Athletic Bilbao 1 Sevilla 2
Substitute Vicente Iborra struck seven minutes from time to keep Sevilla on course for a third straight UEFA Europa League title after a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.
The visitors fell behind to an Aritz Aduriz opener but a quick equaliser from Timothee Kolodziejczak then Iborra’s late winner gave Unai Emery’s men the advantage heading into their quarter-final second leg next week.
The two sides headed into the game locked together on 48 points in the Spanish Primera Division but with four Europa League wins already behind them it was Sevilla who possessed the pedigree.
Villarreal 2 Sparta Prague 1
The in-form Cedric Bakambu scored twice as Villarreal took a 2-1 first-leg lead in their Europa League quarter-final against Sparta Prague.
The DR Congo forward’s farcical third-minute opener was cancelled out in first-half stoppage time by Jakub Brabec to leave the scores level at the break.
But he struck again just after the hour — his seventh goal in six games — to give his side a slender advantage to take to the Czech capital next week.
Braga 1 Shaktar Donetsk 2
Shakhtar Donetsk soaked up pressure from Braga and then scored in either half to take a 2-1 away win in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Braga had the best of the first period, but Shakhtar went ahead against the run of play just before half-time through Yaroslav Rakitskiy, who was an injury doubt before the match.
The second period at the Estadio Municipal de Braga proved more equal in terms of chances, and the visitors again took one of theirs, this time through Facundo Ferreyra.
Although substitute Wilson Eduardo pulled a goal back late on, Braga will have their work cut out to turn the tie around in next Thursday’s second leg in Ukraine.
