Europa League Round of 16 took off On March 9, 2023 as some major clubs continued their pursuit of European title.
Manchester United defeated Real Betis 4-1 at Old Trafford to advance to the quarterfinals, making them the clear winners of the first-leg matches.
While Arsenal, a rival Premier League team, rallied away from home to draw Sporting CP 2-2.
While neither away club won any of these games, Italian powerhouses Roma and Juventus both secured significant victories at home.
Below, The Futballnews analyzes the Round of 16 games as well as the current knockout rounds.
Teams in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Europa League
While second-place teams had to compete in a playoff round against teams that finished third in their Champions League groups, first-place teams in the Europa League group stage received a bye directly into the Round of 16.
The second game of each series will be hosted by the group winners, giving them the benefit of hosting any additional overtime or shootouts on their home turf.
| Group Winners (seeded) | Playoff winners (unseeded) | |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal (ENG) | vs. | Sporting CP (POR) |
| Fenerbahce (TUR) | vs. | Sevilla (SPA) |
| Real Betis (SPA) | vs. | Manchester United (ENG) |
| Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) | vs. | Union Berlin (GER) |
| Real Sociedad (SPA) | vs. | AS Roma (ITA) |
| Feyenoord (NED) | vs. | Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) |
| SC Freiburg (GER) | vs. | Juventus (ITA) |
| Ferencvaros (HUN) | vs. | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) |
Round Of 16 first leg Results
Man United 4-1 Real Betis
Manchester United defeated Real Betis 4-1 thanks in large part to performances from Marcus Rashford and Antony.
The team led by Erik ten Hag rebounded admirably from the devastating 7-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday by smashing the Spanish team at Old Trafford.
With a thunderous finish early in the game, Rashford gave United the perfect start and set the tone for what was to come from an energized onslaught.
Ayoze Perez, a former Leicester forward, scored a contentious goal for Betis to tie the score against the flow of play after teammate Juanmi looked to touch the ball with his arm during the buildup.
Before Bruno Fernandes’ goal with a header, Antony restored United’s lead with a spectacular strike into the far top corner after cutting in from the right.
Then, Wout Weghorst scored a crucial goal for himself to give the Red Devils a huge advantage going into the second leg in Seville the following week.
Roma 2-0 Real Sociedad
After victories over Real Sociedad at the Stadio Olimpico by Stephan El Shaarawy and Marash Kumbulla, Roma heads to Spain with a comfortable 2-0 first-leg lead in the Europa League Round of 16.
The first legitimate attack of the match—a brilliant counter—saw Roma take the lead.
Paulo Dybala was sent rushing down the right after Rick Karsdorp stole Diego Rico’s ball, and Stephan El Shaarawy was set up by Abraham’s cross for an exquisite volley at the back post.
Real Sociedad has not previously given up an away goal in the Europa League until this one.
When Rick Karsdorp’s quick burst of speed resulted in a corner, from which Dybala found Marash Kumbulla at the back post for a completely free header, Roma increased their lead.
Sporting CP 2-2 Arsenal
The teams were tied at halftime after headers from corners from William Saliba and Goncalo Inacio.
Following the restart, both teams continued to trade punches as Paulinho tapped in from close range and a Granit Xhaka drive looped in off Hidemasa Morita.
While both sides extended their unbeaten streaks and are now vying for a berth in the quarterfinals, everything is still up for grabs at Emirates Stadium in seven days.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Ferencvaros
At the BayArena, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Ferencvaros 2-0 in their UEFA Europa League last-16 first-leg match thanks to goals from Kerem Demirbay and Edmond Tapsoba.
In the play-off round, Leverkusen overcame a first-leg deficit to defeat Monaco on penalties, but visiting Ferencvaros had to rally in Germany.
Shakhtar 1-1 Feyenoord
The first leg of the round of 16 Europa League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord ended in a 1-1 draw after late drama in Warsaw.
The teams entered halftime deadlocked after Anatoliy Trubin made a string of crucial saves to keep the visitors at bay, most notably two stops to deny Danilo Pereira.
Both teams lacked accuracy and efficiency in front of goal, with Shakhtar going the entire half without a shot on goal, but Feyenoord controlling possession and posing a clearer scoring threat.
Sevilla 2-0 Fenerbahce
On Thursday, Sevilla defeated Fenerbahce 2-0 in the opening leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
In the Stadium Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, Joan Jordan scored the game’s first goal in the 56th minute after neither team managed to score in the first half.
In the 85th minute, Erik Lamela scored from close range to double the advantage, and the score remained 2-0 after that.
Juventus 1-0 SC Freiburg
Without Paul Pogba, who was benched for disciplinary reasons, Juventus managed to secure a slim lead over Freiburg in the opening leg of the Europa League.
The Italians’ lone goal came from Angel di Maria, an Argentina World Cup champion from 2022.
Europa League Round of 16 (2nd Leg)
| Match | Date | Time (GMT / ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Fenerbahce vs. Sevilla | Thu, Mar 16 | 17:45 / 13:45 |
| SC Freiburg vs. Juventus | Thu, Mar 16 | 17:45 / 13:45 |
| Feyenoord vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | Thu, Mar 16 | 17:45 / 13:45 |
| Real Betis vs. Manchester United | Thu, Mar 16 | 17:45 / 13:45 |
| Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Union Berlin | Thu, Mar 16 | 20:00 / 16:00 |
| Ferencvaros vs. Bayer Leverkusen | Thu, Mar 16 | 20:00 / 16:00 |
| Arsenal vs. Sporting CP | Thu, Mar 16 | 20:00 / 16:00 |
| Real Sociedad vs. AS Roma | Thu, Mar 16 | 20:00 / 16:00 |
