UEFA Europa Conference League roundup: Ajax survive Bodo/Glimt challenge as Betis and Frankfurt are knocked out
Ajax survived the Bodo/Glimt storm in the Arctic Circle to advance to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday, while Real Betis and Eintracht Frankfurt were eliminated.
The Dutch giants needed Kenneth Taylor's fortunate finish deep into extra time to defeat Bodo 2-1 on the night in Norway and 4-3 on aggregate.
Bodo were left to rue missed opportunities in the Johan Cruyff Arena last week, despite dominating the four-time European champions and hitting the crossbar three times.
Ajax are having a poor season, sitting fifth in the Eredivisie and closer to the relegation zone than runaway leaders PSV Eindhoven and they were reduced to ten men early in the second half when Josip Sutalo received a red card for denying a clear scoring opportunity.
Borna Sosa handled on the line moments later, but was bailed out for a questionable foul on goalkeeper Diant Ramaj, saving Ajax from another red card and penalty.
Patrick Berg and Jens Petter Hauge hit powerful shots off the crossbar as Bodo piled on the pressure until they were reduced to ten men due to two quick bookings for Albert Gronbaek.
Berg finally found a deserved equaliser seven minutes later, drilling in off the post.
An offside flag prevented Bodo from winning with virtually the last kick of the game.
That proved to be decisive, as Taylor's cross-cut shot found its way into the top corner in the 114th minute.
Betis were eliminated after a 1-1 draw at Dinamo Zagreb, dealing another blow to Spain's hopes of securing an extra spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Cedric Bakambu's clever backheel finish gave the visitors hope of overcoming a 1-0 loss in Seville last week.
However, Japanese winger Takuro Kaneko snuck in at the back post to equalise on the hour mark, and the Croatian champions held out despite being denied a penalty following a VAR review for a foul by Hector Bellerin.
La Liga trails Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League in the race to finish as one of the top two nations in European performance this season and earn an extra spot in the Champions League.
Betis' elimination means they will have no representation in the Conference League, whereas Sevilla and Osasuna were eliminated from European competition before Christmas.
Frankfurt's hopes of replicating their UEFA Europa League glory from two years ago were dashed as Union Saint-Gilloise defeated the Bundesliga side 2-1 at the Waldstadion.
Union trailed 2-0 after 10 minutes of the first leg, but rallied to level the score for the trip to Germany, where Cameron Puertas and Dennis Eckert scored in the second half to cause an upset.
Junior Dina Ebimbe's late consolation was too little, too late for Frankfurt, who are now winless in five games.
Olympiakos defeated Hungarian champions Ferencvaros 2-0 on aggregate thanks to a Ayoub El Kaabi penalty.
Molde defeated Legia Warsaw 3-0 in Poland, advancing 6-2 on aggregate.
Sturm Graz were also convincing winners, with a 1-0 win over Slovan Bratislava completing a 5-1 victory in the tie. Mika Biereth, an Arsenal loanee, scored the only goal of the night in Slovakia's capital.
Servette defeated Ludogorets Razgrad 1-0 in Bulgaria, progressing by the same score on aggregate. Timothe Cognat scored the only goal after six minutes to propel the Swiss champions through.
SportsLigue