As if the UEFA Champions League action this week wasn’t enough excitement...
The UEFA Europa League continued on Thursday afternoon, and there was drama all throughout the competition that provided for tremendous angst in the quarterfinals second legs.
Premier League side Arsenal booked its place in the semifinals with a 2-2 draw against CSKA Moscow, with Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey providing late goals to seal their fate into the final four.
Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg and Marseille completed massive comebacks in front of their home crowds to move into the next round. Red Bull Salzburg overturned a 4-2 opening leg deficit against Lazio with a 4-1 victory in Austria, while Ligue 1 side Marseille scored five goals against Red Bull Leipzig to get past the German Bundesliga club.
For Salzburg, all four goals came after halftime, with the decisive finish from Stefan Lainer coming with 14 minutes remaining in the match.
In Portugal, Atletico Madrid fell 1-0 to Sporting CP behind Fredy Montero’s lone finish, but it wasn’t enough for the Portuguese side to move through to the semifinals.
CSKA Moscow 2-2 (3-6 on agg.) Arsenal
Red Bull Salzburg 4-1 (6-5 on agg.) Lazio
Marseille 5-2 (5-3 on agg.) Red Bull Leipzig
Sporting CP 1-0 (1-2 on agg.) Atletico Madrid