Liverpool Dominates; Marseille Thrills in Europa

 Liverpool Dominates; Marseille Thrills in Europa

Chancel MBEMBA, Geoffrey KONDOGBIA, Amine HARIT, Ismaila SARR, Iliman NDIAYE, Bamo MEITE and Emran SOGLO of Marseille celebrates the victory after the UEFA Europa League groupe B match between Olympique Marseille v Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax at Orange Velodrome on November 30, 2023 in Marseille, France(Image-Getty)

Liverpool secured a comfortable passage into the Europa League round of 16 with a convincing 4-0 victory over Austria's LASK in Group E. Luis Diaz's header, followed by Cody Gapko's tap-in, gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes. Mohamed Salah's early second-half penalty extended the lead to 3-0, and Gapko added his second in stoppage time. With 12 points, Liverpool is set to top the group after second-placed Toulouse drew 0-0 against Union Saint Gilloise.

In Group B, Olympique de Marseille clinched a top-two finish with a thrilling 4-3 win over Ajax Amsterdam. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's hat-trick, completed in late stoppage time, propelled Marseille forward. Despite Ajax leveling three times, including two goals from Brian Brobbey, they faced challenges with Steven Berghuis' second-half red card.

Villarreal progressed in Group F with a 3-2 win over Panathinaikos, overcoming the Greek side's comeback from 3-0 down. Rangers drew 1-1 with Aris Limassol, keeping them in contention for a top-two spot in Group C with seven points, one ahead of Sparta Prague, who beat leaders Real Betis 1-0.

Bayern Leverkusen secured their place in the round of 16 as Group H winners with a 2-0 win over BK Hacken. Qarabag and Molde are vying for a playoff place as runners-up after their 2-2 draw.

In Group G, AS Roma, with a goal from Romelu Lukaku, drew 1-1 with Servette as Chris Bedia equalized for the Swiss side. Slavia Prague made significant progress towards claiming top spot in the group with a 3-2 win over Sheriff, courtesy of Muhamed Tijani's stoppage-time penalty. Both Roma and Slavia Prague are set to finish in the top two places, with Slavia holding a two-point advantage heading into the final group games.