MILAN: AC Milan cruised past 10-man Slavia Prague 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League on Thursday.
Milan advanced 7-3 on aggregate after winning the first leg of the last 16 tie 4-2 at San Siro a week ago.
The seven-time European champion have never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.
The competition gives the Italian powerhouse their only realistic chance to win a trophy this season after they were eliminated from the Italian Cup and currently trails Serie A leader Inter Milan by 16 points.
Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leão put the result in the second leg beyond doubt with first-half goals in Prague.
Pulisic netted from 10 meters with a low shot to open the scoring in the 33rd minute and Loftus-Cheek tapped in the second into an empty net off a precise cross from Theo Hernández before Leão curled a right-footed drive from outside the area into the top right corner in first-half stoppage time.
Slavia got a consolation goal from substitute Matěj Jurásek.
Pulisic now has 11 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions in the US international’s first campaign with the Rossoneri to match his most productive season — the 2019-20 campaign at Chelsea.
Slavia’s early pressure lost steam after captain Tomáš Holeš received a straight red card in the 20th minute for fouling his counterpart Davide Calabria.
Milan first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan was injured early and was replaced by Marco Sportiello.
West Ham made the last eight by routing Freiburg 5-0 at London Stadium.
The Hammers reversed the first leg 1-0 defeat with the first-half goals from Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen.
Paquetá netted from close range after Tomáš Souček headed to him from a corner less than 10 minutes into the game. Bowen doubled the advantage in the 32nd.
Aaron Cresswell made it 3-0 early in the second half before Mohammed Kudus completed the rout with two late goals.
West Ham, last year’s Europa Conference League champion, have won 11 straight home games in European competitions in the last two seasons.
Marseille nearly blew a 4-0 lead from the first leg against Villarreal, which scored three goals Thursday before Jonathan Clauss netted in stoppage-time for the French visitors to seal a 5-3 aggregate victory despite a 3-1 loss on the evening.
Étienne Capoue, Alexander Sørloth and Yerson Mosquera scored to hand Marseille their first defeat since coach Jean-Louis Gasset took charge after five wins.
Benfica advanced after a 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox Stadium in Glagow. Rafa Silva scored in the 66th minute and the Lisbon team held on after the sides drew 2-2 last week.
The quarterfinals draw is scheduled for Friday.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
In the third-tier competition, Maccabi Haifa held Fiorentina 1-1 but the Italian team — last year’s runner-up — advanced to the quarterfinals on a 5-4 aggregate score.
Viktoria Plzeň prevailed 3-1 on penalties over Servette after they played both legs and extra time without scoring a goal.
Greece’s PAOK recovered from a 2-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in the opening leg with a 5-1 home win to earn a place in the last eight.
Fenerbahce advanced despite a 1-0 home loss to Union Saint-Gilloise after taking 3-0 the first leg.
AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals
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AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals
- The seven-time European champion have never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup
- West Ham made the last eight by routing Freiburg 5-0 at London Stadium
Estudiantes beat Racing on penalties to claim Argentine Clausura title
- Estudiantes de la Platas will face Apertura champions Platense in Champions Trophy
- Estudiantes had a difficult buildup to the final, with their president Juan Sebastian Veron and the team’s starting lineup being handed suspensions by Argentina’s FA last month
SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO: Estudiantes de La Plata goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s heroics inspired his side to a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Racing Club in the Argentine Torneo Clausura final at the Estadio Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.
The win sealed a first title for Estudiantes since they won the 2010 Apertura and will see them face this year’s Apertura champions Platense in next weekend’s Champions Trophy.
“This team is incredible,” Uruguayan Muslera said.
“I have no words to describe the emotion and joy I feel now for having contributed to getting here when at one point we weren’t close.”
Tempers flare
Tempers flared in the second half after Racing’s Adrian Martinez committed a heavy foul on Santiago Nunez, sparking protests from the Estudiantes players and calls for a red card.
However, he escaped with a yellow card, a decision met with jeers from sections of the crowd.
The 57th minute brought some nervous moments for Racing as goalkeeper Facundo Cambeses collided with Guido Carrillo during a corner and required medical treatment twice before being declared fit to continue.
The breakthrough came 10 minutes from time when a miscommunication in Estudiantes’ defense allowed Martinez to pounce, drilling the ball past Muslera to spark wild celebrations among the Racing supporters.
Estudiantes fought back in added time, with Carrillo directing a header on target following a set piece to level the match and send the encounter to extra time.
“It’s an inexplicable emotion. This is the reward for supporting a club that always bounces back, even when it seems to be down and out,” said Carrillo, who missed a string of key games for Estudiantes due to a four-match suspension for a dangerous challenge.
“It was unjustified that ban. The last few weeks have been very difficult, but this group secured the victories, which is a testament to their character and ability to rise to the occasion in the most challenging of situations.”
Extra time and penalties
Racing’s Adrian Fernandez had an excellent opportunity to score with seconds remaining in extra time but he blasted his shot wide from tight angle, a miss that Racing would go on to rue.
Both goalkeepers made excellent saves to send the penalty shootout to sudden death, with Estudiantes substitute Facundo Rodriguez holding his nerve to send an effort squirming past Cambeses and give his side a 5-4 lead.
Franco Pardo stepped up to keep Racing’s hopes alive but his effort was diverted onto the post by Muslera to ensure victory for Estudiantes.
Estudiantes’ path to final
Estudiantes had a difficult buildup to the final, with their president Juan Sebastian Veron and the team’s starting lineup being handed suspensions by Argentina’s FA last month after refusing to form a guard of honor for Rosario Central.
Rosario, who were declared league champions after a rule change, won the new title by ending the regular season of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments with a combined 66 points.
Estudiantes’ players turned their backs on Rosario’s players when they walked onto the pitch for Sunday’s Clausura last-16 game, protesting at their opponents being crowned champions, a title not bestowed based on combined points in the competition’s original rules.
