The Europa League Round of 16 first legs took place today, delivering thrilling matches filled with emotions and twists. AZ Alkmaar secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to an own goal by Lukas Bergvall. Despite challenging pitch conditions, Spurs failed to equalize and will need a strong performance in the return leg. Meanwhile, Olympique Lyonnais achieved an impressive 3-1 away win against FCSB in Romania. Malick Fofana stole the show with a second-half brace, assisted by Rayan Cherki, putting Lyon in a strong position to qualify.
The highly anticipated clash between Real Sociedad and Manchester United ended in a 1-1 draw. The Red Devils took the lead through Joshua Zirkzee, but a foul by Bruno Fernandes gifted the Spanish side a penalty, converted by Mikel Oyarzabal. This result keeps the tie wide open ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, AS Roma secured a crucial 2-1 victory against Athletic Bilbao, with Eldor Shomurodov scoring the winning goal in stoppage time. The Italians now hold a slight advantage before traveling to the Basque Country. Lazio, despite two red cards, showed great resilience to secure a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzeň.
In other matches, Glasgow Rangers pulled off a surprise by defeating José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe 3-1 in Istanbul. Vaclav Cerny was the hero of the night with a brace, putting the Scottish side in a favorable position for the second leg. Bodo/Glimt took a major step towards qualification with a dominant 3-0 victory over Olympiakos. Eintracht Frankfurt also impressed with a 2-1 away win against Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Chelsea edged past FC Copenhagen 2-1 in the Europa Conference League.
