All the football stories from midweek
This week has continued to give fans some great results across Europe and a lot of action to look forward to. Atletico Madrid continued their winning run in La Liga and a Fernando Llorente hat-trick ensured Spurs' progression in FA Cup. Meanwhile, AC Milan set up a thrilling finale in the Coppa Italia. Here's the roundup.
Emphatic Griezmann soars for Atletico
Antoine Griezmann scored four goals in a star-studded night for Atletico against Leganes in La Liga. The Frenchman added the feat to his hat-trick over the weekend, as Atletico have closed the gap to just four points over Barcelona. Diego Simeone's men thrashed Leganes as they scripted their eighth successive victory across all competitions. Valencia drew as Sevilla registered victory.
La Liga results & fixtures
Atletico Madrid 4-0 Leganes, Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Valencia, Malaga 0-1 Sevilla, Getafe 3-0 Deportivo La Coruna, Eibar 1-0 Villarreal. Fixtures - Las Palmas vs Barcelona 1:30 am IST, Real Betis vs Real Sociedad 12:00 am IST and Alaves vs Levante 2:00 am IST.
Spurs pump six past Rochdale
Tottenham Hotspur reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after thrashing minnows Rochdale at the Wembley stadium. Powered by a 12-minute Fernando Llorente hat-trick, Spurs won the match 6-1. Son Heung-min smashed a brace with Walker-Peters adding another in injury time. Spurs will travel to Swansea for the last-eight encounter on March 17.
Marred VAR technology brings controversy
In the Spurs versus Rochdale FA Cup tie, the VAR technology created a flurry of controversies. Erik Lamela's goal was disallowed as the assistants took a minute to come to their decision. Next, a decision to award Spurs a penalty came after a VAR delay.
Milan set up Juve final
AC Milan set up a blockbuster Coppa Italia finale with Serie A champions Juventus. The Italian side overcame Lazio 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after it remained 0-0 over two goalless legs and extra time. On the other hand, holders Juve beat Atalanta 1-0 to reach the final of the Cup tourney. Miralem Pjanic's 75th minute goal ensured the side's progression with 2-0 aggregate.
