In a dramatic end to the Round of 32, reigning champions Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Europa League losing to Rubin Kazan 2-1 on aggregate. Whereas three English teams were able to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Radamel Falcao scored in the 84th minute which sparked some hope of the visitors to turn the tie in their favour. Atletico were given a further advantage when Rubin captain César Navas was sent off in the dying moments, but they were not able to materialise on it and were knocked out of the tournament.
In form Tottenham Hotspur were able to qualify to the next round, courtesy of a last minute strike from midfielder Mousa Dembélé .Maxime Gonalons gave Lyon the lead in the 17th minute when he headed home Clement Gernier's free kick. The home side seemed to be strolling towards a qualification to the next round, when out of nowhere Dembele struck a powerful shot well beyond Rémy Vercoutre to secure a place for his team in the Round of 16.
Elsewhere Italian side Inter Milan secured an easy win, beating CFR Cluj 3-0 on the night. Fredy Guarin struck a brace, with Mario Camora scoring another in the 88th minute and Inter qualified to the next round winning 5-0 on aggregate.
After a goalless draw at St James’ Park, Newcastle were able to defeat Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv 1-0 through a Shola Ameobi penalty. The goal came in the 64th minute when Moussa Sissoko was brought done in the box by Metalist keeper Olexandr Goryainov. Ameobi took the opportunity to score his 15th goal in European competitions.
London side Chelsea on the other hand were rescued by a last minute strike from Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard, to ensure the Blues qualify to the next round. Sparta Praha earned the lead in the 17th minute when David Lafata struck from 10 yards to make it 1-1 on aggregate. Hazard prevented the match from going into extra time by scoring in the dying moments.
A spirited come back from Liverpool was not enough to earn them a qualification to the next round. Jamie Carragher in his last European appearance gifted possession to Hulk in the early minutes. The Brazilian found himself in acres of space and drifted forward to score the first goal making it 3-0 on aggregate. Liverpool responded strongly with Suarez scoring a brace and Allen adding another from close range. However it was Zenit which progressed to the next round winning on away goals.
Lazio sealed a 2-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbachand, comfortably progressing to the next round. Both the goals came in the first half, the first from Antonio Candreva in the 10th and Alvaro González scoring the second in the 33rd minute.
The Europa League Round of 32 saw a lot of goals and a lot of drama. There were upsets and there were surprises, probably the biggest upset was of defending Champions Atletico Madrid crashing out of the tournament so early. Other big teams such as Liverpool and Lyon were not able to make it to the next round either. With Atletico out of the tournament, the English teams will be favourites to win the tournament and bring the glory back to England.
In form Tottenham Hotspur were able to qualify to the next round, courtesy of a last minute strike from midfielder Mousa Dembélé .Maxime Gonalons gave Lyon the lead in the 17th minute when he headed home Clement Gernier's free kick. The home side seemed to be strolling towards a qualification to the next round, when out of nowhere Dembele struck a powerful shot well beyond Rémy Vercoutre to secure a place for his team in the Round of 16.
Elsewhere Italian side Inter Milan secured an easy win, beating CFR Cluj 3-0 on the night. Fredy Guarin struck a brace, with Mario Camora scoring another in the 88th minute and Inter qualified to the next round winning 5-0 on aggregate.
After a goalless draw at St James’ Park, Newcastle were able to defeat Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv 1-0 through a Shola Ameobi penalty. The goal came in the 64th minute when Moussa Sissoko was brought done in the box by Metalist keeper Olexandr Goryainov. Ameobi took the opportunity to score his 15th goal in European competitions.
London side Chelsea on the other hand were rescued by a last minute strike from Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard, to ensure the Blues qualify to the next round. Sparta Praha earned the lead in the 17th minute when David Lafata struck from 10 yards to make it 1-1 on aggregate. Hazard prevented the match from going into extra time by scoring in the dying moments.
A spirited come back from Liverpool was not enough to earn them a qualification to the next round. Jamie Carragher in his last European appearance gifted possession to Hulk in the early minutes. The Brazilian found himself in acres of space and drifted forward to score the first goal making it 3-0 on aggregate. Liverpool responded strongly with Suarez scoring a brace and Allen adding another from close range. However it was Zenit which progressed to the next round winning on away goals.
Lazio sealed a 2-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbachand, comfortably progressing to the next round. Both the goals came in the first half, the first from Antonio Candreva in the 10th and Alvaro González scoring the second in the 33rd minute.
The Europa League Round of 32 saw a lot of goals and a lot of drama. There were upsets and there were surprises, probably the biggest upset was of defending Champions Atletico Madrid crashing out of the tournament so early. Other big teams such as Liverpool and Lyon were not able to make it to the next round either. With Atletico out of the tournament, the English teams will be favourites to win the tournament and bring the glory back to England.
