Milan defeat 10-man Slavia Prague, Marseille thump Villarreal

Slavia Prague's unfortunate streak of not winning in Italy continued for the ninth consecutive match (D1, L8). They faced a controversial setback when they were reduced to 10 players, but despite their brave efforts, they ultimately suffered a 4-2 defeat against AC Milan in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie.

The visitors made a positive start to the game, with El Hadji Malick Diouf missing a chance to score from Oscar Dorley's well-placed pass. Lukas Provod also failed to find the target after being set up by David Doudera.

Doudera was frustrated with himself once again as he failed to connect with another cross from Dorley. However, his disappointment was soon overshadowed by Diouf's red card in the 26th minute for a dangerous tackle on Christian Pulisic.

Milan took advantage of their numerical superiority and quickly scored the opening goal. Rafael Leao's shot deflected off Tomas Vlcek and perfectly landed on Olivier Giroud's head, who nodded it in from close range.

But Slavia Prague didn't waste any time and immediately equalized. Doudera scored a stunning volley that beat Mike Maignan, despite the goalkeeper getting a touch on it.

The equalizer surprised the San Siro crowd, and Slavia goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek made an impressive reflex save to deny Matteo Gabbia.

Tijjani Reijnders then restored Milan's lead with a brilliant finish from the edge of the box, after receiving a pass from Alessandro Florenzi.

Just before halftime, Ruben Loftus-Cheek made it 3-1 for Milan, as he converted Florenzi's excellent corner from close range.

Shortly after the break, a crucial intervention by Lukas Masopust prevented Reijnders from increasing his goal count for the night. The trend seemed to be established for the evening, as Milan maintained control of the game.

Unexpectedly, Slavia reduced the gap in the scoreline on the 65th minute when substitute Ivan Schranz skillfully controlled Provod's free-kick and scored past Maignan with confidence.

Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor were later brought in to secure Milan's lead, but it was Leao who orchestrated the fourth goal, outmaneuvering Vlcek before chipping the ball over Stanek, which was then tapped in by Pulisic.

Despite a tense match, the Italian powerhouse will need to reinforce their defense, having now conceded 10 goals in five games, as they prepare for the return leg in Czechia next Thursday.

Marseille had a strong start to their round-of-16 clash against Villarreal, securing a 4-0 victory in the first leg with a series of goals in the first half. This win puts them in a good position to progress to the quarter-finals.

In Lisbon, Benfica, the hosts, had to stage a comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against the in-form Scottish side Rangers. The upcoming match in Glasgow won't be a walk in the park for the Portuguese giants.

Furthermore, in their initial encounter in Germany, Freiburg narrowly defeated West Ham with a 1-0 victory.