What a thrilling night of Europa League action.
We can now look ahead to the last 16 and there’s plenty to excite if the last 32 is anything to go by.
For example, who’d have thought Rangers would have put six goals past Borussia Dortmund, even with them missing their talisman Erling Braut Haaland for both legs?
Or that their German counterparts RB Leipzig would go to Real Sociedad and score three?
That Porto would hold on against Lazio?
Of course, what perhaps didn’t surprise anyone was that Napoli and Barcelona would provide plenty of Europa League highlights in Naples.
Euro clubs snub UEFA to send out wider warning
On the night players of both sides took time to pause from the football and join forces to snub UEFA warnings and bans on political messages, the ‘STOP WAR’ banner they endorsed before kick-off rang out around Europe.
The second leg of this tie, played at the stadium named after a famous son of both clubs, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, was officiated by a Russian referee.
When the match did begin, it was all to play for with the SBOTOP Europa League betting odds finely balanced after the first leg ended 1-1 when Ferran Torres cancelled out a Piotr Zielinski opener.
Described as Barca’s best buy during a busy transfer window in January, Torres played the key role in the second leg too.
After Jordi Alba had given Barca an early lead, Torres passed to Frenkie de Jong who curled a stunning shot into the top corner from 25 yards.
In what is probably his final European game, Lorenzo Insigne reduced the arrears from the penalty spot but, when Torres fed Alba, the Spaniard’s cross was deflected to Gerard Pique who flicked the ball up and rifled a half-volley into the bottom corner to restore their two-goal advantage.
The tie was over before the hour mark when another new signing, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, applied a first-time finish.
It was set up by Adama Traore who, along with Torres and Aubameyang, have revitalised Barca since their moves from the Premier League last month.
Matteo Politano pulled one back for the home side with three minutes remaining but it didn’t alter the narrative that Barcelona were cruising.
Perhaps 2022 can be a fruitful year for the Catalonians after all.
A captain’s role has Ibrox rocking
The question of whether Rangers could hold off the yellow tide, sans Haaland, was the key poser at Ibrox.
It looked to be a straightforward evening for the Scottish champions when Ryan Kent was clipped on the edge of the box and, just as he did in Germany last week, Rangers captain James Tavernier stepped up and extended their aggregate advantage to 5-2 from the penalty spot.
Yet the Germans were soon ahead on the night as teenager Jude Bellingham showed good composure to equalise before Donyell Malen flicked the ball home from close range after a neat touch from Bellingham.
Suddenly, the advantage for the hosts only stood at one goal against a side packed with European experience.
At this point I thought Dortmund would turn it around, but the captain led by example when they needed him most as Tavernier smashed home following a defensive mistake.
That was the moment Rangers needed and the energy and passion was with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men as they despatched one of the competition favourites.
Sevilla still dream of home final
2020 Europa League winners Sevilla are also in the hat for the draw but only after being given a scare by Dinamo Zagreb.
Their first leg efforts ultimately proved to be enough to see them through after a disappointing second leg where a 65th minute penalty from Mislav Orsic created a nervy finale in Croatia.
However, the Andalusians did manage to see out the aggregate win, despite Thomas Delaney’s red card in stoppage time.
What’s more, Julen Lopetegui’s men remain on course for a home final, with this year’s Europa League showpiece taking place at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan at the end of May.
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