Leverkusen secured a 2-0 home win over West Ham United
\nLEVERKUSEN
\nLiverpool slumped to a shock 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta on Thursday as Gianluca Scamacca struck twice for the Italian side in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. On a chastening evening for former European champions in the continent\u2019s second-tier club competition, AC Milan lost 1-0 at home to fellow Italian side AS Roma.
\nBundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen secured a last-gasp 2-0 home win over West Ham United. Atalanta took the lead at Liverpool after 38 minutes when an unmarked Scamacca latched on to Davide Zappacosta\u2019s cross to strike a low shot past keeper Caoimhin Kelleher who should have done more to keep the effort out.
\nScamaca pounced on poor Liverpool defending to fire home from a fine cross by Charles De Ketelaere in the 60th minute before Mario Pasalic sealed the rout seven minutes from time with a simple finish off a rebound from Kelleher. \u201cUnfortunately, there is nothing really positive to say about the game,\u201d Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told TNT Sports. \u201cI know already that if we do a couple of things better, we will be better. Can we win it back? Yes, if we play good it is possible. Can we win 3-0? I have no idea. But this feels really bad and that\u2019s important.\u201d
\nLate strikes by Bayer Leverkusen substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface earned the Bundesliga leaders a two-goal advantage over West Ham and they remained undefeated this season with 37 wins and five draws across all competitions. Leverkusen dominated the game but the visitors\u2019 keeper Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a string of saves and kept out dangerous efforts by Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick to keep the scores level at the break.
\nHofmann gave Leverkusen the lead in the 83rd minute, scoring with a first-time effort and striker Boniface doubled the advantage in stoppage time with a header into the bottom corner. The hosts, who can clinch the Bundesliga title on Sunday, had 33 attempts on goal \u2014 13 on target \u2014 compared to one sole effort by midfielder Mohammed Kudus for Europa Conference League holders West Ham. Roma upset hosts Milan as Gianluca Mancini scored to end the capital club\u2019s nine-match winless run against Stefano Pioli\u2019s side. Roma, who had last beaten Milan in 2019, took the lead thanks to Mancini\u2019s pinpoint header from Paulo Dybala\u2019s corner in the 17th minute.
\n\u201cWe should have been more courageous,\u201d Milan coach Stefano Pioli said. \u201cWe created some chances, but I didn\u2019t see the same quality as in the last matches. \u201cThis team can do more, I know that. I didn\u2019t expect the defeat, we weren\u2019t precise, we lacked the flair.\u201d Portuguese champions Benfica claimed a 2-1 home win over Olympique de Marseille through goals by Rafa Silva and Argentine forward Angel Di Maria. The second legs will be played next Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leverkusen secured a 2-0 home win over West Ham United LEVERKUSEN Liverpool slumped to a shock 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta on Thursday as Gianluca Scamacca struck twice for the Italian side in their Europa League quarter-final first leg. On a chastening evening for former European champions in the continent\u2019s second-tier club competition, AC Milan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-399845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n