Two of the three Spanish teams in Europa league quarters won their first leg games, making it a good day for the La Liga teams.
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Fernando Llorente grabbed a brace as Athletic Bilbao proved their Europa League conquest of Manchester United was no fluke with a 4-2 win at Schalke in Thursday's quarter-final first leg.
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Llorente struck in the 20th and 73rd minutes in Gelsenkirchen after veteran compatriot Raul had scored twice to give the German side a 2-1 lead on the hour mark before Bilbao hit three goals in the last 17 minutes.
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After Llorente had levelled for 2-2, Oscar de Marcos and Iker Muniain scored in the closing 10 minutes while Schalke's Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar hit the post with a smart volley.
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Schalke's Jermaine Jones and Bilbao's Oscar de Marcos vie for the ball duringu00a0their Europa League quarter-final match. Pic/AFP
Bilbao will start as comfortable favourites to make the semi-finals when the second leg is played at home next week although they will have defensive midfielder Ander Iturraspe suspended.
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Raul's goals, his second a fine volley, also extended his record as Europe's deadliest striker with the 34-year-old now having 76 goals in European competition, six more than Filippo Inzaghi.
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Atletico Madrid, the 2010 champions, needed a goal a minute from time to edge another German side Hanover 2-1 in Spain.
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Falcao fired Atletico in front after nine minutes with Mame Biram Diouf levelling for Hanover seven minutes from half-time.
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But substitute Eduardio Salvio popped up in the 89th minute to give Atletico a narrow lead.
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Australian international Brett Holman and Maarten Martens scored Dutch league leaders AZ Alkmaar's goals in a 2-1 victory over Valencia, the third Spanish side in the quarter-finals.
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Holman volleyed in a Martens' corner on the stroke of half-time but Mehmet Topal headed the equaliser soon after the interval.
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Martens found the target from Holman's cross in the 79th-minute to give his side the upper hand ahead of the second leg.
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Sporting Lisbon, who put out Manchester City in the last 16, saw off Metalist Kharkov 2-1, but were left to regret conceding a last-minute penalty against the Ukrainians.
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Metalist secured their vital away goal after Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio had brought down substitute Marko Devic allowing Cleiton Xavier to score from the spot.
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Unbeaten in their last 10 European home games, Sporting went ahead through Marat Izmailov in the 51st minute with Emiliano Insua adding a second 13 minutes later.
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