Conference League, West Ham and Nice mortgage the quarterfinals. Equal Anderlecht-Villarreal

An away win for West Ham and Nice, a draw in Belgium for Villarreal: in the matches at 18.45, the big names in the Conference League do not betray expectations. The Hammers, led by Antonio (brace), beat AEK Larnaca 2-0, while Amraoui’s (lucky) goal was enough for the French. The Spaniards nearly hit at Anderlecht, but Dreyer responded to Trigueros in the second half. Fiorentina-Sivasspor, Lech Poznan-Djurgardens, Basel-Slovan Bratislava and Gent-Basaksehir are scheduled at 21.00.

AEK LARNACA 0-2 WEST HAM
The Cypriots are off to a good start, but West Ham are in another category. Even if in the Premier League they are struggling to get away from the relegation zone, the Hammers win without difficulty against Tomovic and his associates. AEK held the match in the first half hour, but Michael Antonio let loose just before the break. In the 36th minute the centre-forward slips between the opposing defenders and unlocks the game with a header, in added time he doubles with a shot from the edge of the area. The Jamaican goes close to setting goals but hits the post at the start of the second half, making way for Scamacca in the 60th minute. The Italian fails to leave his mark: the match ends 2-0 for the English, who mortgage the next round.

SHERIFF TIRASPOL-NICE 0-1
The comparison between Roberto Bordin’s formation and Nice is more balanced. The Moldovans, victorious in the playoffs against Partizan Belgrade, built various scoring chances at the start, but they didn’t materialize much. The Rossoneri’s lucky 1-0 came in added time in the first half, with a cross… missed by Amraoui. In the 48th minute, the 18-year-old receives the ball and tries to put it in the centre, getting a dig that goes just under the crossbar. In the second half, Nice almost doubled through Dante and defended their lead, Sheriff equalized in the final through Akanbi, but the referee disallowed for offside. To access the quarterfinals, the Moldovans will have to win in France next Thursday.

ANDERLECHT 1-1 VILLARREAL
Diawara starter in the middle of the field, Europe to redeem a disappointing season so far. The Belgians are tenth in the standings in the Jupiler League, but after their success in the playoffs against Ludogorets they dream of reaching the bottom of the Conference. The match was lively, with numerous chances from both sides, in the half hour Villareal restarted on the counterattack and scored the 1-0 through Trigueros. The Spaniard, however, gave the hosts the 1-1 ball in the 57th minute: Amuzu’s restart was born from one of his passes, who serves Dreyer, good at beating Pepe Reina from the edge of the area. The draw holds out until the whistle, Anderlecht and Villareal will play everything in the return match.