Europa League: AC Milan, Tottenham advance to knockout stage

Gareth Bale scored his first Europa League goal since returning to Tottenham from Real Madrid in the London club's 3-3 draw at Austria's LASK, which was enough to advance from Group J

London: AC Milan came from two goals down to beat Celtic 4-2 and qualify for the Europa League’s knockout stage, while Tottenham advanced despite giving up a late equalizer.

Gareth Bale scored his first Europa League goal since returning to Tottenham from Real Madrid in the London club’s 3-3 draw at Austria’s LASK, which was enough to advance from Group J.

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Another 12 teams made it through as Braga, Lille, Villarreal, Royal Antwerp, Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade, Leverkusen, Slavia Prague, Rangers, Benfica, Granada and PSV Eindhoven all advanced with a game to spare.

Fans returned to a European football game in England for the first time since March when Arsenal hosted Rapid Vienna.

Arsenal havenn’t won a Premier League game since Nov. 1 but is the last team to keep a perfect record in Europe’s second-tier competitions after a 4-1 victory.

Spanish league leader Real Sociedad were held to a surprise 2-2 home draw by the already eliminated Rijeka.

Tottenham needed just a point to advance but went 1-0 down in the first half through Peter Michorl’s strike from 25 meters (yards). Bale got the equalizer by sending goalkeeper Alexander Schlager the wrong way from the penalty spot and the Premier League leader took the lead after Tanguy Ndombélé set up Son Heung-­min for the second early in the second half.

LASK came back twice, though, first through Johannes Eggestein and then — after Dele Alli had netted another penalty for Spurs — with Mamoudou Karamoko’s equalizer in stoppage time.

Royal Antwerp beat Ludogorets 3-1 at home to top Group J on 12 points, with Tottenham on 10.

Captain Alexandre Lacazette set the tone for Arsenal 10 minutes into the game, unleashing a swerving long-range shot with his right foot that sailed into the net.

Pablo Mari rose high to head in the second off a corner kick seven minutes later for his first goal for Arsenal.

Eddie Nketiah made it 3-0 before the interval, finishing a free-flowing move. Goalkeeper Richard Strebinger parried his initial shot but the forward was able to head home the rebound.

Kohya Kitagawa pulled one back for Rapid in the second before Emile Smith Rowe stretched the lead to three again. Ainsley Maitland­-Niles was fed by Nicolas Pépé on the left to cross for the substitute to score three minutes after coming on.

It gave the 2,000 fans who were allowed into the Emirates Stadium something to cheer about after poor play in the Premier League.

The club sold out the tickets within 20 minutes, having offered them to season-ticket holders on a first-come-first-served basis after coronavirus restrictions were eased in London. Arsenal has already qualified for the knockout phase with two games to spare.

Arsenal made it five wins from the first five games in a European competition for only the second time after the 2005-’06 season in the Champions League.

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