The first leg of the round of 16 of the Conference League has not left anyone indifferentalthough everything has been much more even than one would expectSpecially in Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, the great favorite to win the competitionwho could not get past the draw against the irregular Ajax, while José Luis Mendilibar and his Olympiakos have been beaten at homewhile the other great favorite, Fiorentina has worked hard to beat Maccabi Haifa. Dinamo Zagreb, Betis’ executioner, remains relentless and has destroyed Paok, among other interesting matches.
Ajax 0-0 Aston Villa
Ajax and Aston Villa reached a goalless draw in Amsterdam in a match with few chances, but in which the locals dominated. Unai Emery has to thank ‘Dibu’ Martínez for the fact that the tie arrives open to Birmingham. The Dutch, without options in the Eredivisie, have their great option to save the year in the tournament, but They have been given one of the great favorites. The Hondarribia coach raised a conservative meeting to reach the return match with options to finish the job, and it turned out well for him, since he only conceded two chances, one from Broobey who went wide and another from Taylor who stopped the Argentine goalkeeper with great confidence. Only in these moments could the marker be altered. a duel that heated up at the end with the expulsions of Konsa and Gooijerwho will not be able to play the decisive return match at Villa Park.
Olympiakos 1-4 Maccabi Tel Aviv
A double from veteran Eran Zahavi put Maccabi Tel Aviv very close to the quarterfinals after beating Olympiacos in Piraeus, who conceded his first defeat since Jose Luis Mendilibar He became his coach. There were six consecutive victories under the Basque’s orders. The Athenians were favorites, but after nine minutes they already had two goals against. Zahavi opened the scoring in the fourth and Ido Shahar made the second five later. Kaabi, with a header, closed the gap after a quarter of an hour, but after half an hour, Zahavi pushed a Wilson cross into the net to return the double Israeli advantage to the scoreboard. It was the seventh goal for Zahavi, who is the competition’s top scorer. In the 74th minute, Dor Pertez scored the fourth and sealed the the visiting victory that put them on track for their place in the quarterfinals, which they still have to certify in the return leg, next Thursday in their stadium.
Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 Paok Thessaloniki
After passing Betis, Dinamo Zagreb took the first step towards the quarterfinals after beat PAOK Thessaloniki 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16. The victory was largely the fault of striker Bruno Petkovic, who confirmed the love affair he maintains with the third continental competition by scoring his seventh goal in this edition, scoring a double that puts him level with Zahavi in the table of top scorers. The captain Dinamo did not waste an error in the 37th minute by Spaniard Jonny, who arrived at the Greek team from Wolverhampton in the last winter transfer window, to stand completely alone against the visiting goalkeeper. In the 71st minute he put the second and final pass through Baturina, to bring their people closer to quarters, although first they will have to go through the Greek hello.
Maccabi Haifa 3-4 Fiorentina
A goal in the 95th minute by Antonin Barak prevented the surprise and allowed Fiorentina, current runners-up, to get closer to the quarter-finals after winning 3-4 against a Maccabi Haifa that had no use in getting ahead on two occasions in marker. Nothing predicted the drama that the violets were going to experience when in the first minutes the Angolan M’Bala Nzola headed a cross from the right by the young full-back Michael Kayode into the net. A goal that did not sink the Israelis who ten minutes later equalized the contest with a goal from center back Abdoulaye Seck who did not waste a loose ball in the area after a corner kick. The tie spurred Maccabi Haifa, who turned the score around in the twenty-ninth minute with a goal from Gadi Kinda. A surprise that Lucas Beltrán seemed to dissipate in the 58th minute, but he did not hesitate long, since Maccabi scored the third after a great individual action by Anan Khalaili who, after leaving with a sensational maneuver, beat the rival goalkeeper with a powerful and precise cross shot. .A joy that barely lasted six minutes for the Israeli team who saw how in the 73rd minute Mandragora did not waste another chance and established the 3-3 that opened the doors to the victory of a Fiorentina, who did not waste the numerical superiority they had in the last ten minutes, to take the definitive victory (3-4) with a final goal from the Czech Barak in stoppage time.
Union St.Gilloise 0-3 Fenerbahce
Michy Batshuayi, Jayden Oosterwolde and Dusan Tadic gave the Turks victory at Lotto Park in Brussels against a Union St. Gilloise that was greatly outclassed at all times. The game was already unbalanced after twenty minutes when Batshuayi took advantage of a bad clearance by a local defender to score the first with a great shot, which caused his team to play very comfortably throughout the match, although it was not until the 84th minute when the victory was secured. with Oosterwolde’s goal and in added time, Dusan Tadic converted a penalty that left the face-to-face almost settled. Now, Fenerbahce will host St. Gilloise next Thursday to close the tie and seal their place in the quarterfinals.
Servette 0-0 Viktoria Plzen
Servette and Viktoria Plzen drew goalless at the Geneva stadium and left pending the second leg, which will take place in the hot Doosan Arena, the outcome of the tie and which will decide who goes to the quarterfinals. In a flat duel, without surprises or risks, the Swiss team was unable to take advantage of its home status to go into the second leg with an advantage. There were almost no scoring chances and neither the local goalkeeper Jeremy Frick nor the Czech Martin Jedlicka were subjected too much. The confrontation will be resolved next Thursday, where those from Plzen will seek to become stronger at home.
Mold 2-1 Witches
Molde won 2-1 against Bruges thanks to a goal from Gulbrandsen in the 92nd minute, and put the tie on track for the second leg that will take place in Belgium. The Norwegians were better for much of the ninety minutes, but it was not until the brink of half-time when Stenevik put them ahead, although they were saved before thanks to the VAR, since Skoras’ goal was disallowed for offside. In the second half Maxim De Cuyper equalized from the penalty spot, but When the match was dying and everything seemed destined to be decided in the second leg, Gulbrandsen appeared to give Molde the victory, which will have a minimal advantage going into the second leg..
Sturm Graz 0-3 Lille
UA double by Canadian Jonathan David brings Lille closer to the quarterfinals after easily beating Sturm Graz in their stadium. The French team gave no option to the Austrians, who could not face the North American, who opened the scoring after thirty minutes and scored the second at the beginning of the second half, putting the team back on track. a tie that was even more finished by Kosovar Edon Zhegrova, who with a brutal long left foot left everything ready for sentencing for next Thursday in Lille.