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European Midweek Rewind: Monaco draws Nice, Sevilla edges Atletico, and more

At this point of last year’s Ligue 1 campaign, both AS Monaco and Nice were in different situations that they are now. Monaco was leading the table ahead of their shocking championship campaign, while Nice was holding onto the final Champions League qualification spot. Radamel Falcao’s 92nd-minute equalizer helped Monaco gain a point in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at the Stade Louis II. Adama Diakhaby’s left-footed finish after 33 minutes gave the hosts a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Mario Balotelli drew the visitors level, finishing from close-range for his 11th league goal of the season. The Italian added to his strong performance, putting Nice ahead in the 68th-minute. However, Falcao saved his best moment for last scoring from close-range after Stevan Jovetic was kept out prior. The point dropped Monaco to fourth place following Wednesday’s results, while Nice sit in sixth.

Elsewhere, Chelsea welcomed Norwich City to Stamford Bridge for an F.A. Cup replay, while AFC Bournemouth traveled to Wigan. Atletico Madrid hosted Sevilla in the top quarterfinal first-leg in the Spanish Copa Del Rey, while Barcelona traveled to Espanyol. PSG hosted Dijon in the late match of Wednesday’s Ligue 1 action.

Here’s a closer look at all of Europe’s midweek action:

ENGLISH F.A. CUP

AFC Bournemouth became the fifth Premier League side to be eliminated from the F.A. Cup, after falling 3-0 at Wigan. Eddie Howe’s side were outclassed by Wigan after the hosts saw a two-goal advantage slip away in the first-leg. Sam Morsy opened the score after nine minutes, after Will Grigg was saved by Artur Boruc. The tie was put to rest after a quick pair of goals past the midway point of the second-half. Dan Burn made it 2-0 after 73 minutes before Callum Eder headed in three minutes later. Bournemouth was kept out three times by Jamie Jones, who preserved the home clean sheet.

Here’s all of this week’s F.A. Cup replays involving Premier League sides:

Leicester City 2 – Fleetwood Town 0

West Ham United 1 – Shrewsbury Town 0

Wigan Athletic 3 – AFC Bournemouth 0

Swansea City 2 – Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Chelsea 1 – Norwich City 1 (Chelsea advances 5-3 on penalty kicks).

SPANISH COPA DEL REY

Sevilla used a pair of second-half goals to cancel out Atletico Madrid’s lead and pull out a 2-1 win away from home. Jesus Navas’ right-footed finish drew Sevilla level after Diego Costa opened things for the hosts. Costa’s third goal since joining back with Atletico saw the hosts ahead after 73 minutes, prior to Navas’ equalizer. Joaquin Correa played the hero for Sevilla, finishing off Wissam Ben Yedder’s assist for the winning goal. After setting up Navas earlier in the half, Correa showed concentration to net his fourth goal of the competition. The two will square off on January 23rd for the return leg at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season, a 1-0 first-leg loss at Espanyol on Wednesday. Oscar Melendo’s left-footed strike sealed the win for Espanyol who knew they came out with a lucky result. Lionel Messi saw his left-footed penalty shot saved in the 62nd-minute by Diego Lopez. The former Real Madrid keeper made four saves to preserve the clean sheet at home. Barcelona return to the Camp Nou on January 25th for the return leg, knowing they will have it all to do for a chance to advance.

Here’s all of this week’s Copa Del Rey first legs:

Atletico Madrid 1 – Sevilla 2

Valencia 2 – Alaves 1

Espanyol 1 – Barcelona 0

Leganes hosts Real Madrid on Thursday.

FRENCH LIGUE 1

PSG rolled their way to another three points at the Parc Des Princes, routing Dijon 8-0. The hosts bagged four goals in the opening 45 minutes to really put the match out of reach. Angel Di Maria’s long-range missile opened things after four minutes, before the Argentine doubled his tally from close-range. Di Maria played distributor on PSG’s third goal, crossing the ball to Edinson Cavani who headed home. Neymar made it four goals in his last three appearances, showing his talents from a free-kick to close out the half. The Brazilian’s second goal of the evening extended PSG’s lead to 5-0 ahead of the hour mark. Neymar capped of his hat trick in the 63rd-minute slotting home with his right foot. Kylian Mbappe added a goal as a substitute before Neymar bagged his fourth of the evening from the penalty spot. The victory extends PSG’s lead to 11 points at the top of the table, while Dijon sit in 11th after the hammering.

Here’s all of this week’s Ligue 1 results:

Bordeaux 0 – Caen 2

Marseille 2 – Strasbourg 0

Monaco 2 – Nice 2

Amiens 1 – Montpellier 1

Angers 3 – Troyes 1

Guingamp 0 – Lyon 2

Lille 1 – Rennes 2

Metz 3 – St. Etienne 0

Toulouse 1 – Nantes 1

PSG 8 – Dijon 0

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