AC Milan beat Slavia, West Ham rout Freiburg to cruise into Europa League quarterfinals

LISBON: Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most the game with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless.
Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favorable.
Hansi Flick insisted before the game there was no such thing as an “easy” tie and the coach was proven right on a tense evening in the Portuguese capital.
Wojciech Szczesny made a smart save to deny Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu after just a few seconds, and the opening stages were played in a way that indicated both sides were picking up where they left off in Barcelona’s 5-4 group stage win in Lisbon a few weeks ago.
Dani Olmo fired narrowly wide at the other end as Barca threatened, before Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin produced a stunning triple save to keep the score level.
The Ukrainian first parried Dani Olmo’s prodded effort, then made a brilliant reaction stop to thwart Robert Lewandowski converting from point-blank range and mopped up Lamine Yamal’s attempt from the rebound.
Barcelona were dealt a blow when 18-year-old center-back Pau Cubarsi was sent off after 22 minutes.
The Spaniard scythed down Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored a hat-trick in the group match, as he ran through on goal.
Szczesny saved Orkun Kokcu’s drive from the free-kick, with Flick sacrificing Olmo for defender Ronald Araujo to steady the ship.
The Polish goalkeeper, brought out of retirement by Barcelona after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury in September, also made a fine reaction save to keep out Akturkoglu’s header before the break.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Flick’s Barca gave as good as they got at the Estadio da Luz.
After another good Szczesny intervention to stop Pavlidis kept Benfica at bay before Raphinha broke the deadlock.
On the right flank after Flick replaced Yamal early in the second half with Ferran Torres, Raphinha stole in to win the ball back high up and wallop a low, deflected effort home from distance.
It was his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, with the forward in the form of his career.
Barcelona defended frantically in the final stages as Benfica sought to level.
The hosts thought they had won a penalty when Szczesny felled Andrea Belotti, but there was an offside in the build-up and Barcelona survived with their lead intact.

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim said Wednesday winning the Europa League could make a “massive difference” to his team’s disappointing season, but was not vital in the big picture of the club’s future.
The Red Devils face Real Sociedad on Thursday in a last 16 clash at the Reale Arena, looking for respite from their poor domestic form.
Winning the Europa League would earn them a Champions League qualification spot for next season, which is virtually impossible for them to attain in the Premier League, where they sit 14th.
“I think it’s not a crucial thing for the future of the club... (but it would be) a massive difference in our season, especially because we are out of the (other) cups and in a bad position in the league,” Amorim told reporters.
“If we win the Europa League that could change a lot of things in the way (people) see the coach,” he joked.
Amorim, who arrived at Old Trafford in November after Erik ten Hag was sacked, believes top quality players will still be interested in joining United even if they failed to secure European football next season.
“Man United can (aim for) all the best players in the future even without Champions League in the future,” said Amorim.
“We have to change a lot of things and we’ll try to do that.
“There are more important things than winning cups in this moment, that is my view, but I understand that winning the Europa League can change everything for next season.”
Amorim said Sunday after Fulham knocked his team out of the FA Cup that United’s long-term goal should be winning the Premier League title.
“We have to think of the club as a project not just solve things in this moment,” continued the Portuguese coach.
“(We can’t think) if we win the Europa League we’ll be in amazing position in the next year... I’m trying to show the big picture to our supporters.”
The coach said his misfiring forward had been unlucky in recent games, with Rasmus Hojlund not scoring in his last 18 games and Joshua Zirkzee with just one strike in his last 16.
“There are things that are hard to explain,” said Amorim.
“Before the last match we had some games without opportunities, creating chances, that is impossible for them to score, it’s a team thing.
“But I felt in the last games... we had opportunities to score and we didn’t score, sometimes really, that’s it.”
United will be without Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte for the first leg clash in San Sebastian after they suffered knocks during Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Fulham.
Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw are among various other unavailable players amid the club’s injury crisis, along with teenage striker Chido Obi, who is not registered to play in Europe.
Meanwhile Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil said he was not sure if midfielder Martin Zubimendi would be fit to face United after he was taken off during the 4-0 league defeat by Barcelona on Sunday.
Alguacil considers the Red Devils as the “big favorite” to win the Europa League.
“I don’t agree with those who say they are coming here in a bad moment, they have less wins in the league than they deserve for how they’ve played, they have a great squad and some top players,” Alguacil told a news conference.
Man United won the Europa League in 2017 and have three Champions League wins in their history, while Real Sociedad have never reached a European final.