The European soccer tournament that comes second in prestige to some, behind the Champion’s League, is in its final stages. The quarter-finals saw the exits of Russian giants Rubin Kazan, English favorites Tottenham Hotspur, the Italian powerhouse that is Lazio, and the English underdogs Newcastle United.

Two London clubs were present in the quarter-finals, one advancing and one leaving behind a chance to win silverware for the season. Chelsea went head to head with Rubin Kazan, a Russian team who had done well to knock out last year’s Europa League winners – Spain’s Atletico Madrid – in the round of 32. Chelsea were able to score three goals in each of the two legs of the round of 8, while Rubin Kazan were only able to score three in total, edging Chelsea forward to the semi-finals.

The other London club, Tottenham Hotspur, faced Swiss team FC Basel, who, in last year’s Champion’s league, knocked out Manchester United, arguably one of the best teams in the world. After both legs of the quarter-finals between the London-based team and the Swiss team ended 2-2, penalties were needed in order to have a clear-cut winner. Tottenham’s 41-year-old American keeper, Brad Friedel, was unable to save any of Basel’s penalties, while Yann Sommer, Basel’s keeper, was able to save two of the four penalties taken by Tottenham players, meaning Basel will play Chelsea in the semi-finals.

Turkish club Fenerbahce SK played S.S. Lazio in the quarter-finals of the competition. After a convincing 2-0 win in Turkey for Fenerbahce, the Italian club was unable to answer, and the second leg ended 1-1, putting a stop to any dreams the club from Rome had of winning a trophy this year.

SL Benfica and Newcastle United FC were the last two teams to play for the final spot in the semi-finals. The Portuguese team proved to be too strong, however, with a 3-1 win in the first game and a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. Benfica will play Fenerbahce for the spot in the final match in the Europa League.