Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen reach Europa League quarterfinals
DUISBURG, Germany (AP) — Sevilla beat Roma 2-0 in the round of 16 on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a record sixth Europa League title, as Bayer Leverkusen also qualified for the quarterfinals.
Full-back Sergio Reguilon gave Sevilla the lead with a surging run through the Roma defense and a shot past keeper Pau Lopez in the 22nd minute. Youssef En-Nesyri added the second just before halftime, tapping in a low cross from Lucas Ocampos.
Sevilla could easily have scored more, with two shots hitting the crossbar and a goal overturned for offside on video review. Playing after a packed run of Serie A games, Roma didn't muster a single shot on target in the first half and just one in the second.
It was a single game at a neutral venue in Germany because no first leg was played in March before the season was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Roma defender Gianluca Mancini was sent off in added time after video review for making contact with Luuk De Jong’s head in a challenge for the ball.
It was Roma's first game since its $700 million takeover by the Texas-based Friedkin Group was confirmed Thursday morning.
The venue was a world away from that high-powered dealmaking. Roma and Sevilla played at the stadium of third-tier German club Duisburg, whose fans have been raising money from T-shirt sales to help the club with the financial impact of the coronavirus.
Sevilla had more rest than Roma and it showed as the Spanish team played high-tempo football and pressed Roma intensely to force turnovers high up the field. Since July 19, when Sevilla played its last game in La Liga, Roma had rattled through five Serie A games in 14 days, with a five-day turnaround before the Europa League.
Sevilla next faces a quarterfinal against either Wolverhampton or Olympiakos on Tuesday.
Bayer Leverkusen cruised into the quarterfinals, beating Rangers 1-0 on Thursday thanks to a powerful shot from Moussa Diaby for a 4-1 aggregate win. Leverkusen takes on Inter Milan in the quarterfinals Monday.
Leverkusen’s in-demand forward Kai Havertz volleyed the ball over the bar and sent another chance wide. Leverkusen has vowed that Havertz will complete the club’s Europa League campaign before any transfer. The 21-year-old German has been heavily linked with Chelsea.
Rangers had the unusual distinction of playing a 2019-20 Europa League game after it had already begun the 2020-21 season in the Scottish league last week.
Later Thursday, Wolverhampton bids to reach its first European quarterfinal since 1972 against Olympiakos with the score level at 1-1 from the first leg. Basel tries to hold on to a 3-0 lead over Eintracht Frankfurt.
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