UEFA Europa League: Eintracht Frankfurt seize advantage against Ajax in memorable win, Lazio beat Viktoria Plzen
Updated 06/03/2025 at 22:48 GMT
Eintracht Frankfurt hold a narrow advantage over Ajax in this finely poised UEFA Europa League last-16 tie after a 2-1 victory in Amsterdam. Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri were the goalscoring heroes for Dino Toppmoller's side, who managed the game brilliantly against the four-time European champions. Elsewhere, Viktoria Plzen were beaten 2-1 by nine-man Lazio.
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Ajax will head to Germany looking to overturn a deficit following a 2-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Brian Brobbey got the Dutch side off to an ideal start, but goals from Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri mean that the Bundesliga club have a slender advantage heading into next week’s UEFA Europa League second leg.
Kenneth Taylor's searching set-piece picked out Jordan Henderson, who crossed the ball at the second opportunity for Brobbey's towering header at the far post to give Ajax the lead.
Larsson levelled the scores with an emphatic long-range finish which flew past a motionless Jay Gorter in the Ajax goal, as Mario Gotze played the ball into the Swede's path in a brilliantly worked set-piece.
Frankfurt turned the game on its head in the 70th minute when Ansgar Knauff showed brilliant tenacity down the right-hand side to make a surging run and cross for Skhiri to rifle home a left-footed strike past Gorter.
Francesco Farioli's side pressed forward in search of an equaliser, which should have arrived when Kian Fitz-Jim could only fire wide from deep inside the box.
Steven Berghuis then drifted an enticing set piece into the box that narrowly missed the onrushing Don-Angelo Konadu.
But ultimately it was not enough and completes a sobering week for Dutch clubs in European competition, following PSV Eindhoven's 7-1 UEFA Champions League mauling by Arsenal on Tuesday, and Feyenoord's 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan in the same competition on Wednesday.
Nine-man Lazio stun Plzen
Nine-man Lazio left it late to seal an incredible 2-1 win away at Viktoria Plzen.
Nicolo Rovella and Samuel Gigot were both shown their marching orders in the second half, but the Serie A still managed to take a lead back to Rome for next week's second leg.
The Biancocelesti struck first in the 18th minute when Alessio Romagnoli turned home Tijjani Noslin's flicked header at the far post.
Plzen equalised in the 53rd minute through Rafiu Durosinmi's header from Lukas Kalvach’s set-piece.
Rovella was the first Lazio player to be sent off for a high challenge on Pavel Sulc, before Gigot followed suit with a rash tackle of his own.
However, the game ended in ecstasy for Marco Baroni's men when Gustav Isaksen's clinical finish in the eighth minute of stoppage time ensured Lazio claimed a superb victory.
Lyon overpower FCSB
It is advantage Lyon after Malick Fofana's brace helped the Ligue 1 side claim a 3-1 victory over Romanian side FCSB.
Nicolás Tagliafico broke the deadlock in Bucharest in the 30th minute after meeting Georges Mikautadze's cross with a superb diving header.
The Georgian had a chance to double Lyon's advantage with a curling left-footed strike that Stefan Tarnovan tipped to safety.
However, FCSB struck next when Alexandru Baluta turned in Risto Radunovic's cross with a ferocious close-range finish in the 68th minute.
But the match ultimately swung in favour of Les Gones with two late goals in the space of four minutes from substitute Fofana.
The Belgian slotted home a loose ball inside the box to restore the visitors' advantage, before scoring his second and Lyon's third when he reacted to Lucas Perri's long ball forward and provided a cool finish past Tarnovanu.
Bodo dispatch Olympiacos
Bodo/Glimt will take a sizeable 3-0 advantage to Greece after a comfortable 3-0 win over Olympiacos.
There was an element of fortune in Bodo's opener, as Jostein Gundersen's header hit the bar before rebounding off Olympiacos shot-stopper Konstantinos Tzolakis and into the net in the 13th minute.
Kasper Hogh doubled the Norwegians' advantage on the stroke half-time with a rather scrappy finish following some delightful link-up play with Ole Didrik Blomberg.
Hogh added his second and Bodo's third ten minutes after the restart when he slotted home from Fredrik Andre Bjorkan's cross.
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Molde edge out Legia
There was another five-goal thriller in Norway that also went in favour of the hosts, as Molde overcame Legia Warsaw with a 3-2 victory.
Eirik Hestad scored a 10th-minute opener as he reacted quickest to fire in the loose ball after Kristian Eriksen's initial effort forced a fine save from Vladan Kovacevic.
Eriksen doubled Molde's lead five minutes later with a fine header, before Fredrik Gulbrandsen added a third in the 43rd minute when he latched onto Emil Breivik's excellent through ball.
Legia made the scoreline more respectable in the second half, and got off the mark when Kacper Chodyna tapped in from a Claude Goncalves cut-back in the 64th minute.
It looked like a memorable comeback could be on the cards when Luquinhas smashed in an emphatic close-range finish three minutes later, but Molde held on to take a narrow aggregate lead.
Panathinaikos come out on top against Fiorentina
Panathinaikos edged out Fiorentina in an absorbing thrilling UEFA Conference League last-16 first-leg tie.
Nemanja Maksimovic engineered the opener when his cut-back was fired into the top corner by Karol Świderski with a mere five minutes on the clock.
The Greek side looked to be in cruise control by moving into a 2-0 lead in the 19th minute after reacting to Pietro Terracciano's mistake before tapping home from close range.
But the Serie A side halved the deficit moments later, as Lucas Beltran headed in from a Robin Gosens cross, before Nicolò Fagioli's strike moved Fiorentina back onto level terms just three minutes later.
The Shamrocks had the final word though to take a narrow lead into next week's second leg in Florence, after Filip Duricic played the back to Tete, who dispatched a clinical strike into the bottom corner.
Betis held by Vitoria
Real Betis and Vitoria Guimaraes shared the spoils with an entertaining 2-2 draw in this all-Iberian clash in Seville.
All four goals came in the second half, as Cédric Bakambu moved Betis in front with his second UECL goal of 2025 in the 48th minute.
Vitoria levelled the scoreline three minutes later when Nuno Santos laid the ball off to Joao Mendes, who rifled home an unstoppable right-footed finish from the edge of the box.
Former Real Madrid man Isco moved Betis back in front in the 75th minute when he fired home from Aitor Ruibal's cross.
But it was the Portuguese side who had the final say on the night after Nelson Oliveira showcased some neat footwork inside the box and coolly finished past Bruno Varela.
Elsewhere in the Conference League, David Vukovic's 92nd-minute penalty salvaged Bosnians Borac Banja Luka a 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna, who struck first courtesy of Dion Beljo.
Tamar Svetlin ensured Slovenian outfit Celje claimed a 1-0 win over Swiss side Lugano, who had Antonios Papadopoulos sent off in stoppage time.
Polish club Jagiellonia Bialystok eased their way past ten-man Cercle Brugge with a 3-0 win.
Afimico Pululu's brace - including a penalty - and Taras Romanczuk’s strike sealed a resounding win over the Belgian side, who had Abu Francis sent off for two yellow cards just a minute shy of the hour mark.
Cypriot side Pafos hold a slender aggregate lead over Swedish club Djurgarden, thanks to Muamer Tanković's goal in the 65th minute.
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