Rennes delivered a stunning 3-1 victory over 10-man Arsenal in the Europa League round of 16, putting the French side in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals. The Gunners' early lead was undone by a controversial red card to defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, which shifted momentum decisively in favor of the hosts.
The match turned in the 40th minute when Sokratis received a second yellow card for fouling Ismaila Sarr, leaving Arsenal shorthanded. Rennes capitalized immediately, with Benjamin Bourigeaud equalizing moments later before Nacho Monreal's own goal put them ahead. Ismaila Sarr added a late third goal to secure the advantage.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, "3-1 is hard for us. We will start with 11 against 11, without Sokratis, but if we play like we did in the first 40 minutes, we will have the possibility to come back." The Gunners must overturn the deficit in the second leg at Emirates Stadium next week to continue their European campaign.
Chelsea advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3-0 home win over Dynamo Kiev, thanks to goals from Pedro, Willian, and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Manager Maurizio Sarri emphasized the importance of the 3-0 result but cautioned, "We have to be careful" for the second leg. Napoli also secured a spot in the last eight after a 3-0 victory over Salzburg, with Arkadiusz Milik and Fabian Ruiz scoring early goals.
Other notable results included Valencia's 2-1 win over Krasnodar, Inter Milan's 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, and Villarreal's 3-1 victory over Zenit Saint Petersburg. Sevilla, who won the Europa League three consecutive times from 2014 to 2016 under Emery, struggled to maintain their lead in a 2-2 draw against Slavia Prague.
