Home » Europa League – Roma edged Porto as Ajax pulled inspiring comeback at Amsterdam

Europa League – Roma edged Porto as Ajax pulled inspiring comeback at Amsterdam

In the Europa League, the play-off return legs delivered plenty of dram when AS Roma edged past Porto by a narrow margin, while Ajax pulled off an unbelievable comeback against Union Saint-Gilloise to book their spot in the round of 16.

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Play-off Return Leg Results:

• AS Roma 3-2 Porto (4-3 on aggregate)
• Bodo/Glimt 5-2 FC Twente (6-4 on aggregate)
• FCSB 2-0 PAOK FC (4-1 on aggregate)
• Galatasaray 2-2 AZ Alkmaar (3-6 on aggregate)
• Ajax 1-2 Union Saint-Gilloise (3-2 on aggregate)
• Anderlecht 2-2 Fenerbahce (2-5 on aggregate)
• Real Sociedad 5-2 Midtjylland (7-3 on aggregate)
• Viktoria Plzen 3-0 Ferencvaros (3-1 on aggregate)

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Europa League Highlights – Roma 3-2 Porto

It was a memorable day for Paulo Dybala as the Argentine star scored all three goals against Porto. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Roma needed a win at home to progress. But Porto’s Samu fired the opening goal in the 27th minute, dampening the home side’s mood.

Dybala, back after injury, turned the Olimpico into his personal stage. In the 35th minute, he fired a brilliant finish after a rebound to level the score at 1-1. Just four minutes later, he struck again to give Roma the lead. Before halftime, the 2022 World Cup champion had another chance as Evan Ndicka missed an opportunity to make it 3-1.

Early in the second half, Porto suffered a setback when Stephen Eustaquio was sent off in the 41st minute for a deliberate handball on Leandro Paredes. With the extra man, Roma controlled the game and eventually added their third goal. After several missed chances, Dybala set up another attack in the 84th minute, and Niccolo Pisilli calmly finished from close range to make it 3-1. Porto had a golden chance in the 69th minute, but Samu’s effort was denied by the post. In stoppage time (90+5), a defensive mix-up saw substitute Devyne Rensch score an own goal, cutting Porto’s lead.

In the end, Roma won 4-3 on aggregate and booked their place in the round of 16 for the seventh time in their last seven attempts. Their next opponent could be bitter rivals like Lazio or Bilbao.

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Ajax’s Incredible Comeback into the Europa League Round of 16

The latest play-off return leg ended with Ajax pulling off a stunning comeback against Union Saint-Gilloise in a match full of twists, red cards, penalties, and pure drama. Ajax had won 2-0 away in Belgium in the first leg and thought their passage was secure. However, on home soil, the pressure from tiny Union Saint-Gilloise turned the game on its head.

Everything changed quickly in the first half. Kevin Mac Allister gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute, and by the 28th minute, Union doubled their advantage with a penalty from Promise Davids. Earlier, Ajax had already lost a player when Davy Klassen was shown a straight red for handling the ball in the box.

By this time, the two-leg aggregate was 2-2. With only 10 Ajax players on the field since the 25th minute, the home side pushed forward desperately to avoid elimination. Despite creating several chances, Union kept missing clear opportunities to end the game in regular time.

In extra time, substitute Kenneth Taylor stepped up to score a penalty in the 93rd minute, giving Ajax the lead. From then on, coach Francesco Farioli’s side had to fend off relentless attacks from the visitors. Even at 120+4 minutes, goalkeeper Pasveer nearly cost Ajax when he almost struck a Union player in the face inside the box, though the referee let the controversial incident pass.

Though they lost the return leg 1-2, Ajax won 3-2 on aggregate and advanced to the round of 16 in a heart-stopping finish.

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Other Play-off Results for Europa League Qualification

At home, Galatasaray had a tough job after losing 1-4 to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg, but they could only manage a 2-2 draw in the return match. As a result, Galatasaray exited the competition despite fielding many top stars.

Another standout was Real Sociedad, who made a strong statement by beating Midtjylland 5-2 and progressing with a 7-3 aggregate win.

Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho, also secured a spot in the round of 16 after drawing 2-2 at Anderlecht, following a 3-0 win in the first leg.

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List of 16 Teams in the Europa League Round of 16 with Roma and Ajax qualified

Teams that qualified directly from the group stage:

• Lazio, Bilbao, MU, Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiakos, Rangers

Teams that qualified via the play-off round:

• AS Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Fenerbahce, Real Sociedad, Viktoria Plzen, Ajax Amsterdam, Steaua Bucharest, Bodo/Glimt