Arsenal held 2-2 at Sporting in Europa League round of 16

Arsenal held 2-2 at Sporting in Europa League round of 16
Premier League leader Arsenal was held 2-2 at Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League round-of-16 first-leg match Thursday. Hidemasa Morita's own goal in the 62nd minute salvaged the draw for Arsenal ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium next Thursday for a spot in the quarterfinals. “There are things to improve, but we showed a lot of resilience," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Morita deflected Granit Xhaka's long-distance drive into his own net. Arsenal, boosted by a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, dominated early possession and went ahead through William Saliba. The defender headed in the opener for Arsenal from a corner from Fábio Vieira to capitalize on early pressure in the 22nd.
Arteta made six changes to his starting lineup compared with Saturday, giving defender Jakub Kiwior his debut at the back alongside Saliba. Arsenal strikers Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah were missing for the game in Lisbon while former Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin was not available for Sporting due to a knee injury. Sporting equalized with almost an identical reply, as Arsenal’s defense looked vulnerable.
Gonçalo Inácio headed home off a Marcus Edwards corner past goalkeeper Matt Turner 12 minutes after Saliba's goal. It was Sporting’s first goal against Arsenal in their fifth encounter in European competitions. Ten minutes into the second half, Sporting turned the game around, with Paulinho putting the hosts ahead on a rebound.
“The tie is open, it’s difficult obviously," Sporting coach Rúben Amorim said. RE-UNION Substitute Sven Michel salvaged a 3-3 draw for Union Berlin against Union Saint-Gilloise with a goal a minute from the end in the German capital. Victor Boniface scored twice for Union Saint-Gilloise, including the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute before Michel's equalizer.
The two sides already met in the group stage this season. The Belgian Union won 1-0 in Berlin while the German Union won by the same score in Brussels. At Stadio Olimpico in Rome, José Mourinho’s Roma made a step toward advancing with a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad.
Tammy Abraham set up the opening goal for Stephan El Shaarawy to finish a fast counter in the first half before substitute defender Marash Kumbulla doubled the advantage with a close-range header three minutes from time. Bayer Leverkusen had the same advantage over Ferencváros after their first-leg game. Kerem Demirbay opened the scoring for Leverkusen in the 10th, and Edmond Tapsoba added the second toward the end for the hosts.
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE Michail Antonio struck twice late in the first half to guide West Ham past AEK Larnaca 2-0 in Cyprus. Despite a troubled season in the Premier League, the Hammers have been cruising in the third-tier European competition with a perfect record. Said Benrahma crossed for Antonio’s first with the striker doubling the advantage in stoppage time for his first two goals in the European campaign this season.
Manu Trigueros put Villarreal — a Champions League semifinalist last season, ahead in the first half before Anders Dreyer tied it at 1-1 with a second-half goal for Anderlecht in the draw in Brussels. Nice beat Sheriff away in Moldova 1-0. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.
com/hub/soccer and https://twitter. com/AP_Sports Karel Janicek, The Associated Press.