Atalanta's Scamacca salvages draw at Sporting in Europa League last 16

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LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Gianluca Scamacca scored for Atalanta in a 1-1 draw at Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 on Wednesday.

Paulinho put the hosts ahead after collecting a through ball early the first half before Scamacca canceled it out from the edge of the area in the 39th minute.

The return leg will be played in Italy on March 14.

The teams had also met in the group stage with Atalanta winning 2-1 in Lisbon and drawing 1-1 at home.

All the other first-leg games in the second-tier competition are scheduled for Thursday, including English Premier League leader Liverpool facing Sparta in Prague.

In this round, the eight group-stage winners, including Atalanta, play the eight teams that advanced through a knockout round playoff.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer