Athletic knock out 10-man Roma to reach Europa League quarters
Athletic Club vs Roma
Nico Williams emerged as the standout star as Athletic Club punched their ticket to the Europa League quarter-finals with a hard-fought 3-1 second-leg triumph over a beleaguered AS Roma side, who were reduced to 10 men early in the contest, while Lazio secured their own progression with a tense 1-1 draw against Viktoria Plzen at home. The night had brimmed with drama across multiple fixtures, showcasing the intensity and unpredictability of European football, and Athletic Club’s clash with Roma had been no exception. Roma had arrived in Bilbao clutching a slender 2-1 advantage from the first leg, a lead that hinted at a tight affair, but their hopes unraveled swiftly when Mats Hummels, the veteran defender, received a straight red card in the 11th minute. His clumsy interception of a sloppy pass had allowed Maroan Sannadi to pounce, and Hummels’ desperate lunge to halt the forward’s charge left the referee with little choice but to send him off. The dismissal tilted the balance decisively in Athletic’s favor, and though Roma clung to their aggregate lead for much of the first half, Williams ensured parity just before the break. In added time, he unleashed a shot that took a wicked deflection off Roma’s Angelino, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and nestling into the net to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate. The goal sparked jubilant scenes among the home supporters, who sensed a shift in momentum, and Athletic Club carried that energy into the second half. With 22 minutes remaining, Yuri Berchiche rose highest to meet a corner, powering a header past Roma’s defense to nudge Bilbao ahead for the first time in the tie. Williams then sealed the deal with a second strike, a clinical finish that seemed to put the result beyond doubt, though a late penalty from Leandro Paredes in added time injected a dose of anxiety into the closing moments. Nevertheless, Athletic held firm, celebrating a 4-3 aggregate victory that sent them marching into the quarter-finals, where they would face either Rangers or Fenerbahce, with the tantalizing prospect of a final on home soil in Bilbao looming large.
Williams, reflecting on the triumph, captured the essence of the night and the club’s ethos in his post-match comments. “I’m really looking forward to being in that final,” he declared, his eyes already fixed on the ultimate prize. “To be Athletic is to suffer, and we also had to have that little bit of suffering at the end. We did an incredible job and we deserved to go through.” His words resonated deeply with the Bilbao faithful, who had endured a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the match. The early blow of Hummels’ red card had handed them an advantage, but Roma’s resilience had kept the tie in the balance until Williams’ first goal shifted the narrative. The deflection off Angelino had been a stroke of fortune, but it was a reward for Athletic’s relentless pressure, their ability to capitalize on numerical superiority a testament to their tactical discipline and attacking verve. Berchiche’s header had built on that foundation, a set-piece execution that underscored the team’s physicality and precision, while Williams’ second goal had been the exclamation point on a performance that blended individual brilliance with collective resolve. Paredes’ late penalty had threatened to unravel their hard work, forcing Athletic to dig deep in the final seconds, but their resolve held, and the victory was a fitting reward for a night of toil and triumph. The prospect of facing Rangers or Fenerbahce next offered a fresh challenge, but for Williams and his teammates, the dream of lifting the trophy in Bilbao fueled their ambition, a narrative that added an extra layer of significance to their European journey.
Elsewhere, Lazio navigated their own path to the quarter-finals, overcoming a spirited Viktoria Plzen side with a 1-1 draw that secured a 3-2 aggregate success. Having claimed a 2-1 win in the first leg, Lazio entered the Stadio Olimpico clash with cautious optimism, but Plzen stunned the home crowd early in the second half when Pavel Sulc latched onto a clever layoff from Rafiu Durosinmi and rifled a shot past the goalkeeper to level the tie on aggregate. The goal silenced the Italian supporters momentarily, raising the specter of extra time or worse, but Lazio responded with the composure of a seasoned European outfit. Thirteen minutes from the end, Alessio Romagnoli emerged as the hero, towering above the Plzen defense to head home a corner and restore Lazio’s lead in the tie. The strike was a masterclass in set-piece execution, a moment of calm amid the storm that ensured Lazio’s progression without the need for additional minutes. Their reward was a quarter-final matchup with Bodo/Glimt, the Norwegian side who had continued their remarkable European odyssey despite a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos. Bodo had arrived in Greece with a commanding three-goal cushion from the first leg, a lead bolstered further when Kasper Hoegh, who had scored twice in the initial encounter, struck again from close range. Olympiacos rallied valiantly, with Roman Yaremchuk netting twice to claw back some pride, but a missed penalty and the late sending-off of goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis left them with 10 men and no way back, as Bodo advanced 4-2 on aggregate. Lazio would need to be wary of the Norwegians’ tenacity, but Romagnoli’s timely intervention had kept their own European dream alive, setting the stage for another compelling showdown.
Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, had little trouble dispatching Ajax Amsterdam, wrapping up a 4-1 second-leg win that cemented a 6-2 aggregate rout and a quarter-final clash with either Tottenham Hotspur or AZ Alkmaar. Holding a 2-1 edge from the first leg, Frankfurt wasted no time asserting their dominance, racing into a two-goal lead within 25 minutes. Jean Bahoya opened the scoring with a poacher’s finish from close range, capitalizing on a defensive lapse, before Mario Gotze doubled the advantage with a similarly predatory effort. The German side’s attacking fluency overwhelmed Ajax, and Hugo Ekitike put the tie out of reach with a stunning solo goal, weaving through the Dutch defense before slotting home with aplomb. Kenneth Taylor’s consolation strike offered Ajax a fleeting moment of respite, but Gotze struck again late on, his second of the night sealing Frankfurt’s emphatic progression. The victory was a statement of intent from a team brimming with confidence, their clinical finishing and relentless pressure dismantling a storied Ajax side that had struggled to find its footing. The prospect of facing Tottenham or AZ next promised another stern test, but Frankfurt’s display suggested they were more than capable of rising to the occasion, their blend of youth and experience propelling them deeper into the competition. Across the night, the Europa League had delivered a feast of footballing drama, with Athletic Club, Lazio, Bodo/Glimt, and Frankfurt all advancing through a mix of grit, skill, and moments of magic, each step bringing them closer to the Bilbao final that Williams and his peers so fervently dreamed of contesting.
