Hello all, I am Joshua Risebro and I am here with you to cover the Europa League Round of 32 Second Leg fixtures that kick off at 17:45 GMT. A quick recap on how the scores look from the first leg: Benfica travel to Stade Toulouse with a slender 2-1 advantage, while Qarabag host Braga having defeated the Portuguese side 4-2 in the first leg, giants AC Milan travel to France looking to close out their 3-0 first leg victory. Finally, it remains in the balance as Freiburg lock horns with Lens after a 0-0 draw in Northern France.
I will mainly be covering the Toulouse vs Benfica tie for confidential reasons.
Starting XI’s for Toulouse and Benfica. The French side are unchanged from the first leg. For Benfica, they have made two changes from their 6-1 victory over Vizela; Antonio Silva comes in for Tomás Araújo while the iconic Angel Di Maria replaces Tiago Gouveia.
17:45 – A minutes applause before kick off for Arthur Jorge, a former Benfica manager who passed away. He won the European Cup with their arch-rivals FC Porto in 1987.
17:47 – KICK OFF!
17:49 – Early pressing from Toulouse, limiting Benfica’s ability to build up play from the back.
17:51 – Toulouse appear to be set up in a narrow 4-3-3 formation.
17:53 – CLOSE! Amazing passage of play from Toulouse who have the first sight on goal on the night! The Swiss Sierro, Toulouse captain, looks to finesse the ball in but Trubin is equal to the shot!
17:55 – Spierings lashes a cross over the bar after some more Toulouse pressure.
17:56 – ELSEWHERE
18:00 – Corner Toulouse after more promising build up.
18:01 – YELLOW CARD! Aron Donnum is first in the book as the Toulouse striker makes a late attempt to win the ball.
18:04 – Benfica goalkeeper Trubin catches a low cross from defender Desler.
18:05 – Toulouse now playing 3 at the back.
18:06 – Offside given for Donnum after more dangerous Toulouse play.
18:07 – ELSEWHERE
18:10 – SUBSTITUTION: Diarra is replaced by Keben for Toulouse due to an injury.
18:11 – CHANCE! Rafa Silva shoots over after a promising opening! Benfica’s first chance of the night.
18:13 – ELSEWHERE
18:16 – SUBSTITUTION: Desler looks to have cramp and needs to be replaced by Kamanzi. A huge double blow for the Frenchmen.
18:20 – SO CLOSE! How have Benfica not made it 0-1? Center Back Barr is the unlikely source of offence as his cross is deflected into Di Maria’s path, but the 2022 World Cup winner cannot tap it in! Huge let off for Toulouse!
18:21 – The Portuguese giants are beginning to assert themselves on the game.
18:23 – Corner Benfica, Di Maria to take.
Embed from Getty Images18:23 – Toulouse clear.
18:27 – Toulouse throw on the half way line.
18:28 – The tempo of the game has slowed down somewhat, if you couldn’t tell from the recent updates already.
18:29 – Quick reminder that Toulouse beat Liverpool in this ground in the Europa League group stages.
18:30 – Corner Toulouse after patient build up play.
18:31 – A menacing delivery from the left side comes to nothing and Benfica earn a goal kick.
18:32 – ELSEWHERE
18:32 – BRILLIANT SAVE! In the first minute of stoppage time Antonio Silva is played through on goal but his shot is smothered expertly by Restes! Still 0-0!
18:34 – Di Maria fires a shot harmlessly over as the first half curtains draw closer.
18:35 – HALF TIME – Benfica remain in the ascendancy as the first half ends 0-0. Toulouse have 45 minutes to rescue their Europa League campaign.
18:36 – HALF-TIME IN THE OTHER GAMES: Qarabag 0-0 Braga (4-2 agg); Freiburg 0-2 Lens (0-2 agg); Rennais 1-1 AC Milan (1-4 agg).
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images18:46 – A quick reminder that the Europa League Round of 16 draw takes place tomorrow at 11am. The seeded Teams are Atlanta (ITA), Brighton (ENG), Leverkusen (GER), Liverpool (ENG), Rangers (SCO), Slavia Praha (CZE) and Villareal (ESP)
18:50 – All second halves of the other games have begun.
18:52 – SUBSTITUTION: Benfica’s first substitute is Cabral replacing fellow striker Tengstedt. Their second is Morato being replaced by Carreras.
18:52 – SECOND HALF BEGINS! It’s do or Au Revoir for Toulouse!
18:53 – Fireworks are setting off outside the stadium in an effort to fire Toulouse up for a potentially season-defining 45 minutes.
18:54 – STRAIGHT AT THE KEEPER! Captain Sierro misses another chance as he fires his first time shot straight at Trubin! In a game of tight margains and damaging consequences you have to do better there!
18:56 – ELSEWHERE
18:58 – Nicolas Otomendi does well to put a dangerous cross from Gboho out for a corner.
19:00 – ELSEWHERE
19:01 – HOW HAVEN’T THEY SCORED??!! Spierings has headed wide from 4 yards out! Unbelievable miss that Toulouse will likely regret dearly! It would have been his first European goal! Shocking miss!
19:03 – Judging from the Rennes versus AC Milan game, I’ve chosen the wrong game to blog tonight… sorry lads!
19:05 – A quite simply daft foul from Cabral as Toulouse are awarded a free kick in their box.
19:06 – ELSEWHERE: A relatively late update (apologies again) but Qarabag have been reduced to 10 men against Braga as Cafarquliyev is shown the red card.
Embed from Getty Images19:07 – CLOSE AGAIN! Nicolaisen heads just over the bar from a corner! They have improved hugely after half time!
19:10: ELSEWHERE
19:11 – ELSEWHERE
19:11: HOW UNLUCKY! Off the post from Dallinga from a close range header and luckily (from Benfica’s POV) finds its way back to Trubin’s grateful arms! How many more chances do they need?
19:13: THEY NEED MORE CHANCES!!! Two huge chances missed in quick succession! I cannot believe it! Restes paries a header away and from the subsequent cross they head wide! They’re missing chances for fun here!
19:14 – ELSEWHERE
19:15 – VAR briefly check for a penalty for Toulouse but is not awarded.
Embed from Getty Images19:20 – YELLOW CARD! Toulouse have picked up a second booking after Suazo swipes a leg as Benfica looked to break. If Toulouse go through he will miss the Round of 16 first leg.
19:26 – ELSEWHERE! Extra looms between Qarabag and Braga! 2-2 on aggregate!
19:28 – Logan Costa’s long range effort is comfortably saved by Trubin.
19:29 – 9 minutes of normal time to go.
19:29 – YELLOW CARD! Another Toulouse player goes into the book! This time it is Kamanzi.
19:30 – YELLOW CARD! Benfica’s first yellow as Bah goes into the book.
19:31 – A Benfica effort from distance goes wide of Toulouse’s’ goal.
19:32 – SUBSTITUTION: Kokcu comes on for Di Maria.
19:32 – Toulouse passing around the back trying to find a way through.
19:33 – Backiba launches an effort wide of the Benfica goal.
19:35 – ELSEWHERE! A last minute equaliser from Freiburg and they drag Lens to extra time!
19:37 – 4 minutes of added time.
19:38 – ELSEWHERE: Qarabag and Braga are heading into extra time.
19:39 – GOOD SAVE! Trubin parries Sierro’s shot away!
19:40 – ELSEWHERE: Freiburg and Lens are heading into extra time.
19:40 – ELSEWHERE: AC Milan progress to the Europa League Round of 16 after defeating Rennais 5-3 on aggregate!
19:41 – FULL TIME! And Benfica progress to the Europa League Round of 16 after holding Toulouse to a hard-fought 0-0 draw! They will undoubtedly be thankful by some below par Toulouse finishing! The French side have no chance of winning silverware this year! 2-1 to Benfica on aggregate!
Have a fantastic rest of your day readers!
