Europa League Semifinals 2023-24 Recap: Leverkusen, Roma, Atalanta, and Marseille Progress
In the latest Europa League action, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, Atalanta, and Marseille emerged victorious, securing their spots in the semifinals.
On the flip side, Liverpool, West Ham, AC Milan, and Benfica faced elimination. The outcome effectively put an end to Liverpool’s dreams of winning three trophies in manager Jurgen Klopp’s final year at Anfield.
Liverpool defeated Atalanta 1-0 in the second leg of their quarterfinal battle, but was eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday after failing to erase a three-goal deficit.
The outcome put an official stop to Liverpool’s dreams of winning three trophies in manager Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield, even though it had seemed improbable following the Italian team’s 3-0 victory in the first leg on Merseyside.
Klopp said, “We wanted to show that reaction because we won the game.” “It was challenging, as we all knew it would be, but Atalanta absolutely deserves to succeed.”
Days after winning the Bundesliga for the first time, Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run to 44 games at London Stadium by holding West Ham to a 1-1 draw, keeping them on track to complete a historic treble. On an aggregate score of 3-1, Xabi Alonso’s team progressed to the semifinals.
Leverkusen, which advanced 3-1 overall after defeating AC Milan 2-1 in an all-Italian quarterfinal, will play Roma in the round of sixteen.
Michail Antonio headed in a cross from Vladimir Coufal to give West Ham the early lead. The team’s winning streak was extended when Jeremie Frimpong, who had been on the bench, equalized in the 89th minute to seal the aggregate triumph.
On May 25, three days after the Europa League final in Dublin, Alonso’s club will play second-division Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final in Berlin.
After Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross struck Matteo Ruggeri’s hand in Bergamo, Liverpool enjoyed an incredible start. In the seventh minute, Mohamed Salah gave the team an early lead by sending goalkeeper Juan Musso the wrong way from the penalty spot.
However, the Reds missed all other opportunities to score—a far cry from their 5-0 Champions League victory at Atalanta in 2020. Marseille, which had won 1-0 and then defeated Benfica 4-2 in a shootout to even the aggregate score at 2-2, will play Atalanta.
Liverpool still has dreams of winning a second Premier League title under its German manager, even if they have previously won the English League Cup. However, they currently sit in third position, two points behind Manchester City.
Despite being erratic in Serie A, Atalanta has had a fantastic season in the lower continental division. After six victories and three draws in the campaign, Thursday’s defeat was the team’s first.
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The Italian club has only twice advanced to the semifinals of a championship held in Europe.
With his squad down to 10 players, Roma coach Daniele De Rossi celebrated the extension of his contract, which was previously announced on Thursday, by leading his club to the final four.
At Stadio Olimpico, Gianluca Mancini gave the home team an early 1-0 lead after Lorenzo Pellegrini’s strike struck the post and the defender was in the correct place to score. Last week, at San Siro, Mancini also scored the game-winning goal in the first leg.
In the 22nd, Paulo Dybala extended the lead.
After a foul on Rafael Leão, Roma defender Zeki Celik was sent off after thirty minutes, although Milan’s lead was only reduced by five minutes due to a header from Matteo Gabbia.
The seven-time European champion Milan is currently in second place in Serie A, 14 points behind Inter, who is leading the league. Milan will not have an Italian Cup trophy at the end of the season.
The Premier League teams were eliminated from the second-tier Europa League on Wednesday, after their elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal and Manchester City.
The only other English team in the Europa Conference League, which is the third division, is still Aston Villa.
The European Conference League
Villa defeated Lille 4-3 in a shootout to qualify to the Europa Conference League semifinals. Emiliano Martinez stopped two spot kick attempts, while Douglas Luiz scored the game-winning penalty against Lille.
Following Villa’s 2-1 victory in the first leg of their quarterfinal match, Lille led 2-0 at halftime with to goals from Yusuf Yazıcı and Benjamin Andre. However, defender Matty Cash’s strike in the 87th minute leveled the aggregate score at 3-3 and forced extra time.
Villa is into its first European semifinal since 1982. To secure a position in the May 29 final in Athens, the team will play Olympiakos, who defeated Fenerbahce 3-2 on penalties.
The runners-up from the previous season, Fiorentina, advanced to the semifinals as well, defeating 10-man Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in the second leg thanks to goals from Nicolas Gonzalez and Cristiano Biraghi in extra time. The first leg ended in a scoreless draw. The Italian club will play Club Brugge, which advanced 3-0 overall after winning 2-0 at PAOK. In the 66th minute, Brazilian midfielder Cadu of Plzen was sent off.
The runners-up from the previous season, Fiorentina, advanced to the semifinals as well, defeating 10-man Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in the second leg thanks to goals from Nicolas Gonzalez and Cristiano Biraghi in extra time. The first leg ended in a scoreless draw. The Italian club will play Club Brugge, which advanced 3-0 overall after winning 2-0 at PAOK. In the 66th minute, Brazilian midfielder Cadu of Plzen was sent off.
