Athletic Bilbao triumphed over Roma with a 3-1 victory, leveraging a numerical advantage and two goals from Nico Williams to secure their spot in the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.
In the first leg of their round-of-16 matchup, Roma had claimed a narrow 2-1 win. However, their plans were disrupted early in the second leg when they went down to 10 men as Mats Hummels received a straight red card in the 11th minute for a foul on Maroan Sannadi.
Despite their weakened position, Roma managed to hold Bilbao at bay until the dying moments of the first half. It was then that the Williams brothers broke through the defenses: a deflected cross from Inaki found Nico at the far post, allowing him to strike the opening goal.
Yuri Berchiche extended the lead with a well-directed header for Bilbao’s second goal. Nico Williams then struck again, securing victory for the Spanish side. Although Leandro Paredes clawed one back for Roma in injury time, it was too little, too late.
Athletic Bilbao now looks ahead to their next challenge, as they are set to face either Rangers or Fenerbahce in the upcoming round.
Meanwhile, Lazio moved forward in the tournament thanks to a crucial header from Alessio Romagnoli in the 77th minute, which ensured a 1-1 draw at home against Viktoria Plzen. Lazio advanced on the back of their 2-1 first-leg win after Pavel Šulc initially put Plzen ahead in the second half.
Eintracht Frankfurt secured their quarterfinal berth by overpowering Ajax with a 4-1 home win, achieving a total aggregate score of 6-2. Mario Götze was instrumental in the victory with two goals and will now lead Frankfurt to face either Tottenham or AZ Alkmaar.
Lastly, Bodø/Glimt advanced in the competition despite a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos, benefiting from their 3-0 win in the first leg, which secured a 4-2 aggregate triumph.
