Europa League 2017: Scores, Odds After Thursday's Round-of-16 Leg 1 Results
Manchester United grabbed a vital away goal in a difficult first leg in southern Russia, as the Red Devils earned a 1-1 draw against FC Rostov in the 2017 Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's close-range finish put United in the driving seat, but the hosts fought back in a gritty second half on an awful playing surface.
Lyon convincingly defeated Roma 4-2 in France, as Alexandre Lacazette struck in injury time to widen the margin for the French side.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
FC Copenhagen shocked Dutch giants Ajax as they collected a 2-1 victory in Denmark.
Apoel Nicosia suffered a rare home defeat in Europe, losing 1-0 to Anderlecht in Cyprus, while Celta Vigo prevailed 2-1 over FK Krasnodar.
Bundesliga sides Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach could not be separated in their first-leg encounter as they drew 1-1, with Olympiakos and Besiktas posting the same scoreline in their match.
Here are Thursday's full results:
| Apoel Nicosia | 0-1 | Anderlecht |
| FC Copenhagen | 2-1 | Ajax |
| FC Rostov | 1-1 | Manchester United |
| AA Gent | 2-5 | Genk |
| Celta Vigo | 2-1 | FK Krasnodar |
| FC Schalke 04 | 1-1 | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Olympiakos | 1-1 | Besiktas |
| Lyon | 4-2 | Roma |
Here are the latest odds for the competition, via Oddschecker:
| Manchester United | 15-8 |
| Lyon | 13-2 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 12-1 |
| Celta Vigo | 12-1 |
| Roma | 12-1 |
| Besiktas | 16-1 |
Thursday Recap
Manchester United faced a war of attrition against Rostov, as the Russians fought back against the Premier League giants at home.
The quality of the pitch was the talking point before kick-off as large chunks of the surface were clearly damaged, forcing manager Jose Mourinho to alter his tactics for the game.
The change in formation initially worked for the self-proclaimed Special One, with Mkhitaryan expertly finishing after Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic clinically combined to assist the scorer.
Rostov rarely threatened in the first half but were a rejuvenated side after the half-time interval.
United were forced to soak up waves of attack as the hosts threatened to level the tie, and they could only hold on until the 53rd minute as Aleksandr Bukharov finished with aplomb.
The goal breathed new life into United's opponents, and the stadium came alive as home supporters sensed a shock victory.
Rostov have been impressive on their worn pitch in recent times, and they played the conditions to perfection as the visitors battled.
Aleksandar Erokhin could have won the game for Rostov, but he stabbed his effort wide, and Fellaini failed to give the Red Devils the win as he mistimed a header.
Pundit Paul Ince said Rostov have a chance of qualifying in the second leg at Old Trafford, per BT Sport Football:
Lyon fought back to disappoint Roma in France, overturning a first-half defect to win 4-2.
The hosts were 2-1 down at half-time, but goals from Corentin Tolisso, Nabil Fekir and Lacazette broke Italian hearts.
Celta took control against their Russian opponents as Claudio Beauvue last-minute strike was the difference between the sides in Spain.
Anderlecht grabbed victory and an away goal on their visit to Nicosia, collecting a slim 1-0 win.
Romanian winger Nicolae Stanciu was the hero as he struck after 29 minutes to earn success.
Ajax suffered defeat on their travels in the Europa, losing 2-1 to Copenhagen. The Dutch side dominated for long periods of the tie but fell behind to a first-minute goal by Rasmus Falk.
Danish international Kasper Dolberg equalised for the visitors after 32 minutes, but Andreas Cornelius hit the winner shortly before the hour mark.
Genk posted an emphatic victory against Gent, destroying their opposition 5-2 as the visitors netted four times before half-time.
Schalke's early lead against Monchengladbach was quickly wiped out in the first half, but neither team could capitalise as they shared the spoils in Gelsenkirchen.
United will be satisfied with their draw after Rostov pushed through the gears deep into the contest.
Mourinho would have been concerned about the threat of injury on such a poor pitch, but his men fought until the final whistle to avoid defeat.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
