romelu-lukaku.png
Getty Images

The Europa League's quarterfinals are halfway over after two teams booked their spots to the semifinals on Monday. Inter Milan and Manchester United, who could meet in the final, are through to the last four after beating Bayer Leverkusen and Copenhagen, respectively.

Here's what to know and see from the day's action:

Scoreboard

  • Inter Milan 2, Bayer Leverkusen 1: In a thrilling and open first half, Inter Milan scored twice within ten minutes to go up two goals, thanks to Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku. However, Leverkusen's Kai Havertz made a game of it by getting a goal back in the 24th minute. The Bundesliga side never found an equalizer, though.

  • Manchester United 1, F.C. Copenhagen 0: Manchester United, a heavy favorite on Monday, needed extra time and a penalty kick in order to advance into Europa League semifinals.

Top plays

Lukaku stays strong
The Belgium international was a force today, turning heads on the pitch and scoring goals. His goal in the 21st minute wasn't made of technicality, but of brute force.

Havertz looking lucrative
Despite the result, the young talent was able to find the back of the net today and keep his team in the match. Transfer rumors have been swirling around the German player, and will continue after his performance today.

Manchester's semifinal clinching penalty
Manchester United had tons of opportunities vs. Copenhagen in the first 90 minutes, but the Red Devils just could not find the back of the net. That changed in the opening minutes of extra time as Anthony Martial drew a penalty and Bruno Fernandes finished it.

Notable performances

Let's rate some of the notable performances on the day, with one being the worst and 10 being perfection:

Lukaku, Inter Milan
The Belgium striker continued his scoring streak today, ensuring Inter Milan's place in the semifinal. Lukaku has scored in nine consecutive Europa League matches, a new individual record. RATING: 9

Havertz, Leverkusen 
A fine showing from the highly coveted German international, who was huge in making a game of it during a fluid and open first half. RATING: 7

Karl-Johan Johnsson, FC Copenhagen
The Swedish goalkeeper was as solid as can be, making some fantastic saves to keep his team in the game. He made a particularly fantastic save in the dying minutes of regulation on Anthony Martial. RATING: 8

Marcus Rashford, Manchester 
Not his best showing. Caught out of position a lot and wasn't much of a threat. Seemed out of sync with the rest of the United attack. RATING: 4

A look ahead

UEFA Europa League returns Tuesday to close out the quarterfinals. Remember, these are single matches for a spot in the semifinals and not two-leg affairs. 

  • Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Basel, Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET (CBS All Access): A tasty encounter where a smaller team will advance to the semifinals. Shakhtar is the better side, but Basel is full of confidence. 

  • Wolves vs. Sevilla, Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET (CBS All Access): Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves' coach, is quite familiar with Sevilla. Will that play to Wolves' advantage in pursuit of European glory?