Villarreal and Athletic take leads into their Europa League Round of 16 second legs

FC Basel 0-0 Sevilla

Sevilla’s poor away form continued to haunt them, though a 0-0 draw leaves them well-placed to progress considering their impressive record at the Sanchez Pizjuan this season. There were chances for both sides with the holders dominating proceedings, but little to separate them in Switzerland. Three second-half saves from Basel keeper Tomas Vaclik kept the hosts in contention. Unai Emery’s side finished with 10 men after Steven N’Zonzi picked up a second yellow card near the end.

Athletic Club 1-0 Valencia CF

Athletic may have hoped for a little more from this game after battering Valencia for long periods, but the tie remains open for the return leg at Mestalla. San Mames suffered a cloudburst just before kickoff and large puddles and a slippery surface added to the thrills and spills from the outset. Valencia struggled under the high balls from the hosts and particularly at set pieces. Ernesto Valverde’s men finally made the break-through when Beñat whipped in a freekick and from the near side of the area Raul Garcia skimmed a header over Mathew Ryan. The Basques continued to press with Aritz Aduriz and Sabin Merino missing great chances on a busy night for Valencia’s Australian keeper Ryan. 

Villarreal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Villarreal are in a strong position to make the quarter-finals after a double strike from Cedric Bakambu, and a clean sheet at the Madrigal. The flourishing understanding between Roberto Soldado and Bakambu paid dividends after only five minutes when the Spaniard flicked the ball over the top and Bakambu scored in the one-on-one. The French-born forward then raced away to grab a second after the break to make it five goals in eight games in Europe.