Atalanta end Liverpool’s trophy hopes
English prospects sink with West Ham loss
Atalanta ended Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s chances of winning a European trophy in his last season at the club, as the Italians reached the Europa League semifinals.
Liverpool failed to overcome a three-goal deficit and were eliminated yesterday despite beating Atalanta 1-0 in the second leg of their quarter-final matchup.
In Bergamo, Liverpool had a dream start after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross hit Matteo Ruggeri’s hand. Mohamed Salah sent goalkeeper Juan Musso the wrong way from the penalty spot for a seventh minute lead.
However the Reds, beaten 3-0 in the first leg, failed to convert any other chances. Atalanta will now meet Marseille, who beat Benfica 4-2 on penalties at the Stade Velodrome.
Substitute Faris Moumbagna scored the only goal of the second leg after 79 minutes to take the tie to extra time with the aggregate score level at 2-2.
Marseille scored all of their penalties while Angel di Maria and Antonio Silva missed for Benfica.
English hopes of being represented in the Europa League semifinals ended when West Ham lost 3-1 on aggregate to new German champs Bayer Leverkusen.
Jeremie Frimpong’s late leveller denied the Hammers the consolation of becoming the first team to beat them this season.
Michail Antonio’s 13thminute header at London Stadium gave David Moyes’ side the perfect start in their attempts to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg. But despite dominating the opening period they were unable to prize open the Leverkusen defence a second time.
Frimpong levelled in the 89th minute with a shot that took a significant deflection off Aaron Cresswell and flew past Lukasz Fabianski.
It extended Leverkusen’s amazing unbeaten record since a 3-0 reverse at Bochum on May 27 last year, and booked a last-four meeting with Roma.
Roma beat AC Milan 2-1 to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
England’s fortune was better in the Europa Conference
League, as Aston Villa made it to the semifinals.
Villa reached their first European semifinal since 1982 by prevailing 4-3 in a penalty shootout over Lille.
Emiliano Mart´ınez saved two spot kicks and Douglas Luiz converted the decisive penalty for the Birmingham club, who won the first leg of their quarter-final 2-1.
Yusuf Yazici and Benjamin Andre´ scored in each half for Lille’s 2-0 lead before defender Matty Cash’s 87th-minute goal evened the aggregate score 3-3 to force extra time.
Standing in the way of Villa reaching the final will be Olympiakos. The Greek side lost 1-0 in the second leg of their semifinal to Fenerbahce, levelling the aggregate score at 2-2 and taking the tie to penalties, where Olympiakos won 3-2.
Fiorentina, last year’s runners-up, also reached the semifinals after Nicola´s Gonza´lez and Cristiano Biraghi both scored in extra time to edge 10-man Viktoria Plzen 2-0. The first leg was a goalless draw.
Fiorentina’s opponents will be Club Brugge, 3-0 aggregate winners over PAOK.