In what proved to be quite an exciting evening of UEFA Europa League matches, two Spanish sides made it to the next stage of the tournament, where they will be joined by Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool.
Villarreal made it look quite easy against Sparta Praha, a team that hadn't lost any matches prior to the tie against the Yellow Submarine. The Ukrainian side hardly broke a sweat to seal their spot among the final four teams, beating Portuguese team Sporting Braga with thanks to a curious own goal brace by one of their defenders. Finally, the All-Spanish tie between Sevilla and Athletic had to be decided from the spot, and the title holders will keep their three-peat wishes alive after defeating the Lions.
Sparta Praha 2-4 Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine scored four uncontested goals against the Czech side before the hosts tried to pull off a massive comeback with two goals in six minutes. Nevertheless, Marcelino Garcia Toral's side prevailed and ended their matchup with a 6-3 aggregate, making themselves one of the most dangerous teams left in the tournament.
.@VillarrealCF before and after! Congratulations to the Yellow Submarine!#UEL pic.twitter.com/T8uS9HYSHl
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 14, 2016
Shakhtar 4-0 Sporting Braga
The Ukrainian side had a little help from their opponents to seal such a big goal difference, as Ricardo Ferreira drilled a couple of goals into the back of his own net. Darijo Srna completed a historic evening with his 486th app for the Miners, while Victor Kovalenko scored once more to seal the deal.
Srna scores in his 486th game for Shakhtar!
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 14, 2016
This outing breaks a club record held by Mikhail Sokolovskiy. #UEL pic.twitter.com/7xHql0rjCl
Sevilla 1(5)-2(4) Athletic Club
A couple of away goals by Aduriz and Raúl García forced the tie between La Liga sides Sevilla and Athletic to be decided from the penalty spot, and the current Europa League champions will make their third consecutive trip to the semi-finals thanks to a penalty missed by Beñat. Kevin Gameiro's equalizer during regulation proved crucial for the hosts, as he managed to score just two minutes after Aduriz's opener.
7 - Sevilla have beaten the most Spanish teams in European knockout rounds and finals (7). Candidate
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 14, 2016
The tournament's semi-final fixtures will be revealed tomorrow, moments after the UEFA Champions League ties are revealed.