AC Milan beat a spirited Rennes 5-3 despite losing 3-2 in Thursday’s play-off round second leg to reach the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will be joined by fellow former European champions Benfica and Marseille . Benjamin Bourigeud scored a hat-trick for Rennes, including a pair of penalties, but goals from Luka Jovic and Rafael Leao ensured Milan were in no real danger of taking a 3–0 lead from the first leg. Was. Benfica also overcame French rivals as a 0-0 draw with Toulouse was enough to defeat the Portuguese side after a 2-1 win in the first leg in Lisbon last week.

Lens, who lost in the Champions League knockout play-off round, became the third French club to be eliminated after Freiburg came from two goals down to win 3–2 after extra time.

David Pereira da Costa and Eli Wahi put Lens in control of the tie after a goalless opening leg, but Roland Salai struck twice for Germany to force extra time.

Michael Gregoritsch got the 99th-minute winner for Freiburg.

Marseille kept French interest alive in the competition as they came from behind to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5–3 on aggregate after a 3–1 win at the Velodrome.

Georgi Sudakov scored an early penalty for Marseille, before the hosts responded with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s record-setting 31st Europa League goal.

Ismaila Sarr put Marseille ahead on 74 minutes and Geoffrey Kondogbia added a late third in Jean-Louis Gasset’s debut as coach following the departure of Gennaro Gattuso.

Last season’s runners-up Roma beat Feyenoord 4-2 on penalties in the Italian capital after a 1-1 draw in both legs.

thriller in azerbaijan

Qarabag, who lost 4-2 to Braga last week, blew a two-goal lead after being reduced to 10 players as their Portuguese opponents dragged the tie to extra time in Baku.

The Azerbaijani team went ahead through Matheus Silva but looked certain to be awarded a penalty when Simon Banza’s penalty made it 3–1 to Braga on the night.

Nariman Akhundzade, however, scored a goal in the 122nd minute to send Qarabag to the next round.

Sporting progressed 4–2 on aggregate despite a 1–1 draw at home to Swiss champions Young Boys.

Sparta Prague overturned a 3–2 defeat in the first leg by scoring three times after Galatasaray’s Kan Ayhan received red and won the return match 4–1 at home.

Ajax defeated Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt after extra time to reach the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.

After a 2–2 draw in Amsterdam, the Dutch giants went ahead when Steven Berghuis scored in the first half of the second leg.

But he had centre-back Josip Sutalo sent off early in the second half and Patrick Berg’s equalizing goal took it into extra time, with Kenneth Taylor’s 114th-minute effort making it 4–3 on aggregate to Ajax.

Dinamo Zagreb beat Real Betis 2-1 on aggregate and Belgium’s Union Saint-Gillois beat 2022 Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 over two legs.

Olympiacos also advanced along with Swiss side Servette, Norwegian Molde and Austria’s Sturm Graz.

Maccabi Haifa was the first team to beat Gent 2-1 on aggregate, with the second leg in Belgium on Wednesday played behind closed doors due to fears of riots linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

The draw for the last 16 of both competitions will be made on Friday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

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