Both Arsenal and Atletico Madrid earned comfortable advantages from their first-leg fixtures in the last 16 of the Europa League, while AC Milan and Lokomotiv Moscow were punished and find themselves behind after defeats on Thursday evening.
Arsene Wenger's Gunners side were able to end a torrid run of late, as goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a comfortable 2-0 away win against Milan at San Siro.
As for Atletico, Diego Simeone's side profited from finishes courtesy of Saul Niguez, Diego Costa and Koke in the Spanish capital in order to secure a commanding 3-0 lead over Lokomotiv in their first-leg fixture.
Elsewhere, a second-half brace from Valon Berisha handed Red Bull Salzburg a shock 2-1 win away at Bundesliga stalwarts Borussia Dortmund, while Marcelo's header ensured that Lyon left CSKA Moscow with a crucial 1-0 win on the road.
In the later fixtures, Lucas Ocampos proved the difference for Marseille as he scored two to help the French side to a 3-1 home win against Athletic Bilbao.
In Germany, RB Leipzig had looked to have secured a comfortable win over Zenit St Petersburg, until Domenico Criscito scored a late free kick to earn the Russians a vital away goal despite losing 2-1 on the night.
As for Lazio, the Italian side appeared on course to earn a 2-1 comeback win over Dynamo Kiev thanks to second-half goals from Ciro Immobile and Felipe Anderson, although the visitors had the last laugh when Junior Moraes returned to bag their second goal on the road with 11 minutes to play, leaving the game to finish 2-2 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Finally in Portugal, Fredy Montero turned out to be the match-winner for hosts Sporting Lisbon, as the striker scored twice to put the Portuguese side into a dominant position against Viktoria Plzen.
Results in full: AC Milan 0 - 2 Arsenal, Atletico Madrid 3 - 0 Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Lyon, Borussia Dortmund 1 - 2 Red Bull Salzburg, Lazio 2-2 Dynamo Kiev, Marseille 3 - 1 Athletic Bilbao, RB Leipzig 2 - 1 Zenit Petersburg, Sporting 2 - 0 Viktoria Plzen
Christopher Dodd
