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Villa hat-trick puts Valencia through to quarters

David Villa netted three for Valencia © Getty Images

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Thursday night's gallery

David Villa scored a hat-trick as Valencia advanced on away goals after a thrilling 4-4 draw against Werder Bremen in the round-of-16 in the Europa League.

Valencia grabbed the lead after two minutes through Villa and Juan Manuel Mata made it 2-0 with just quarter of an hour gone. Hugo Almeida pulled a goal back for the hosts in the 26th minute before Villa grabbed his second just before the interval.

Torsten Frings scored from the penalty spot in the 57th minute and Marko Marin made it 3-3 just five minutes later, but Villa completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute and Claudio Pizarro's strike six minutes from time was not enough for the home side.

Alan Kardec came off the bench to inflict last-minute heartbreak on Marseille as his late goal sent Benfica through 2-1. The game seemed destined for penalties after Maxi Pereira swiftly levelled following Mamadou Niang's 70th-minute opener.

However, Kardec's last-gasp goal, just three minutes after coming on and his first for Benfica, put the Portuguese team through. There was further misery for Marseille when Hatem Ben Arfa was dismissed in stoppage time, seconds after coming on, for lashing out at the Benfica goalscorer.

Dieudonne Mbokani scored the only goal of the game as Standard Liege completed a comfortable passage into the last eight with a 1-0 home win over Panathinaikos.

Hamburg claimed a thrilling 6-5 aggregate win over Anderlecht after a second leg which swung to and fro at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Hamburg extended their advantage through Jerome Boateng three minutes before half-time but were remarkably pegged back to 4-3 on aggregate as teenager Romelu Lukaku and Matias Suarez, from a penalty, struck before the interval.

Marcell Jansen restored the German side's two-goal cushion but Anderlecht against responded, Lucas Biglia and Mbark Boussoufa's goals meaning Hamburg led only by virtue of the away-goals rule. Mladen Petric, though, scored 15 minutes from time to ease his side's nerves and earn them a quarter-final spot.

Sergio Aguero struck twice as Atletico Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw, but won an away-goals triumph over Sporting Lisbon.

All four goals in the second leg at the Estadio Jose Alvalade came in the first half, with Aguero twice putting Atletico ahead and Sporting hitting back through efforts from Liedson and Anderson Polga.

Wolfsburg defeated Rubin Kazan 2-1 to win 3-2 on aggregate.

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