Roundup of Quarter-Final action in 2023-24 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa looked to continue their European adventures in a difficult contest against Lille, whilst Olympiacos and Fenerbahce battled out for their place in the semi-finals.
Fiorentina meanwhile looked to avoid a cupset against Viktoria Plzen, with a semi-final against Club Brugge or PAOK Salonika at stake.
Aston Villa 3-3 Lille (Aston Villa win 4-3 on penalties)
Ollie Watkins and John McGinn fired Villa to a 2-1 home win despite Bafode Diakite having denied them a two-goal lead at the end of the first leg.
Yusuf Yazici and Andre however put Lille on the cusp of completing a second-leg comeback until Matty Cash netted a 88th minute consolatory goal for Villa, which meant that Lille won 2-1 at home but the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.
Misses from Nabil Bentaleb and Andre ultimately cost Lille in the subsequent shootout as Villa won 4-3 on penalties, with only Leon Bailey missing for Unai Emery’s Villains as Youri Tielemans, Watkins, Cash and Douglas Luiz all scored their spot-kicks.
Viktoria Plzen 0-2 Fiorentina
Following a goalless first leg in Plzen, Fiorentina needed extra-time goals from Nicolas Gonzalez and Cristiano Biraghi at home to win the second leg plus overall tie by a 2-0 result.
Olympiacos 3-3 Fenerbahce (Olympiacos win 3-2 on penalties)
Konstantinos Fortounis, Stevan Jovetic and Chiquinho put Olympiacos in control of the tie with an eventual 3-2 first leg win over Fenerbahce, after Dusan Tadic and Irfan Kahveci netted late goals for the Turkish visitors.
Kahveci’s 11th minute goal in the second leg proved enough for Fenerbahce to level the tie 3-3 on aggregate at home, but Olympiacos progressed 3-2 on penalties after Tadic, Cengiz Under and Leonardo Bonucci missed their spot-kicks for the hosts.
Club Brugge 3-0 PAOK Salonika
Hugo Vetlesen’s sixth minute winner saw Club Brugge seize the initiative with a 1-0 win in the first leg at home.
PAOK Salonika however couldn’t turn the tie around as Ferran Jutgla netted a second-leg brace to seal a 2-0 away win for Club Brugge, as the Belgian club prevailed 3-0 on aggregate.
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