Atalanta did good business on Thursday evening in the play-offs of the Europa League. In-house, the team of trainer Gian Piero Gasperini was 2-1 too strong for Olympiacos. At the same time, Sevilla was a size too big for Dinamo Zagreb (3-1) and RB Leipzig and Real Sociedad put on a spectacle in Germany: 2-2.
Atalanta – Olympiacos 2-1
Marten de Roon was the only Dutchman to receive a basic place la Dea† Teun Koopmeiners only came in for Matteo Pessina in the second half, while Hans Hateboer was only allowed to come in in the final phase. Although the first chances of the game were for Atalanta, Olympiacos took the lead after fifteen minutes. It was Tiquinho Soares who scored on a pass from Georgios Masouras: 0-1. The Italians increased the pressure on the enemy goal after the break and the attacking spirit resulted in hits in the 61st minute and 63rd minute of play. Berat Djimsiti nodded diagonally in the 1-1 after a refined corner by Koopmeiners. The centre-back also gave Atalanta the lead. Once again, a corner from Koopmeiners preceded the goal, although Djimsiti got the ball this time with some fortune. From close range, he convincingly scored the 2-1.
Seville – Dinamo Zagreb 3-1
The supporters in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán were spoiled especially in the first half by the home team, who opened the score after fifteen minutes. Papu Gómez skilfully knocked the ball over goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic in a rebound, who then floored the Argentinian. A penalty followed and Anthony Martial was able to make his first for Sevilla, where Karim Rekik started in the starting line-up. He had to retire early due to an injury.
Four minutes before the break, Zagreb came back thanks to Mislav Orsic, who skilfully controlled a high cross on the chest and hit the short corner: 1-1. The Croats must have hoped to settle with that score, but Sevilla thought otherwise. It was 3-1 with two goals in the last two minutes of the first half. First Lucas Ocampos made a great hit after a dropped cross, then Martial was able to easily push in from close range after a lightning-fast counter. After the break, Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou won with a miraculous double save.
FC Porto – Lazio 2-1
The Italians had to lose for almost the entire game, although the score was opened in the 23rd minute. Mattia Zaccagni received a ball from Luis Alberto in complete freedom and convincingly scored: 0-1. Ten minutes before the halftime signal, Porto equalized. Toni Martínez cashed in on João Mario’s measured cross with a nice header: 1-1. Four minutes after the break, the duo was again deadly effective. This time, Martínez shot in on a pass from João Mario. In the remainder of the game, which was led by referee Serdar Gözübüyük, Porto came closest to scoring another goal. However, the score on the scoreboard did not change.
RB Leipzig – Real Sociedad 2-2
The scoreboard started moving in the eighth minute of play, when Robin Le Normand made the 0-1 from a Diego Rico cross. It was the first official goal since February 2019 for the Real Sociedad centre-back. After half an hour of play, RB Leipzig equalized. Angeliño took care of the preparatory work, while Christopher Nkunku finished in a cool way. The Spaniards regained the lead in the second half. Thanks to the video images, referee Cüneyt Çakir saw Josko Gvardiol making hands in his own sixteen. It delivered la Real a penalty that was used by Mikel Oyarzabal: 1-2. Leipzig also received a penalty, which was awarded after a foul by Joseba Zaldua. Emil Forsberg put the 2-2 final score on the scoreboard from eleven meters.