Europa Conference League quarter-final second legs: Villa, Fiorentina edge through to semi-finals

A penalty shoot-out in France enabled Aston Villa to edge closer to the UEFA Europa Conference League final, while Fiorentina, Olympiacos and Club Brugge joined them in the semis.

LOSC Lille2-1 Aston Villa (aet, agg: 3-3, Villa win 4-3 on pens)

Emiliano Martínez saved two penalties to help his side reach their first European semi-final since 1982. After losing the first leg 2-1, Lille levelled the tie through Yusuf Yazıcı's first-time strike in the first half before Benjamin André nodded the hosts ahead on aggregate on 67 minutes. However, Villa struck late through Matty Cash to send it to extra time, and after Lille's Lucas Chevalier made wonderful saves from Douglas Luiz and Jhon Durán the game went to a shoot-out, where Martínez dived to his left to deny Nabil Bentaleb and (decisively) André.

Key stat: Villa have only failed to score once in their last 15 games in UEFA competition.

Fenerbahçe 1-0 Olympiacos (agg: 3-3, Olympiacos win 3-2 on pens)

Konstantinos Tzolakis delivered a hat-trick of saves in the shoot-out in Istanbul as Olympiacos became the first Greek team to reach a UEFA club competition semi-final since 1996. İrfan Can Kahveci scored early for Fenerbahçe to level the aggregate score, but the Turkish side could not extend their advantage on the night, meaning the tie was settled on penalties. Tzolakis rose to the occasion, keeping out efforts from Dušan Tadić, Cengiz Ünder and Leonardo Bonucci to move Thrylos a step closer to the final in Athens.

Key stat: Olympiacos have won 23 of the 28 UEFA club competition ties in which they won the first leg at home, and are on a streak of 12 consecutive victories after first-leg home wins.

Fiorentina 2-0 Viktoria Plzeň (aet, agg: 2-0)

Nico González’s finish at the start of extra time finally turned a one-sided tie in Fiorentina's favour. Martin Jedlička produced fantastic first-half saves to deny Andrea Belotti and Christian Kouamé and Belotti also headed against a post while Kouamé smashed a shot against the underside of the crossbar. However, the Viola struggled to create chances following the break, even after Cadu's 66th-minute dismissal. However, González struck to break the spell following an uncleared corner, and captain Cristiano Biraghi snatched a second on the break.

Key stat: Fiorentina remain unbeaten in their nine games against teams from Czechia (W6 D3); Plzeň had not conceded in seven Europa Conference League games prior to this one.

PAOK 0-2 Club Brugge (agg: 0-3)

The Belgian side will face Fiorentina in their first European semi-final in 32 years after easing past PAOK over two legs. Ferran Jutglà struck twice in 12 first-half minutes to settle the tie, capping a devastating counterattack with a neat finish for his first and then slamming in a loose ball for his second after Michał Skóraś had been denied by the goalkeeper. PAOK came into the match unbeaten in eight European home games but Răzvan Lucescu's side rarely troubled a well-organised Club Brugge defence,

Key stat: Club Brugge's last European semi-final pitted them against Werder Bremen in the 1991/92 European Cup Winners' Cup. They won the first leg at home, Daniel Amokachi the scorer, but lost 2-0 in Germany.

Destination: Athens

The 2023/24 Europa Conference League season will conclude at the AEK Arena in Athens, Greece on 29 May.