Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, and Bodo/Glimt all secured their places in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, Afrosport reports.
Bilbao defeated 10-man Roma 3-1 at the San Mames thanks to a brace from Nico Williams either side of a Yuri Berchiche strike, while a stoppage time penalty from Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes ended up being a consolation for the visitors.
Experienced German defender Mats Hummels got his marching orders in the 11th minute, but it took Bilbao 37 minutes to break the deadlock as Williams’ deflected effort from close range found its way into the net.
Berchiche doubled the hosts lead with a thumping header from a corner kick, while Williams made it three in the 82nd minute with a brilliant chip over Mile Svilar.
Paredes converted his spot kick after Stephan El Shaarawy was brought down in the box, but Bilbao held on for the win to progress 5-4 on aggregate.
Athletic Club complete the second-leg comeback 🔴⚪️#UEL pic.twitter.com/lEm4eZYoWx
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 13, 2025
Elsewhere, Frankfurt overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit, beating Ajax 4-1 to record a 6-2 aggregate victory.
A brace from Mario Götze and one apiece from Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Hugo Ekitike was enough for the Germans despite Kenneth Taylor’s 78th-minute goal for Ajax.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw by Viktoria Plzen, with Alessio Romagnoli cancelling out Pavel Sulc’s opener for the visitors. Marco Baroni’s men went through to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, 10-man Olympiacos recorded a 2-1 home win against Bodo/Glimt with a brace from Ukrainian forward Roman Yaremchuk.
The Greek side, however, failed to progress to the last eight with Bodo/Glimt going through 4-2 on aggregate thanks to a dominant performance in Norway in the first leg.
Athletic Club, Frankfurt, Lazio and Bodø/Glimt progress ✅#UEL pic.twitter.com/I5XhM3ahp1
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 13, 2025
