Andrea Pirlos sumptuous free kick earned Juventus a place in the Europa League quarterfinals, where the competition favourites were joined in an attractive lineup by Sevilla after its penalty-shootout win over fierce Spanish rival Real Betis on Thursday. Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. Having drawn 1-1 at home in the first leg, Juve was staring at elimination on the away-goals rule until Fiorentina defender Gonzalo Rodriguez was dismissed in the 69th minute for a second booking. From the resulting free kick at the edge of the area, Pirlo stepped up and whipped a brilliant strike into the top corner to seal a 1-0 win. The classy Italy midfielder shows no sign of decline at the age of 34 -- he scored a similarly sublime free kick for his team in a last-gasp league win over Genoa on Sunday, which kept Juve 14 points clear in Serie A and on course to defend its title. Juventus will be hosting the Europa League final on May 14 and the runaway Italian league leader may yet be playing in the showpiece match in front of its own fans. Sevilla overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit courtesy of goals by Jose Antonio Reyes and Carlos Bacca, earning a 2-0 win that sent the match to penalties. Sevillas first spot kick by Vitolo was saved but Alfred NDiaye and Nono failed to find the target with Betis last two attempts, putting the two-time winners through 4-3 on penalties. Benfica remained on course for a return to the final after surviving a late fightback by Tottenham to draw 2-2 in their second leg and advance 5-3 on aggregate. Two goals in less than two minutes by Nacer Chadli put Spurs 2-1 ahead on the night and gave them 11 minutes to score another, which would have forced extra time. The English team missed a number of chances before conceding a penalty deep into injury time, converted by Lima. There was no repeat of the touchline spat between rival coaches Jorge Jesus and Tim Sherwood form the first leg -- Sherwood opted to sit in the stands and stay out of trouble. Portos 1-0 lead from its first leg against Napoli was wiped out by Goran Pandevs deft finish in the 21st minute. The Italian side dominated but was picked off on counterattacks through goals by Nabil Ghilas in the 69th and Ricardo Quaresma in the 76th. Quaresma, the mercurial playmaker, finished off a flowing move by jinking between two defenders and slamming a shot high into the net for the goal of the evening. Duvan Zapatas consolation goal earned Napoli a 2-2 draw but it exited 3-2 on aggregate, denying coach Rafael Benitez the opportunity to retain the title he won when in interim charge of Chelsea last season. Players were taken off the pitch by the referee for about 10 minutes midway through the first half of Salzburg-Basel after missiles, including fireworks, were thrown onto the field of play by Basel fans. The score was 1-0 to Salzburg at the time after Jonatan Sorianos competition-high eighth goal in the Europa League, while Basel was down to 10 men after Marek Suchys straight red in the ninth minute. However, Marco Streller and Gaston Sauro scored headed goals in the second half for the Swiss team and Salzburg also ended the match with 10 men after Alan received a second yellow card for trying a bicycle kick and hitting Basel defender Philipp Degen in the face. Lyon lost 2-1 at Viktoria Plzen but advanced 5-3 on aggregate, Valencia beat Ludogorets Razgrad 1-0 thanks to Paco Alcacers 59th-minute goal and advanced 4-0 on aggregate. AZ Alkmaar drew 0-0 at Anzhi Makhachkala for a 1-0 aggregate victory. Hydro Flask Nederland . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 32 oz w/ Straw Lid Munt . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. http://www.hydroflasknederland.com/hydro...lid-kobalt.html. The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 18 oz Citroen . Since coming to the big leagues in late May, La Stella is 6 for 7 with the bases loaded, driving in 13 runs in those at-bats. Hydro Flask Standard Mouth 24 oz Citroen . After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday.CLEVELAND -- Lucky in the NBA lottery, the Cavaliers are hoping their good fortune continues as they look for a new coach. The team asked the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday for permission to speak with assistant coach Alvin Gentry about Clevelands coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. Gentry, who has coached four other franchises, has not yet set up a meeting with the Cavs, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on its search. The sides are working through some details, and are expected to meet in the next few days. Earlier this week, the Cavs defied long odds to win the draft lottery for the second year in a row and third time in four years. Cleveland is seeking its third coach in three years after Mike Brown was fired -- for the second time by owner Dan Gilbert -- last week following a 33-49 season. Gentry worked previously in Phoenix with Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, who said there is no timetable to hire a new coach. "We do not feel this is a race," he said. "This is not about being first. This is about getting it right. At the same time, if the right candidate did meet the criteria that we set out and is available and is as interested in us as we are in them, we would act on it at the time it presented itself." The Cleveland Plain Dealer was first to report the Cavs intentions to interview Gentry. The Cavs are not limiting themselves to coaches with pro experience and are expected to reach out to college coaches. Having the No. 1 overall pick has certainly made them a more attractive destination.dddddddddddd However, Gilberts penchant for firing GMs and coaches would have to make any candidate at least hesitant about coming to Cleveland. Brown was told to make the Cavs better defensively, and did so as the team went from last in the league in defensive field-goal percentage to 12th. Still, that wasnt enough as Cleveland missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Gentry has solid qualifications and is believed to be a candidate for other openings. He has a 335-370 record in 12 seasons with Miami, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix. He led the Pistons and Suns to the post-season. Griffin said he hopes to find a coach more attuned to his offensive roots. With the team expected to land one of the best players in what is considered a deep draft along with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and guard Dion Waiters, the Cavs could have the core for a high-scoring team. "Ive had a primarily offensive based focus with the people I was raised by," Griffin said. "And I think its fair to say the Cavaliers have had a defensive focus. What excited me most about coming here is that I believe you find the truth in the middle. No franchise thats incredibly well run is all one thing. We need to find a way to speak to the best of all parts of the offensive background I know, the defensive background thats dyed in the wool of this franchise. "Ownership believes in defence, I believe in offence, and theres a truth in the middle. Were going to find that." ------ AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. ' ' '