Liverpool, Dortmund advance to Europa League round of 16

The Anfield home team beat Augsburg 1-0 on aggregate, thanks to James Milner's only goal.

Two Augsburg players cleared the ball and accidentally touched it with their hands, leading to a penalty. Photo: BPI.

After a 0-0 draw in Germany in the first leg, Liverpool had to score at home on February 25 to qualify for the next round. Jurgen Klopp's team achieved their goal early, in the fifth minute, thanks to a Milner penalty.The situation leading to the home team's penalty was quite humorous.Caiuby and Dominik Kohr both jumped to block the cross. Both Augsburg players collided with each other, resulting in handball in the penalty area.

The victory is a great morale boost for Liverpool as this Sunday they will play the League Cup final against Man City, who have just put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Liverpool with the trio of Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Firmino helped the attack coordinate smoothly and appeared dangerous. The home team pressed the field from the start, dominated the whole match and created more scoring opportunities.

The Kop had 24 shots, twice as many as Augsburg.Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Firmino tested the opposing goalkeeper in turn but failed. Sturridge once hit the woodwork.The wasted opportunities made the final minutes of the match somewhat tense. In the 89th minute, Kostas Stafylidis's free kick went wide of the post, making Liverpool fans gasp.

Dortmund is one of two German teams remaining in the Europa League. Photo: Reuters.

The 2-0 win in the first leg helpedDortmundconfidently marched to Portugal to meet Porto. The German representative not only maintained the advantage but also scored another goal to secure a ticket to the next round. The goal was counted as an own goal by goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Spain are still in good form with four teams in the round of 16, including Sevilla, Villarreal, Bilbao and Valencia. Italy lost two strong clubs, Napoli and Fiorentina. England still has three teams: Man Utd, Tottenham and Liverpool.

UEFA will draw the next round on February 26. Clubs from the same country will not meet in the round of 16.

According to VNE