EL round of 16

Bitter! Danso loses with Tottenham at Alkmaar

Kevin Danso(Bild: AFP)

The first leg of the Europa League round of 16 did not bring a sense of achievement for Austrian international Kevin Danso: The Austrian left the pitch with Tottenham Hotspur as a 1-0 loser at AZ Alkmaar! Nevertheless, the "Spurs" should still have a chance of promotion in the second leg in London in a week's time ...

Manchester United, humiliated in the Premier League, are also struggling on the second level of the international stage. On Thursday, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in the first leg of their round of 16 tie and go into Sunday's PL clash with Arsenal without a win.

In the Europa League, meanwhile, Cypriot club Paphos are the first contenders for a quarter-final clash with SK Rapid after beating Djurgarden 1-0.

United, who had the best chance at the end of an uneventful first half, stepped up their game after the restart and deservedly went 1-0 up thanks to Joshua Zirkzee (58'). 

(Bild: AFP/ANDER GILLENEA)

However, an unfortunate handball by captain Bruno Fernandes led to a penalty and the equalizer by Mikel Oyarzabal (70'). The Basques were a little closer to victory in the final stages, but Orri Oskarsson missed the match ball from a few meters out (84').

Lyon clear favorites to reach the quarter-finals

Glasgow Rangers created an excellent starting position for the second leg on March 12 in the Europa League with a 3:1 win at Fenerbahce Istanbul. Olympique Lyon are also clear favorites to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a 2:1 win at FCSB Bucharest, as are Bodö/Glimt, who sent Olympiakos Piraeus home with a 3:0 victory.

Eintracht Frankfurt also gained an advantage at Ajax Amsterdam. After falling behind early on through Brian Brobbey (10'), the team turned the game around thanks to Hugo Larsson (28') and Ellyes Skhiri (70').