Juventus scored late to beat Lyon 1-0 and take a big stride toward the Europa League semifinals while Benfica and FC Basel also won to move within sight of a second straight appearance in the last four on Thursday. Chris Owings Jersey . Leonardo Bonucci poked home Juventus 85th-minute winner in its quarterfinal first leg at Stade Gerland, keeping the Italian league leaders and competition favourites on course to reach the final in their own stadium on May 14. "Its a pity," said Lyon midfielder Maxime Gonalons, whose team was hanging on in the second half, "we almost had a perfect game." Benfica, beaten by Chelsea in last seasons final, could be back in the showpiece match next month after Eduardo Salvios 48th-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win at AZ Alkmaar. Matias Delgado scored twice in five minutes late in the first half and Valentin Stocker added a third goal in second-half stoppage in Basels 3-0 win over Valencia that was played in an empty stadium at St. Jakob Park. UEFA ordered the first leg to be played without fans as punishment after Basel supporters temporarily stopped play during its 2-1 win at Salzburg two weeks for throwing fireworks on the pitch. In the other last-eight matchup, Porto beat Sevilla 1-0 at home thanks to Eliaquim Mangalas flying header from Ricardo Quaresmas superbly delivered cross in the 31st minute. Steven Defour and Quaresma struck efforts against the post for Porto, which finished with 10 men after midfielder Fernando was given two yellow cards in a matter of seconds in the 87th minute for firstly pulling an opponents shirt and then kicking the ball away. With Porto striker Jackson Martinez also missing the second leg because of suspension, two-time winner Sevilla is far from out of the home-and-away series. All the second legs will be played next Thursday. An ultimately successful night for Juventus was soured by the sight of Carlos Tevez leaving the pitch in the 55th minute with what appeared to be a groin strain. The Argentina striker missed two of a handful of good chances for Juve to stay without a goal in European competition since April 2009, when he was playing for Manchester United in the Champions League. Lyon battled gamely but was forced on the back foot in the second half, with Sebastian Giovinco and Mauricio Isla having shots saved by Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes and Mirko Vucinic blazing over for Juventus from inside the six-yard box. Just when it seemed Lyon would survive with a draw, Bonucci capitalized on a poor clearance from Lyon defender Bakary Kone to shoot into the roof of the net from close range. "We did not expect Lyon to defend that well," Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba said. "They surprised us in the first half. Things improved a bit in the second half, the team clicked." Juventus is the only Italian club still involved in a European competition. Curt Schilling Jersey . -- Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee. Shelby Miller Jersey . - Skiing far more aggressively than in her season debut a day earlier, Lindsey Vonn was in provisional 10th place after the first 45 skiers in a World Cup downhill on Saturday. http://www.diamondbacksteamshop.com/Diamondbacks-Taijuan-Walker-Kids-Jersey/ . Speaking on Leafs Lunch with Bryan Hayes and Jamie McLennan on Thursday, Bernier said it was "very hard" at times being entrenched behind Jonathan Quick and is now excited at the prospect of getting an opportunity to compete with Reimer for the top spot with the Leafs.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers finally made a decision on Greg Hardy: the Pro Bowl defensive end will not play anymore games for Carolina until his domestic violence case is resolved. The team removed Hardy from its active roster Wednesday, ending three weeks of indecision regarding his playing status. He played Week 1, sat out Week 2 and there was uncertainty about this week. So the Panthers placed Hardy on the exempt-commissioners permission list just hours after the Vikings took a similar disciplinary approach with Adrian Peterson. The Minnesota running back is addressing child abuse charges in Texas. Hardy was convicted July 15 of assault on a female and communicating threats after the victim said the 6-foot-4, 275-pound player threw her in the bathtub and onto a sofa covered with guns before threatening to kill her. Hardy is appealing the ruling and a jury trial is set for Nov. 17. He will continue to be paid his weekly salary of $770,588.23. Hardy also is allowed to be at the team facility, but will not practice. Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said it was a tough decision given the changing climate in the NFL. "Our overriding goal has always been to do the right thing," Gettleman said. The GM said he expects Hardy to be out at least through November. Hardy said he understands he needs to step away from football and take care of his legal problems. "I am entitled to due process and my day in court, and thats where my focus should be," Hardy said in a statement. "I appreciate the Panthers for giving me this opportunity and look forward to being back with my teammates. I am disappointed to leave my teammates and the Carolina Panthers during our season. My decision to take a leave of absence allows me to focus on my family until the legal process has run its course." Had Hardy not taken a the leave of absence with pay, he likely would have faced an unpaid suspension from the league. The NFL Players Association released a statement Wednesday saying, "Today, Greg Hardy made a decision to take a voluntary leave of absence to resolve his pending legal issue. The NFLPA and NFL worked with Greg, his representatives and the Carolina Panthers on this matter. We support this decision and hope the best for him and his family." Earlier Wednesday, with security around the stadium amped up, Hardy and his agent Drew Rosenhaus emerged from the teams facility, stepped into the players Bentley and drove away. Earlier, two police officers on motorcycles guarded the entrance to the teams practice facility. Panthers coach Ron Rivera was 20 minutes late arriving to Wednesdays ppractice and said that Hardy would not participate in workouts as he walked past reporters. David Peralta Jersey. The coach later said he had a 90-minute conversation with the defensive end to make sure Hardy was in a good place. "Gregs hurt, he really is," Rivera said. "Its a tough situation and he knows he put himself in it. He was apologetic." Rivera said he expects Hardy to take a few days away and return to the team "in due time." "Hes still a part of this football team," Rivera said. Hardy, who was tagged as the teams franchise player this off-season and signed a one-year, $13.1 million deal, is Carolinas top pass rusher. He tied a franchise record with 15 sacks last season and has 26 in in his last 32 games. Rivera activated Hardy for the season opener against Tampa Bay, but then abruptly deactivated him before Sundays game against Detroit -- a move Gettleman supported. "At that time we felt it was at the right thing to do," Gettleman said. "Its constantly changing. There is no rule book for this. Theres no magic list we can hit checkboxes that bring us to the right answer." Rivera said he informed the team at a meeting Wednesday afternoon. Veteran safety Roman Harper said Wednesday during open locker room that every team has to battle adversity at some point, but said losing Hardy will hurt. Harper said unbeaten Panthers will miss Hardys pass rush skills and energy. "You take a player of his calibre off the field and it is going to affect us," Harper said. "But at the end of the day you cant use that as an excuses or a crutch. You have to fly around and make plays as a defence. We understand what we will be missing, but at the end of the day we still have a job to do." Tight end Greg Olsen said the Panthers are doing their best to focus on the Steelers. "You learn very fast in this league that there are going to be a lot of outside factors," Olsen said. "You have to do the best you can not to let those things impact your preparations and really focus on what you can control. The most successful teams just worry about the here and now and what they can control." Rivera said he believes the team handled the situation in the best way possible. "The biggest thing we have to do is get this right," Rivera said. "In all honesty were worried about the wrong types of things. Were trying to figure out who we need to blame. We dont need to blame people, we need to find answers and corrections and make things right... We have to come up with solutions to make sure this doesnt happen again." ' ' '