Inter Milan's aversion to Europa League football continued with a 3-1 defeat at Sparta Prague, while AS Roma ended a continental hoodoo stretching back seven games with a 4-0 home win over Romanian side FC Astra on Thursday.
Inter's Serie A rivals Roma had no such problems with talismanic forward Francesco Totti continuing to defy the ageing process as he played a pivotal role in their comprehensive demolition of Astra two days after his 40th birthday.