GARY NEVILLE WAS sent off as his Valencia side were sent crashing out of the Europa League tonight, losing their last-16 tie to Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao on away goals despite winning the second leg 2-1.
Valencia had been trailing 1-0 after last week’s first leg at San Mames but looked to have turned the tie around when they went two goals up in the first half at the Mestalla.
Santi Mina got the first goal on the night in the 13th minute, following in to score after Alvaro Negredo’s effort had been saved by Iago Herrerin.
Aderlan Santos then headed home the second eight minutes before the interval, but beaten 2012 finalists Athletic struck the decisive away goal 14 minutes from the end.
The inevitable Aritz Aduriz goal, his eighth in nine Europa League games this season, and his 31st altogether, came after a superb flick-on by Raul Garcia.
Neville was furious following what appeared to be a handball in the build-up to that crucial goal and his protests eventually led to him being sent to the stands.
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The only objective remaining this season for Neville and Valencia is to make sure they avoid relegation in La Liga — they sit seven points above the drop zone with nine games left.
Athletic march on to the quarter-finals where they will be joined by fellow Spaniards Villarreal, who beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Germany.
Meanwhile, Italian interest in European competition is at an end after Lazio were humbled 3-0 by Sparta Prague in Rome.
Captain Borek Dockal put Sparta in front and Ladislav Krejci and Lukas Julis added further goals before the break to take the Czech side through 4-1 on aggregate.
Lazio’s exit comes after Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, with Roma, Fiorentina, Napoli and Sampdoria all having been knocked out of Europe earlier in the season.
Results:
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 0 Villarreal (ESP) 0
Villarreal win 2-0 on aggregate.
Valencia (ESP) 2 (Santi Mina 13, Santos 37) Athletic Bilbao (ESP) 1 (Aduriz 76) (0-1)
Gary Neville sent off as Valencia bow out of Europa League
GARY NEVILLE WAS sent off as his Valencia side were sent crashing out of the Europa League tonight, losing their last-16 tie to Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao on away goals despite winning the second leg 2-1.
Valencia had been trailing 1-0 after last week’s first leg at San Mames but looked to have turned the tie around when they went two goals up in the first half at the Mestalla.
Santi Mina got the first goal on the night in the 13th minute, following in to score after Alvaro Negredo’s effort had been saved by Iago Herrerin.
Aderlan Santos then headed home the second eight minutes before the interval, but beaten 2012 finalists Athletic struck the decisive away goal 14 minutes from the end.
The inevitable Aritz Aduriz goal, his eighth in nine Europa League games this season, and his 31st altogether, came after a superb flick-on by Raul Garcia.
Neville was furious following what appeared to be a handball in the build-up to that crucial goal and his protests eventually led to him being sent to the stands.
The only objective remaining this season for Neville and Valencia is to make sure they avoid relegation in La Liga — they sit seven points above the drop zone with nine games left.
Athletic march on to the quarter-finals where they will be joined by fellow Spaniards Villarreal, who beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Germany.
Meanwhile, Italian interest in European competition is at an end after Lazio were humbled 3-0 by Sparta Prague in Rome.
Captain Borek Dockal put Sparta in front and Ladislav Krejci and Lukas Julis added further goals before the break to take the Czech side through 4-1 on aggregate.
Lazio’s exit comes after Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, with Roma, Fiorentina, Napoli and Sampdoria all having been knocked out of Europe earlier in the season.
Results:
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 0 Villarreal (ESP) 0
Villarreal win 2-0 on aggregate.
Valencia (ESP) 2 (Santi Mina 13, Santos 37) Athletic Bilbao (ESP) 1 (Aduriz 76) (0-1)
2-2 on aggregate, Athletic win on away goals.
Lazio (ITA) 0 Sparta Prague (CZE) 3 (Dockal 10, Krejci 12, Julis 44)
Sparta Prague win 4-1 on aggregate.
- © AFP 2016
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Athletic Bilbao Europa League Football Gary Neville Seeing Red Valencia