{"id":1084958,"date":"2019-04-18T22:23:05","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T21:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1084958"},"modified":"2019-04-19T13:32:11","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T12:32:11","slug":"europa-league-quarter-final-match-analysis-lacazette-giroud-frankfurt","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/europa-league-quarter-final-match-analysis-lacazette-giroud-frankfurt\/","title":{"rendered":"“It’s his house!” – Five things learned from the Europa League quarter-finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a pulsating night of quarter-final action in the Europa League as the semi-finals were set.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arsenal beat Napoli 0-1, Chelsea and Slavia Prague played out a seven goal thriller, Valencia dispatched Villarreal 2-0 and finally Frankfurt overturned their first leg defeat to win 2-0 and progress on away goals. What did we learn?<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7234057-i-can-t-think-of-any-potential-arsenal-signings-that-make-more-sense<\/p>\n

1. LacaBOSS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One thing you want when you go away from home in Europe is for your star strikers to deliver, because if you can score an away goal then the entire shape of your tie will be utterly transformed. The psychological effect is as strong as the mathematical one.<\/p>\n

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Unai Emery took a risk starting with both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, because that vacated midfield and also meant that he had no genuine gamechanger on the bench. Lacazette made sure the risk paid off though, first with an absolutely excellent performance full of great movement, passing and interplay – and then with his showstopping free-kick.<\/p>\n

Lacazette was fully 30 yards away from goal and placed dead centre when he stepped up inside a hostile Stadio San Paolo. No one would have begrudged him has he missed it, this was far from an easy chance. Instead the Frenchman stepped up and beamed an absolute beauty into the back of the net. Alex Meret in the Napoli goal\u00a0didn’t even move<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2. VAR was missed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last night in the Champions League we have been given object lessons in why VAR is not only the future and a source of tremendously new forms of drama, but ultimately an overwhelming force for good. The Europa League doesn’t have VAR, and in the end that made a massive difference to way at least one tie proceeded.<\/p>\n

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Benfica came into Frankfurt protecting a 4-2 lead, and whilst they were far from at their best in Germany, their opponents didn’t look like it was going to happen for them. But then Mijat Gacinovic’s shot bounced off the post and Filip Kostic tucked home the rebound, except Kostic was clearly offside when he did it.<\/p>\n

Benfica were furious (rightly so) but that goal changed everything, and with their confidence boosted, Frankfurt eventually found that second goal to knock Benfica out. It was brutally unfair on the bold Benfica side full of amazing young talent.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Imww_za6yZI<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Squawka\u2019s Youtube channel here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Valencia will be no pushovers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Arsenal will feel confident heading into the semi-finals, and that’s rightly so, but once there they will face a mean Valencia side who will give them as good as they can get. Los Che have had an underwhelming season compared to their comeback campaign last year, but they have risen up the table in 2019 and are now in their first Copa del Rey final in over a decade and back in a European semi-final for the first time since 2014 when they lost to Sevilla on away goals.<\/p>\n

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Valencia have now reached the semi-finals in three of their last four #UEL<\/a> campaigns.<\/p>\n

A final-four tie against Arsenal awaits. pic.twitter.com\/jio216tNhx<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) April 18, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n