Europa League winners and losers: Arsenal slip up in Belarus

Arsenal's Matteo Guendouzi reacts at the end of the Europa League round of 32 first leg soccer match between Bate and Arsenal at the Borisov-Arena in Borisov, Belarus, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (Sergei Grits/AP)

The UEFA Europa League knockout stage began on Thursday with the round of 32. While some clubs earned vital results away from home, a couple of big teams suffered dearly in their respective matches.

Here are three winners and three losers from Thursday’s first legs.

WINNERS

Denis Cheryshev

Despite missing their two first-choice strikers and centre-backs, Valencia secured a vital 2-0 away win at Celtic, and it was thanks to Denis Cheryshev.

The Russian international scored the opener, then registered the assist for Valencia’s straight after halftime. Cheryshev might’ve been a key protagonist for Russia at the World Cup, but these performances at club level have been rare.

Regardless, Valencia now has a convincing lead on aggregate heading back to Spain for the return leg.

Pablo Sarabia

There’s no denying Pablo Sarabia is a vastly underrated player in La Liga. The 26-year-old assisted Wissam Ben-Yedder’s winner for Sevilla as they toppled Lazio 1-0 in Rome.

That was Sarabia’s 18th goal involvement in 27 combined appearances in La Liga and the Europa League this season.

Pablo Sarabia’s stat radar. (via Understat.com)

With an €18-million release clause in his contract, surely someone will take a punt on Sarabia this summer.

Benfica’s youthful midfield duo

Benfica manager Bruno Lage named six players under the age of 23 in his starting 11 away to Galatasaray, and two of them were absolutely fantastic in a hostile environment.

Twenty-year-old Gedson Fernandes and Florentino Luis, 19, were unstoppable in their European debuts. They led all players in tackles (5) and Luis had a game-high six interceptions, aiding Benfica’s defence against a dynamic Galatasaray attack.

They’ve performed well in the Primeira Liga thus far, but shining in Istanbul in a Europa League knockout match is another matter entirely. Credit the duo for taking the opportunity with aplomb.

LOSERS

Arsenal

Arsenal’s first-leg defeat to BATE Borisov may be rendered moot after the return game on Feb. 21. For now, though, it’s a pretty awful look for the Gunners.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexandre Lacazette missed two brilliant chances to snatch an away goal, but Arsenal’s attack was quite toothless in the second half. That’s worrying given they had a mainly full-strength side.

Adi Hutter

Shakhtar Donetsk hadn’t played a competitive match since December, so Eintracht Frankfurt already had a significant advantage. To top it off, Shakhtar were reduced to 10 men after Taras Stepanenko received a second yellow card after just 10 minutes.

Unfortunately for Eintracht, they had to settle for a 2-2 draw. It’s a solid result away from home, but one has to wonder if they could’ve stuck the knife into Shakhtar even more.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying considering Eintracht registered 21 shots. However, most of those attempts barely tested goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov. We’ll see next week if this comes back to haunt Frankfurt.

Real Betis defence

Last season’s #AlwaysWatchBetis hashtag was apt on Thursday, although Real Betis fans were probably fuming at what they witnessed against Rennes.

Thanks to a late goal from Mexican teenager Diego Lainez, however, Betis were able to salvage a late 3-3 draw away from home. They also fell behind 2-0 early in the match and managed to salvage the game, yet despite that, there were some recurring concerns.

Once more, left-back was a problem area. Most of Rennes build-up play focused on their right (Betis’ left) and it led to a couple of chances.

Rennes’ touch map vs. Real Betis. (via WhoScored.com)

William Carvalho also struggled in midfield, which contributed to Betis’ leaky defence early in the game. It worked out on Thursday, but surely the Andalusians will pay in the second leg with a similar showing.

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