In the return leg of Marseille against Shakhtar Donetsk, the Vélodrome stadium behold the moment when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke the Europa League goalscorer record he held previously with former Atlético de Madrid star Radamel Falcao. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalled the tally in the team’s meeting in Germany last week before finally netting his 31st and qualifying his team to the next round of the Europa League. It was a momentous moment for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the 34-year-old striker felt like a forgotten man with his failed stinks at Chelsea and Barcelona.
Also Read: A Famous Upset: FC Shakhtar Donetsk Stun Barcelona 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Secured Marseille’s Comeback
If the Champions League has Cristiano Ronaldo, the Europa League has Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Although it is a different competition, the way the Gabonese striker dragged his team in this tie across the finish line was reminiscent of the flashy Portuguese. For context, Marseille headed into this encounter without a win in seven, and they looked set to continue that streak when they fell behind from the spot in just the 12th minute.
However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was not to let his competition slip him by, as the striker equalised 11 minutes later with a well-taken finish after Shakhtar Donetsk lost possession inside their own half. It was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 31st goal in the competition after spending most of his career playing in the Europa League under Arsenal, Dortmund and Barcelona. As the classic European tie neared its final quarters, the record-breaking striker found Ismaila Sarr in space after his slight first touch, and the winger did not disappoint with his low shot into the bottom corner.
With the momentum clearly on their side, Marseille recorded their third on the night through Geoffrey Kondogbia after Riznyk made a mess of the ball from the danger area, allowing the French midfielder to find the empty net through a tight angle. As the final whistle blew, the Vélodrome stadium gave a standing ovation to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the entire squad for their turnaround, especially with Gennaro Gattuso’s sacking before the match.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now the all-time leader in Europa League goals with 31 goals 😤 pic.twitter.com/Up16WMExEl
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 22, 2024
Aubamawho, Aubamawhat?
As mentioned before, it looked destined for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not to break the record as his life after being stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in 2021 was full of highs and lows. For example, Aubameyang faced challenges that led to a move to Barcelona and eventually landing at Chelsea, where he struggled the most, with only three goals in 21 appearances for the Blues.
Then, as he was joyfully auctioned away by the Chelsea faithful during the transfer period, the once Saint-Etienne finally found his bearing back in France with his new home, Marseille. Despite the club sitting in 9th with six points away from a European competition spot, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has discovered his goalscoring touch as he averages a goal every two games (33 matches) with seven of his 16 in the Europa League.
Now, with him finally breaking the Europa League goalscoring record and etching his name into the history books, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will look to go one better in breaking Henrik Larsson’s record for most goals scored in the competition. For those unknown, Aubameyang and Larsson shared the goalscoring record for the competition if we include the time before the Europa League was rebranded from the UEFA Cup. Thus, let’s give Auba one more push to help him break the new record in the next match. Ready? Aubamawho, Aubamawhat, AubamaBLOODCLARTYANG!
When Is the Europa League Round of 16 Tie?
Speaking of the next round of the Europa League, the round of 16 draw will be held later at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, at 12:00 CET, with the eight group stage winners from the Europa League group stage facing the knockout round play-off winners. As a note, no side can face another team from the same national association, thus making the potential matchups extremely spicy.
As for when the round of 16 ties begins, the first legs will be on the 7th of next month, with the second legs a week later on the 14th. To follow live updates of the draw or catch up on the eventual bracket, follow AsiaSport for more news or high-definition highlights of every European match occurring until the end of the season.
Predictions for Europa League draw? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/G4Xi4hmcKP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 23, 2024
