Leandro Paredes' goal was not enough. © APA/afp / ANDER GILLENEA

Rome in contrast: Lazio celebrates, Roma fails

Things were a mess in the Europa League on Thursday: Lazio and Frankfurt celebrated their entry into the quarter-finals, while Roma were eliminated after a defeat against Bilbao.

March 13, 2025

From: tu/dpa

AS Roma suffered a 1-3 defeat (3-4 on aggregate) against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League and are thus eliminated. Mats Hummels's early dismissal in the 11th minute presented the Italians with an enormous challenge. Despite a combative performance, they held out for a long time, but Bilbao pressed relentlessly for the deciding goal. Nico Williams scored shortly before halftime and later added his second. Yuri Berchiche also scored, sealing the Roma's exit.

Roma tried to turn the result around, but the Basque dominance left them little room to develop. The Italians' few offensive moves were unsuccessful until Leandro Paredes at least scored a consolation goal from the penalty spot in injury time. But even that couldn't lessen the disappointment. Bilbao deservedly advanced to the quarterfinals and can continue to dream of a final in their own stadium.

Lazio celebrates reaching the quarterfinals. © APA/afp / ALBERTO PIZZOLI

Their city mates Lazio fared better. The Biancocelesti reached the quarterfinals with much effort, but deservedly so. Viktoria Plzen made it difficult for the Italians and took the lead early in the second half, raising hopes of extra time. Lazio appeared uncertain for a long time, but ultimately, their superior individual quality prevailed. Alessio Romagnoli scored the redeeming equalizer with around 15 minutes remaining, securing Lazio's progress thanks to their 2-1 first-leg win. In the next round, Marco Baroni's team will face Bodø/Glimt.

Frankfurt demolishes Ajax

Eintracht Frankfurt secured their place in the quarterfinals with a convincing 4-1 home win over Ajax Amsterdam. Following their 2-1 victory in the first leg, Dino Toppmöller's team left no room for doubt. Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Mario Götze secured a comfortable early lead, while Ajax struggled to gain control of the game. Frankfurt dominated proceedings, leaving the Dutch side little room to create chances.

Mario Götze scored a brace. © APA/afp / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Eintracht Frankfurt maintained their pressure even after the break. Hugo Ekitiké and Götze again increased the lead to 4-1, while Ajax only managed a goal through Kenneth Taylor. The Frankfurt fans celebrated the convincing performance, which raises high hopes for a successful European campaign. With this strong performance, Eintracht Frankfurt is one of the serious contenders for the title.

Fiorentina succeeds in catching up

Fiorentina secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Conference League with a convincing 3-1 win over Panathinaikos. Following a 2-3 defeat in the first leg, Raffaele Palladino's team delivered a dominant performance at their home stadium, the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Italians were already leading 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Rolando Mandragora and Albert Gudmundsson. Moise Kean sealed the tie in the second half with a goal to make it 3-0, before Ioannidis narrowed the gap for the Greeks with a penalty.

Europa League, round of 16

Athletic Bilbao – AS Roma 3-1
Goals: 1:0 Williams (45+3.), 2:0 Berchiche (68.), 3:0 Williams (82.), 3:1 Paredes (90+3.)
Final score: 4:3

Eintracht Frankfurt – Ajax Amsterdam 4:1
Goals: 1-0 Bahoya (25th), 2-0 Götze (25th), 3-0 Ekitike (67th), 3-1 Taylor (78th), 4-1 Götze (82nd)
Final score: 6:2

Lazio Rome – Viktoria Plzen 1:1
Goals: 0:1 Sulc (52nd), 1:1 Romagnoli (77th)
Final score: 3:2

Olympiacos Piraeus – FK Bodo/Glimt 2:1
Goals: 0:1 Hogh (36th), 1:1 Yaremchuk (1:1) 2:1 Yaremchuk (65th)
Final score: 2:4

Glasgow Rangers – Fenerbahce Istanbul 1-2
Goals: 0:1 Szymanski (45th), 0:2 Szymanski (73rd, decisive penalty Lawrence (Rangers)
Final score: 4:3

Manchester United – Real Sociedad 4-1
Goals: 0:1 Oyarzabal (10th), 1:1 Fernandes (16th), 2:1 Fernandes (50th), 3:1 Fernandes (87th), 4:1 Dalot (90+1st)
Final score: 5:2

Olympique Lyon – FSCB Bucharest 4-0
Goals: 1:0 Mikautadze (14th), 2:0 Mikautadze (37th), 3:0 Mikautadze (47th), 4:0 Nuamah (88th)
Final score: 7:1

Tottenham Hotspur – AZ Alkmaar 3:1
Goals: 1:0 Odobert (26th), 2:0 Maddison (48th), 2:1 koopmeiners (63rd), 3:1 Odobert (74th)
Final score: 3:2

Conference League, Round of 16

Cercle Brugge – Jagiellonio Bialystok 2-0
Goals: 1-0 van der Bruggen (8th), 2-0 Felipe Augusto (50th)
Final score: 2:3

Djugardens IF – Pafos 3:0
Goals: 1:0 Fallenius (35th), 2:0 Stensson (69th), 3:0 Nguen (86th)
Final score: 3:1

FC Lugano – NK Cleje 5:5
Goals: 1:0 Mahmoud (21st), 1:1 Seslar (40th), 2:1 Koutsias (42nd), 3:1 Dos Santos (44th), 3:2 Svetlin (68th), 4:2 Koutsias (80th), 4:3 Kucys (90+5th), 4:4 Nieto (97th), 5:4 Doumbia (118th), decisive Penalty Karnicnik (Celje)
Final score: 5:6

SK Rapid – Borac Banja Luca 2:1
Goals: 0:1 Ogrinec (66th), 1:1 Beljo (70th), 2:1 Schaub (96th)
Final score: 3:2

Fiorentina – Panathinaikos 3-1
Goals: 1:0 Mandragora (12th), 2:0 Gudmundsson (24th), 3:0 Kean (75th), 3:1 Ioannidis (81st)
Final score: 5:4

Chelsea 1-0 FC Copenhagen
Goals: 1-0 Dewsbury-Hall (55th)
Final score: 3:1

Legia Warsaw – Molde FK 2:0
Goals: 1:0 Morishita (34th), 2:0 Gual (108th)
Final score: 4:3

Vitoria Guimaraes – Betis Sevilla 0-4
Goals: 0:1 Bakambu (5th), 0:2 Bakumbu (20th), 0:3 Antony (58th), 0:4 Isco (80th)
Final score: 2:6