Italian Lazio becomes first to qualify for Europa League Round of 16
Lazio became the first team to secure a spot in the round of 16 of the Europa League for the 2024-25 season after earning six wins and one draw in the first seven rounds of the league stage.
The Italian side claimed their sixth win on Thursday in the seventh round, defeating Spanish club Real Sociedad 3-0 at the “Olimpico” stadium in Rome.
Mario Gila, Mattia Zaccagni, and Valentin Castellanos scored Lazio‘s goals in the 5th, 32nd, and 34th minutes, respectively. Ander Barrenetxea scored Sociedad’s only goal in the 82nd minute.
This victory pushed Lazio’s points total to 19, securing first place. Real Sociedad remained on 10 points with three wins, one draw, and three losses, placing them in 18th position.
Europa League rules allow the top eight teams in the league stage to qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in knockout matches for the remaining spots.
Manchester United defeats Rangers in the Europa League
In another match, Manchester United earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Rangers. Rangers’ goalkeeper Jack Butland accidentally scored an own goal in the 52nd minute, giving United the lead.
Rangers equalised in the 88th minute through Cyril Dessers, but Bruno Fernandes secured the win for United in stoppage time.
United moved up to fourth place with 15 points from four wins and three draws. Rangers are in 13th place with 11 points from three wins, two draws, and two losses.
Other Matches
Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi scored the only goal for Olympiacos in their 1-0 victory over Porto. This goal made El Kaabi Olympiacos’s all-time leading scorer in European competitions with 21 goals.
Three matches ended with 3-2 scorelines: Tottenham Hotspur defeated Hoffenheim, Twente overcame Malmo, and Steaua Bucharest beat Qarabag. AZ Alkmaar secured a narrow 1-0 win against Roma.
Viktoria Plzen defeated Anderlecht 2-0, while Fenerbahce and Lyon played out a goalless draw. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Ferencvaros 2-0, and PAOK Salonika achieved the same scoreline against Slavia Prague. Midtjylland also earned a 2-0 win over Ludogorets, while Nice lost 1-0 to Elfsborg.
Union Saint-Gilloise beat Sporting Braga 2-1, while Rigas Skola defeated Ajax 1-0.
