The Europa League‘s knockout stages saw the Bundesliga clubs square off against some of the Serie A’s best, and German football betting players were taken to the edge of their seats.
Betting odds for the Napoli–RB Leipzig and the Borussia Dortmund–Atalanta games were close, given the level of competition at the Italian top flight has been as well as the inconsistent form of the German giants. Betting tips were all over the place as punters relied on their gut feeling.
The Leipzig faithful is thankful that Timo Werner secured the third goal in their away leg as Maurizio Sarri’s boys overpowered them in the second leg. Piotr Zielinski and Lorenzo Insigne made the most out of the Light Blues’ 54% possession and won the game 0-2. The extra away goal ensured Leipzig’s survival in the tournament.
The BVB were also in a tight predicament when they headed to Atalanta. They were a goal behind after Josip Ilicic’s brace gave the Nerazzurri the aggregate advantage. Marcel Schmelzer’s goal ensured that Michy Batshuayi’s efforts weren’t in vain, ending the series with a one-goal lead for Dortmund.
The other games in the Europa League saw the big boys secure their overwhelming leads.
Olympique Lyonnais ensured that their 3-1 advantage over Villareal was secured. Bertrand Traore’s 85th-minute strike sealed the exit of their Spanish hosts, ending the game in a 4-1 win for the Ligue 1 regulars.
Arsenal did enough damage against Ostersunds FK in the first leg of their clash (a 0-3 away win) that the goals of Hosam Aiesh and Ken Sema mattered little to the final outcome. While Sead Kolasinac’s goal sealed the aggregate victory, Arsene Wenger knows that he has much work to do when it comes to his team’s defensive tactics.
Atletico Madrid added a home goal to their 1-4 rout of Kobenhavn, while Celtic was shooed out of the competition after Zenit outgunned them in St. Petersburg. Lazio cancelled out FCSB‘s lead with a five-goal rampage and Dynamo Kyiv outlasted AEK Athens on away goals.
We can count on the next round to be as exciting as this!
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