In a night filled with surprises in the Europa League quarter-finals, Liverpool and AC Milan faced unexpected defeats at home, throwing open the competition as teams prepare for the decisive second legs next week.
Atalanta delivered a remarkable performance to defeat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, with Gianluca Scamacca leading the charge with a brilliant double. The Italian striker opened the scoring in the 38th minute, exploiting a gap in Liverpool’s defense to connect with Davide Zappacosta’s precise pass and slotting the ball past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Scamacca’s second goal came in the 60th minute, capitalizing on more slack defending from Liverpool. Charles De Ketelaere whipped in a cross that found Scamacca perfectly positioned to fire home and double Atalanta’s lead. The scoring was completed by Mario Pasalic in the 83rd minute, who made no mistake from close range to seal a memorable victory for the visitors.
Meanwhile, in Milan, AC Milan were edged out by a resilient AS Roma, with a single goal by Gianluca Mancini making the difference. Mancini’s header from a Paulo Dybala corner in the 17th minute was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Roma, stunning the San Siro crowd and placing Milan in a precarious position for the return leg.
In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen took a late victory over West Ham United with a 2-0 scoreline. The game remained deadlocked thanks to a series of impressive saves from West Ham’s goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. However, substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface broke through late in the game, scoring in the 83rd minute and during stoppage time respectively, to give Leverkusen a comfortable lead going into the second leg in London.
Benfica also claimed a win, defeating Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in Lisbon. Rafa Silva and Angel Di Maria provided the goals for the Portuguese champions, putting them in a strong position to progress to the semi-finals despite Marseille’s late push to narrow the deficit.
The second legs of these thrilling quarter-final matches are set for next Thursday, where Liverpool and AC Milan will look to overcome their deficits away from home. Atalanta and Roma, on the other hand, will aim to capitalize on their first-leg advantages and secure their places in the semi-finals.
