Forest survive Midtjylland shootout farce as Bologna edge Roma in Europa League thriller
It was a night that had everything the Europa League loves to produce: wild comebacks, last-gasp winners, comedy from the penalty spot and two English clubs booking places in the last eight.
Forest scrape through after shootout chaos
Nottingham Forest went to Denmark needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit after Cho Gue-sung's header at the City Ground last week, and they did it the hard way. Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates scored either side of Martin Erlic's goal for Midtjylland, sending the tie to extra time at 2-2 on aggregate.
What followed from the spot was barely believable. Cho hit the post. Aral Simsir hit the post. Then Edward Chilufya slipped on his run-up and blazed the ball over the bar. Midtjylland missed all three penalties while Forest converted their three with zero fuss, winning 3-0 in the shootout.
It sends Vítor Pereira's side into their first European quarter-final since the 1995-96 UEFA Cup season. They will face Porto, who saw off Stuttgart 4-1 on aggregate after a comfortable 2-0 second-leg win in Portugal.
Roma-Bologna produces seven goals
The Italian derby at the Stadio Olimpico was supposed to be straightforward for Roma after a 1-1 draw in Bologna. It was anything but. The tie swung back and forth across 120 chaotic minutes before Nicolo Cambiaghi struck in the 111th minute to settle it 4-3 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
Jonathan Rowe, Federico Bernardeschi from the penalty spot, and Santiago Castro all scored for Bologna, while Evan Ndicka, Donyell Malen (penalty) and Lorenzo Pellegrini found the net for Roma. Pellegrini's 80th-minute equalizer had forced extra time, but Bologna had one more punch left.
Villa cruise, Freiburg and Celta also through
Aston Villa made their tie against Lille look routine. John McGinn opened the scoring and Leon Bailey sealed a 2-0 win off the bench, completing a 3-0 aggregate stroll into the quarter-finals. Villa will now meet Bologna.
Elsewhere, Freiburg thrashed Genk 5-1 in their second leg to go through 5-2 on aggregate, and Celta Vigo beat Lyon 2-0 to advance 3-1. Braga also progressed, seeing off Ferencvaros 4-2 on aggregate, while Real Betis overturned a first-leg deficit to eliminate Panathinaikos 4-1 overall.
Quarter-final line-up
The draw, already made back on February 27, sets up some tasty ties. Porto meet Forest, Bologna face Villa, Braga take on Betis and Freiburg play Celta. First legs are scheduled for April 8 and 9, with second legs on April 16 and 17.
