PARIS (AFP) - Holders Sevilla, with a record-breaking goals after just 13 seconds, Everton, and Wolfsburg were all on top after Thursday's Europa League last 16 first round ties.
Sevilla ran off with their all-Spanish clash at Villarreal 3-1, Victor Machin 'Vitolo creating competition history with his grease-lightning opener.
At Everton's Goodison Park, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku gave his Premier League club a slender advantage against Dynamo Kiev, his late penalty securing a 2-1 win.
Roberto Martinez's team fell behind in the 14th minute to an Oleg Gusev strike, but they equalised six minutes before half time when Lukaku's power and poise helped him lay on a goal for Scottish forward Steven Naismith.
The Toffees, who once again gave a better showing in Europe than they have managed for most of a disappointing domestic campaign, pushed hard for a second half winner and finally broke down the Dynamo defence in the 82nd minute. Referee Carlos Velasco Carballo awarded a spot-kick for handball by Danilo Silva and Lukaku converted, making him Everton's all-time record European scorer with seven goals.
Martinez's men will head to the Ukraine for next week's second leg in Kiev knowing they are still in with a chance of reaching the quarter-finals as the only remaining British side in the competition.
"We learned that when we have got that tempo in our play and when we use the character we have we are a very strong team," Martinez said. "Overall it was a very good performance and the reaction shows we are a very good team. We are not favourites as the home team always has a little advantage.
"Now we are looking forward to the second leg as we travel well in Europe."
In Naples, Gonzalo Higuain's hat-trick inspired Rafael Benitez's Napoli to a 3-1 win over Dinamo Moscow, after the visitors had taken the lead through a Kevin Kuranyi goal.
"It was a difficult game, especially after their goal. Thankfully we won and we'll head to Russia with a fairly good advantage. We'll suffer in the second leg, but Napoli can qualify," Higuain told Mediaset.
The all Serie A affair between Fiorentina and Roma ended 1-1.
Two other Italian clubs suffered travel sickness, three-time champions Inter Milan coming away from their visit to Vfl Wolfsburg 1-3 losers, and Torino going down 0-2 at Zenit St Petersburg.
Kevin de Bruyne lifted Wolfsburg past Inter despite Roberto Mancini's men looking to have the upper hand over their high-flying Bundesliga hosts when Rodrigo Palacio put the Serie A visitors into a sixth minute lead.
Dutch champions Ajax go into their second leg against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk trailing 1-0 after the Ukrainians took the first-leg honours thanks to a first-half goal from Roman Zozulya in Kiev. In Belgium, Club Brugge edged Besiktas of Turkey 2-1.
