Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the star man of Thursday’s Europa League Round of 16 second legs, scoring a pair of goals at White Hart Lane as Borussia Dortmund knocked Tottenham Hotspur out of the competition.
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That wasn’t the only decisive tie, as Sparta Prague and Braga also cruised into the quarterfinals.
Manchester United 1-1 (1-3 agg.) Liverpool -- RECAP
A lively Old Trafford only got more electric when Anthony Martial won and converted a first half penalty, but the noise was almost all Anfield when Philippe Coutinho dazzled his way to an impactful road goal. Jurgen Klopp became the first Liverpool manager to win his first visit to Old Trafford as Reds boss.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 (1-5 agg.) Borussia Dortmund
With apologies to reigning champion Sevilla and exciting Shakhtar Donetsk, BVB joins Liverpool as the favorites of the tournament after thoroughly dismantling Spurs over two legs. It was decided before kickoff, really, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the first of his two in the 24th minute to give Dortmund a powerful road goal. Son Heung-Min nabbed Spurs’ only marker.
Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 (0-2 agg.) Villarreal
There was neither magic from Javier Hernandez nor Admir Mehmedi as Bayer couldn’t find the net at home, giving El Submarino Amarillo a spot in the next round.
Lazio 0-3 (1-4 agg.) Sparta Prague
After an even first leg in the Czech Republic, Sparta exploded for a trio of road goals in the first half at the Stadio Olimpico. Borek Dockal, Ladislav Krejci and Lukas Julis scored for the visitors.
Valencia 2-1 (2-2 agg.) Athletic Bilbao
Hard-luck Gary Neville entered the second leg with his Valencia side down a goal, and got goals from Santi Mina and Santos to put his side within 53 minutes of advancing to the quarters. But a controversial goal from Aritz Aduriz not only sent Neville to the stands, it sent Valencia out of the tournament. Oscar de Marcos handled the ball, with no call, just before the deciding goal.
Anderlecht 0-1 (1-4 agg.) Shakhtar Donetsk
Eduardo’s stoppage time goal meant very little to the tie, as Shakhtar cruised past an Anderlecht side that didn’t manage a single shot on target. Serigne Mbodji took a 86th minute red card for the hosts, two minutes after Olexandr Kucher took a second yellow card for Shakhtar.
Braga 4-1 (4-2 agg.) Fenerbahce
The Turkish powers did not bow out in style, taking three red cards in the final 24 minutes of the match. Braga entered with a 1-0 lead and doubled it through Ahmed Hassan in the 11th minute. Alper Potuk (above) scored before halftime to set the stage for the second half, but Braga netted three times in the frame to advance to the quarterfinals.
Sevilla 3-0 (3-0 agg.) Basel
The reigning champs didn’t need to worry about away goals after Adil Rami scored in the 35th minute and Kevin Gameiro added two goals in two minutes before halftime to salt it away for Sevilla.