasteful finishing from Jens Odgaard and Sven Mijnans kept Lazio’s faint hopes of a late comeback alive.
Grateful for the hosts’ profligacy in front of goal, Lazio upped the ante in the final ten minutes knowing they needed two goals to send the match into extra time, however, Pedro and Luis Alberto both missed the target with poor efforts, as AZ held firm to book their place in Friday’s quarter-final draw.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jesper Karlsson (AZ Alkmaar)
Nice 3 Sheriff Tiraspol 1
Nice confirmed their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Sheriff Tiraspol at the Allianz Riviera – the Eagles’ first progression to the last eight of a European competition since the 1959/60 season.
Knowing that Sheriff could not be taken for granted – especially given their status as a giant killer, having beaten Real Madrid last season, the early cautionary approach adopted by Nice eventually paid dividends on the half-hour mark.
A quick transition from the hosts eventually fell to the feet of Khephren Thuram, who executed a glorious reverse pass to find Gaetan Laborde, and the forward finished off the move with an exquisite dinked effort into the back of the net after spotting Maksym Koval off his line.
Now having scored the first goal in nine of their last 12 games across all competitions, Dider Digard’s men found themselves in the ascendancy, and came close to doubling their lead with back-to-back chances before the break – the best of which saw Pablo Rosario fail to convert from a well placed cross.
The second half began in a pulsating manner, with both teams going at each other without any reservations.
An intricate team play by Nice first resulted in Terem Moffi slotting home a remarkably composed finish to deceive the goalkeeper, before the Wasps struck back in the blink of an eye via Abdoul Tapsoba’s well-taken shot following a defensive mishap, registering Sheriff’s first goal of the tie.
With renewed hope, Sheriff threatened the hosts with successive half-chances, but failed to build upon their momentum.
In turn, their attacking attitude left them vulnerable, and they ended up conceding a third on the break from Bilal Brahimi, who was first to react to the rebound after Moffi’s shot struck the woodwork.
The failure to register a first-ever win against a French opponent in four attempts also meant Sheriff’s search for a maiden quarter-final appearance in a European tournament remains unfulfilled.
Meanwhile, a 12th straight game without defeat for Nice adds to their unique status as the only French club left in European competition this season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Terem Moffi (Nice)
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Villarreal 0 Anderlecht 1
Anderlecht continued to put their domestic league disappointment behind them as they recorded just their third ever win on Spanish soil to advance past Villarreal and into the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals, prevailing 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.
Villarreal, coming off an unbeaten run of four games in all competitions, started brightly with the lively Alex Baena looking dangerous throughout.
The 21-year-old broke through in the opening minutes, but a heavy first-touch saw him drag the ball wide, before almost turning provider, as Gerard Moreno lifted his shot over following a clever through ball.
The Spaniards continued to apply pressure, with Zeno Debast this time bailing Anderlecht out. Samu Chukwueze cut in from the right and fired a curling shot, forcing the well-positioned defender to clear off the line.
Despite the hosts’ strong start, Anderlecht’s high press saw them forge chances of their own. A stray back pass under pressure led to Pepe Reina turning possession over with Jorge Cuenca desperately scrambling the ball clear.
Moreno should’ve put Villarreal in front on the stroke of half-time, with his attempt bouncing back off the crossbar as an entertaining opening half somehow finished scoreless.
The flow of chances continued into the second period. Anderlecht’s Michael Murillo was unmarked but could only produce a wayward finish after seeing a fizzed corner arrive late into the six-yard box, before Bart Verbruggen made a superb reactive save at the other end to deny Moreno what seemed a certain Villarreal goal.
With 15 minutes remaining, Anderlecht made the breakthrough when substitute Islam Slimani coolly dispatched Murillo’s precise delivery, capping off a fine attacking move ahead in the tie.
Despite being one of the favourites to win the competition, Villarreal offered little in response to falling behind until the dying stages when Jackson Nicolas was denied at point-blank by Verbruggen, as the 2021 UEFA Europa League winners’ European campaign fizzled out in disappointing fashion.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht)
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West Ham 4 AEK Larnaca 0
West Ham United beat AEK Larnaca 4-0 at London Stadium, winning 6-0 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) quarter-final with their 100% record after 10 European games this season comfortably intact.
The Hammers weren’t resting on their laurels after a comfortable win in the first leg and looked dangerous early on, with Gianluca Scamacca curling an ambitious shot agonisingly wide of the post.
The Italian then marked his first start since early January with a goal in the 21st minute, as having already sloppily conceded possession multiple times, AEK were eventually punished when the striker cut inside Mikel González and squeezed his shot through Kenan Piric’s grasp.
Both teams hit the back of the net within 10 minutes of the opener, although Scamacca and Nemanja Nikolić had both roamed offside before doing so.
The Guardians were offering hardly any resistance to West Ham’s advances, but Jarrod Bowen fired off target after cutting inside Nikos Englezou, while Pablo Fornals’ attempt struck the crossbar before Ben Johnson’s follow-up proved harmless.
When Gus Ledes finally put in a challenge on Fornals before the break, it was a lazy one that saw the midfielder earn his second red card in a mere 51 minutes of football.
The Hammers capitalised on their man advantage almost immediately after the restart, as Bowen converted after Scamacca’s initial shot was saved.
The winger showed his goalscoring instincts again just two minutes and 19 seconds later, applying a wonderful flick to Aaron Cresswell’s cross, with the looping header marking his 10th goal across all competitions this season.
David Moyes soon made a triple change, and 18-year-old Divin Mubama neatly flicked Tomas Soucek’s header past Piric for a first senior goal that nobody can take away from him.
Freddie Potts and debutant Levi Laing were also brought on, as West Ham comfortably maintained their unbeaten home record in 2023, with some Hammers fans likely thinking about the UECL quarter-final draw while their side played with freedom.
On the other hand, AEK have won just one of their last seven in all competitions and their longest-ever European run comes to an end.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)