Lukaku scores for Roma to draw 1‐1 at Feyenoord in Europa League, Marseille draws at Shakhtar

Romelu Lukaku kept up his hot scoring form in the Europa League by netting the equalizer to give Roma a 1‐1 draw at Feyenoord on Thursday in the first leg of the playoff to qualify for the round of 16.

Brazilian winger Igor Paixão put the hosts ahead with a header in the first‐half injury time before Lukaku nodded home in the 67th after a meet‐ ing a cross into the box.

It was Lukaku's sixth goal of this season's Europa League and he now has 21 in his last 18 games in the competition.

It is the third time in three years that the two teams are playing each other in Europe, in‐ cluding the 2022 Europa Con‐ ference League final which Roma won 1‐0 to give Jose Mourinho another major tro‐ phy.

This was the first European game in charge for former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi, who replaced the fired Mourinho as coach last month.

The eight runners‐up in the Europa League group stage are playing the eight third‐place teams from the Champions League group stage in the play‐ offs.

The return matches are sched‐ uled for Feb. 22. The eight win‐ ners will then take on the Europa League's group winners, who qualified directly for the round of 16.

They include Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton from the Pre‐ mier League, as well Lev‐ erkusen, Atalanta, Villarreal, Rangers and Slavia Prague.

In a tense finish in Hamburg, Marseille substitute Iliman Ndi‐ aye's 90th‐minute goal put his team ahead 2‐1 ahead before Shakhtar Donetsk's Eguinaldo salvaged a 2‐2 draw in a game played in Germany due to Rus‐ sia's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, Marseille striker

Pierre‐Emerick Aubameyang netted his 30th career goal in the Europa League to equal the competition record before Mykola Matviyenko equalized for the hosts.

Mauro Icardi scored a late win‐ ner in stoppage time with a low shot from the edge of the area for Galatasaray to edge Sparta Prague 3‐2 after both teams were reduced to 10 men. Jan Kuchta had scored for Sparta to make it 2‐2 just minutes after Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson received a red card. Sparta midfielder Matěj Ryneš was later sent off for his second yellow.

AC Milan easily disposed of Rennes with a commanding 3‐0 victory that puts them firm favourites for qualification.

Loftus‐Cheek scored a brace with the third goal caoming from Leao.

Also, Sporting Lisbon earned a 3‐1 away win at Young Boys.

CONFERENCE

In the third‐tier Europa Con‐ ference League, Belgian league leader Union Saint‐ Gilloise came back from two goals down to salvage a 2‐2 home draw against Eintracht Frank‐ furt despite having a player sent off in the 78th.

Forward Mika Biereth scored the opening goal early on for Sturm Graz in a 4‐1 victory over 10‐man Slovan Bratislava.

Fredrik Gulbradsen struck twice within seven minutes early in the game to lead Molde to a 3‐2 win over Legia Warsaw in the Norwegian team's first competitive game of the year.

Olympiacos beat Ferencvaros 1‐0.

The competition's playoffs features the runner‐up teams from the group stage facing the third‐place finishers in the Eu‐ ropa League group stage.