Facing the Old Lady, Olympique Lyonnais aimed for a draw at Gerlan, which wouldn’t have been a bad result. However, they succumbed to Italian pressure, conceding a goal following a corner in the 85th minute, with Bonucci sealing the victory for Juventus. The final score was 0-1, putting Juventus in a favorable position with an away goal.
Similarly, the two Portuguese teams in the competition, FC Porto and Benfica, secured victories against FC Sevilla and AZ Alkmaar, respectively, with both matches ending in a 1-0 scoreline. Porto’s winning goal came from the Franco-Congolese Eliaquim Mangala.
Meanwhile, Swiss club FC Basel stunned FC Valencia with a commanding 3-0 victory at home, leaving little chance for Seydou Keita and his team to qualify for the last four without a miracle.
The return matches are scheduled for next Thursday.
Tags: AZ Alkmaar, Benfica, Eliaquim Mangala, FC Basel, FC Sevilla, FC Porto, football, France, Italy, Juventus, Europa League, Lyon, Netherlands, DRC, Seydou Keita, Switzerland, UEFA, Valencia
