A two-goal deficit was overcome by Strasbourg, who, spurred on by their home crowd at the Meinau, thrashed Mainz to reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. This is the first time the Alsatians have reached this stage of European competition. “We told ourselves that anything was possible,” said Abdoul Ouattara, the Ivorian RC Strasbourg midfielder who scored the equaliser.
In other news, the two Europa League semi-final fixtures are now known. Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike has spoken for the first time since sustaining a serious injury on Tuesday evening in the Champions League match against Liverpool, which rules him out of the World Cup with the French national team.
The French striker ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be sidelined for many months. In tennis, Arthur Fils comfortably reached the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 in Barcelona, getting his clay-court season off to a perfect start with Roland Garros just a month away.