Arsenal and Atletico Madrid both took big strides towards the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, as they each secured comfortable wins at home in the first leg of their respective quarter-final ties.
Arsenal produced a brilliant attacking display to beat CSKA Moscow 4-1, with Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette grabbing braces. Meanwhile, Atletico were far too good for Sporting CP, as they won 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano with Koke and Antoine Griezmann on the scoresheet.
Comprehensive Review
The first half of the game at the Emirates was as chaotic as they come, as Arsenal sought to put the tie to bed early on.
After Ramsey’s opener, Aleksandr Golovin curled in a brilliant free-kick for the visitors and what may have been a crucial away goal. But Arsenal were able to quickly reestablish control in the tie and produced a rampant spell of football.
Two goals from Lacazette, including a penalty, sandwiched a stunner from Ramsay, who contorted his body and flicked a brilliant finish over Igor Akinfeev.
The second half was a stroll for the Gunners, with Mesut Ozil proving especially impressive. Ramsey came close to grabbing his hat-trick too, but his effort from distance clattered off the post.
Thursday Results
Arsenal 4-1 CSKA Moscow
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sporting CP
Lazio 4-2 Red Bull Salzburg
RB Leipzig 1-0 Marseille
Atletico’s start couldn’t have been any better in the Spanish capital, as they needed only 23 seconds to go ahead through Koke.
Diego Simeone’s side were in charge then and after a mistake from Jeremy Mathieu, Griezmann was able to double their advantage before the break. As noted by OptaJose, he’s in wonderful form at the moment:
After opening up a two-goal lead, defensive solidity was always going to be the order of the day for Atletico in the second period, as they shut up shop in an attempt to keep Sporting out. In the end, they did so with minimal fuss.
Arguably the game of the evening was between Lazio and Salzburg, as a late surge from the former pushed them to a 4-2 victory.
Takumi Minamino’s goal for Red Bull after 71 minutes made it 2-2 on the night in Rome. Lazio were able to respond, though, and within five minutes they’d soared into a two-goal advantage thanks to strikes from Felipe Anderson and Ciro Immobile.
In Germany, RB Leipzig did a professional job on Marseille, with Timo Werner’s first-half goal giving the Bundesliga team the edge.
The Germany international striker has also been in red-hot form this term and showcased how dangerous he can be on the break with a blistering run and finish at the end of a flowing counter-attack. Marseille will be disappointed not to have snatched an away goal.
Bleacherreport
