Both managers have picked very strong sides, even though this scond leg is likely to be a formality. The strength of Roma’s XI is a compliment of sorts to Brighton.
53 min: West Ham have a cushion! Bowen breaks down the right, his cross is hastily cleared by Ginter and it falls to Cresswell on the edge of the area. The left back has time to take a touch before bending a swerving shot in off the far post. Wow!
It’s another fine West Ham goal, this time by Aaron Cresswell. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
51 min: Close for Rangers! Tavernier gets some room to sweep in one of his textbook crosses. Dessers is wrestling with (I think) Otamendi in the middle. Dessers goes down, shouts for a penalty! Turned away. The ball bounces off Otamendi and flies just inches wide of the Benfica post. So nearly an own goal!
Fletcher: what a performance from young Paul Atreides. Ever ridden a worm Ally? McCoist: oh many moons ago Fletcher: that's not what the Bene Gesserit told me McCoist: *laughing* well...I'm no Lisan al Gaib I have to say
Two ties which are completely up for grabs, two ties which (look) like they are done. But can Villarreal get a couple of early goals in the second half?
It’s all-square at a very wet Ibrox between Rangers and Benfica. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images
45+6 min: This could get ugly. Leao makes it three, curling a beautiful shot from outside the box into the top corner. What a player he is. Stanek didn’t move in the Slavia net.
Two goals in three minutes! First Pulisic scores for the third straight game before Loftus-Cheek, who has been completely reborn in Milan, puts the tie beyond doubt. Loftus-Cheek scored in the fist leg as well, remember.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek surely ends any hopes of a Slavia Prague comeback with the second goal for Milan. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP
Surely not. They couldn’t, could they? Capoue, formerly of Watford, heads past Lopez, after a cross from Femenia, formerly of Watford. Game on? Not quite, but not far off.
The veteran Etienne Capoue heads home for Villarreal. Photograph: Alberto Saiz/AP
35 min: Lundstram is a lucky boy! He needlessly gives the ball away in midfield and suddenly is four on four. Lundstram then fails to track Di Maria, who races to the byline, cuts the ball tantalisingly across the six-yard line, but a combination of Goldson and Tavernier keep Rafa Silva out at the far post!
32 min: West Ham take the lead in the tie! Antonio dummies a pass and Bowen races onto it behind. He shrugs off a challenge, steadies himself on the edge of the area, and arrows a low shot into the bottom right corner beyond Atubolu! Great finish, and a lovely little assist from Antonio.
Jarrod Bowen scores a brilliant second goal for West Ham! Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters
28 min: Leao goes through on goal, but Stanek makes a fine stop with his feet. You feel that Milan need just one more goal to rubber stamp this tie. That said, the red card has really taken the bite out of the home crowd.
24 min: Marseille nearly extend their lead in Spain! Femenia makes a hash of a clearance and Sarr races through but Jorgensen races out of goal and just beats the Marseille man to the ball!
I should mention that Sorloth has missed two golden chances for Villarreal already. The aggregate score could be quite different.
20 min: The hosts’ unlikely task just become the near impossible. Holes sees red after catching Calabria on the ankle. The referee needed VAR to confirm the decision, but a red card it is.
15 min: Wright does really well on the right wing, taking on three Benfica defenders to win a corner. Headed clear.
I should mention that there was this tifo at Ibrox before kick-off. A reminder that the Europa League final this year is in Dublin. It is not impossible that they could face Liverpool in the Irish capital, a potential prospect that Uefa have described as “extremely challenging”.
12 min: Fredrik Aursnes, who is basically a Norwegian regen of a late career Raul Meireles (not just in his appearance but also in the way that he plays), shoots from range for Benfica. Butland, who was snubbed from Southgate’s England squad today, gets down to his right.
10 min: Freiburg so nearly hit back immediately. Some slick passing releases Sallai, and the striker works a yard of space in the box but shoots two yards wide. The Hungarian should have done better!
We’re all square in the tie! West Ham score from that third corner, with Soucek flicking it on at the near post. Paqueta, completely unmarked taps it in. The London Stadium erupts!
Lucas Paqueta scores for West Ham! Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters
6 min: Kudus nearly finds space for a spectacular overhead but has to settle for a corner. Freiburg manage to clear two Cresswell deliveries from under their crossbar but West Ham will have a third corner …
2 min: Lively start at Ibrox. David Neres, who was terrible in the first leg for Benfica crosses from the left but Souttar stands strong in the middle.
The teams are out. Angel Di Maria looks particularly stonefaced in Glasgow, as does Rangers’ Fabio Silva, who played briefly for Benfica in his youth, but then made his name at Porto. The Portuguese was excellent in the first leg, I thought.
This is a fascinating West Ham squad at the moment. In Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus, Alvarez they have some elite talent, and yet it still feels very old school West Ham. And I’m not talking about Bobby Moore. More Kevin Nolan. Not that I don’t like Kevin Nolan. But you know what I mean.
Ibrox is going to be absolutely rocking tonight. The team is on a rich run of form, Benfica is a pearler of a European tie and there will also be tributes to Thomas McAllister, a fan who lost his life in Lisbon after the first leg.
Hello world! Thursday is the new Wednesday, haven’t you heard? An evening for the football hipsters.
What, you’ve never heard of new Benfica wonderkid João Neves?! Ha! He’s got higher-waisted shorts than Javier Zanetti and Scott Parker, an engine like a young James Milner and the vision of a teenage Rui Costa. Stick that up your Champions League and smoke it.
The point is, there are dozens of little storylines here. Some well-thumbed, some waiting to be explored. We have eight second legs on offer in the early kick-offs (5.45pm GMT), and eight matches in the lates (8pm GMT, which will be brought to you later by Rob Smyth).
