Lille, France (Sportsbooks) - Eden Hazard scored off a free kick with just five minutes remaining and Lille edged Liverpool 1-0 on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 series at Lille Metropole. Hazard curled a 25-yard free kick from the far left through traffic and inside the right post past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, handing the French club a slight lead entering the second leg at Anfield. Liverpool, which lost to Wigan in the English Premier League on Monday, hosts the return leg March 18 when all the second legs are played. Juventus defeated England's other final 16 participant, Fulham, 3-1 at Stadio Olimpico. Nicola Legrottaglie, Jonathan Zebina and David Trezeguet scored for the Italian side. Germany's Wolfsburg used a first-half penalty kick by Torsten Frings to earn a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla against Spain's Valencia, which played the final 35 minutes a man down after Ever Banega was sent off. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored as Germany's Hamburg opened with a 3-1 victory over Belgium's Anderlecht at HSH Nordbank Arena, and Zvjezdan Misimovic scored in the second half as fellow German side Wolfsburg earned a 1-1 draw at Russia's Rubin. Nine-man Sporting Lisbon escaped the Vicente Calderon with a 0-0 draw against Spain's Atletico Madrid, while fellow Portuguese club Benfica used a goal by Maxi Pereira to win the first leg at Estadio da Luz against France's Marseille 1-0. Axel Witsel, Milan Jovanovic, and Igor De Camargo scored as Belgium's Standard Liege beat Panathinaikos 3-1 in Greece. |
