Europa Conference League: Lazio and Larnaca grind out draws to progress to last 16
CFR Cluj - Lazio 0-0
Lazio secured entry into the UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 following a 1-0 aggregate win over ten-man CFR Cluj.
The Romanian outfit’s only victory at home against an Italian side came in 2019/20 against none other than the evening’s visitors. That perhaps warranted their confidence from the outset, as they threatened first from Ermal Krasniqi’s shot that whisked past the post.
Seeking to record three consecutive competitive wins for only the second time this season, Lazio didn’t let it affect them though, and they came agonisingly close to the opener themselves, only to see Toma Basic fluff a clear sitter fractionally wide of the left post.
Despite defending well, Cluj failed to threaten Luis Maximiano in a stale first half involving zero shots on target from the hosts.
With Maurizio Sarri’s words still ringing in their ears, Lazio emerged strongly after halftime, and Cluj had goalkeeper Simone Scuffet to thank for keeping them in contention for a comeback. The Udine-born shot-stopper executed a hat-trick of jaw-dropping back-to-back point-blank saves, leaving Lazio frustrated not to have buried the tie as the final 30 minutes dawned.
Struggling to keep pace with Lazio’s advances, Cluj found comfort on the back foot but were dealt a huge blow in the final quarter-hour, after referee Feliz Zwayer handed Kalo Muhar a second yellow card for a cynical challenge. Having been forced to undergo what Lazio experienced in the first leg, ten-man Cluj failed to muster any momentum thereafter to score an aggregate equaliser.
Dan Petrescu’s men will rue not having taken their chances, with a first draw in seven home UECL matches sending them out of the competition.
Meanwhile, Sarri will be forced to evaluate what went wrong in the attack for his side, as they continue their search for a first away win in Europe this term.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Manuel Lazzari (Lazio)
Dnipro-1 - AEK Larnaca 0-0
AEK Larnaca will participate in the last 16 of a UEFA competition for the very first time, after grinding out a goalless draw with SK Dnipro-1 in Kosice, proceeding 1-0 on aggregate to the next round of the Conference League.
Trailing from the first leg in Cyprus a week ago, Dnipro-1 began assertively, as Oleksandr Pikhalyonok’s ambitious long-range strike forced visiting goalkeeper Kenan Piric into making an early save.
After suffering their first league defeat in 15 matches following their weekend loss at the hands of AEL Limassol, Larnaca were not without their opportunities in front of goal either, with an end-to-end opening quarter-hour seeing Marin Jakolis fire straight at Max Walef.
The hosts were again reliant on Walef to keep the scoreline to a level playing field, as the Dnipro-1 stopper produced a smart save from Luis Gustavo Ledes’ strike.
With the first half on course to conclude without any further significant talking points, Jose Luis Oltra’s side were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty, after it seemed Pikhalyonok had controlled the ball with his hand in the area. However, referee Andris Treimanis nonchalantly waved the visitors’ appeals away before blowing up for halftime.
Participating in only their second competitive match since mid-November, Dnipro-1 were inches away from going ahead on the night, and levelling up the tie on aggregate, as Piric sensationally turned Internacional loanee Joao Peglow’s ambitious long-range effort onto the paintwork of the left-hand post.
On the back of only two defeats across their previous seven expeditions across the shores of European football, Larnaca seemed happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. That approach paid off, with no other scares en route to a historic night in eastern Slovakia.
The victory maintained Larnaca's unblemished historical H2H record over Dnipro-1, and Oltra's side will find out who they are to face in the next stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League tomorrow afternoon.
Meanwhile, Dnipro-1 will turn their attention to attempting to lift their first-ever Ukrainian Premier League title after failing to qualify for a first-ever appearance in the last 16 of a European competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kenan Piric (AEK Larnaca)
Partizan - Sheriff Tiraspol 1-3
Sheriff Tiraspol came from behind to beat Partizan Belgrade 3-1 in the second leg of their play-off tie. The 3-2 aggregate scoreline ensures Sheriff progress from a European knockout tie for the first time in their history.
Partizan returned from Moldova last week with a narrow lead after winning the first leg 1-0 despite playing 40 minutes with 10 men. Ricardo Gomes proved to be the match-winner in that clash and seemed destined to open the scoring here when he rounded Maksym Koval, but his goalbound effort was superbly cleared off the line by Sinisa Sanicanin’s last-ditch block.
The hosts continued to surge forward, and their early pressure paid dividends in the 13th minute, as Gomes laid the ball into the path of Queensy Menig, who fired home his first UECL goal.
The tie appeared to be quickly slipping from Sheriff’s grasp, but they were presented with a lifeline in the 20th minute when Sanicanin was penalised for a clumsy handball in the box. From the subsequent spot-kick, Cedric Badolo kept his composure to send Aleksandar Popovic the wrong way to register his first goal of the season.
The visitors continued to grow in confidence as the half progressed, and they deservedly pulled themselves level in the tie in first-half stoppage time thanks to a sublime Mouhamed Diop strike from the edge of the box.
Within two minutes of the restart, the Moldovan champions completed the sensational turnaround. Diop won possession high up the pitch before finding the net for a second time with a driven effort into the bottom corner.
The thrilling comeback left Partizan shellshocked, and as a result, they wasted valuable time as they attempted to regain their bearings. The hosts finally burst into life with just over 10 minutes remaining, when Samed Bazdar raced through on goal, but he was denied by Koval’s quick reactions.
Sheriff stood firm to see off Partizan’s late threat, securing just their second victory in their last 11 continental away games, including qualifiers. They can now look forward to Friday’s last-16 draw, while the Serbian outfit will instead have to focus solely on domestic matters.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mouhamed Diop (Sheriff Tiraspol)
Anderlecht - Ludogorets 2-1 (3-0 pen.)
Anderlecht progressed to the round of 16 with a dramatic 3-0 win on penalties over ten-man Ludogorets after a 2-2 aggregate score over the two legs. This is the first time that the Belgians have reached the last 16 of a continental competition in six years.
The visitors started confidently and peppered the ball around nicely in the opening exchanges, but were dealt an early blow when Aslak Fonn Witry was forced off injured and replaced by Pipa.
That disappointment was compounded when Islam Slimani’s strike took a hefty deflection off Franco Russo for an own goal from Francis Amuzu’s cross. The Argentine thought he had made amends after reacting quickest on the rebound when Bernard Tekpetey's initial strike hit the post but was denied by the assistant referee's flag.
Anderlecht then almost doubled their advantage thanks to some delightful link-up play involving Yari Verschaeren and Slimani, as the latter picked out Mario Stroeykens, who was denied from close range by Sergio Padt. Padt was doing his utmost to preserve parity in the contest and did brilliantly to parry away Anders Dreyer’s cross-shot as the first half came to a close.
Ante Simundza's side came out for the second half with renewed vigour, as early chances fell to Anton Nedyalkov and Pedro Naressi - the latter’s effort blocked by team-mate Igor Thiago. The Brazilian then flashed his angled strike wide, before Kiril Despodov hit the side-netting with a separate opportunity.
Ludogorets would rue those missed attempts after falling behind in the tie for the first time when Yari Verschaeren fired the ball home after Slimani intelligently chested Dreyer's long ball into his path.
That aggregate lead lasted barely three minutes though after the Bulgarians drew themselves level with Thiago’s fine first-time finish from Despodov’s sublime delivery. One goal either way would have been decisive, as Benito Raman came within inches of winning the tie when his fierce long-range strike took a deflection and cannoned off the crossbar.
Extra time beckoned and there was more drama after Jakub Piotrowski was shown a second yellow card for pulling down Lior Refaelov, as the visitors were reduced to ten men. Refaelov nearly made a telling impact after being denied a potentially decisive winning goal after his shot was cleared off the line by Naressi.
It came down to spot-kicks, and Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen provided the heroics for his side, saving all three penalties that he faced, whilst his teammates scored three out of three taken, with Verschaeren slotting in the decisive kick, to send the Belgians into the last-16 of the competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht)