It was a Thursday (29th) with eighteen simultaneous matches on the eighth and final day of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
Only Lyon and Aston Villa were already guaranteed a place in the round of 16.
The main battle was to avoid the playoffs and their two extra games on the schedule.
There were several standout moments.
For example, Antony and Igor Jesús, who made the difference in the victories of Betis and Forest, respectively.
See below for the highlights of the day, the final standings and the results of all the matches.
The top eight are already in the round of 16. Teams that finished between 9th and 24th will wait for Friday’s draw to find out their playoff opponents.
🏴Aston Villa 3 x 2 Salzburg 🇦🇹
In search of first place overall, Unai Emery presented an almost ideal lineup.
But Villa did not have a more competent opponent at the beginning.
Salzburg had less ball, but it was lethal. He scored with Konaté (33′).
The second came in the second half thanks to Yeo (49′).
The local comeback began with Rogers (65′). The equalizer was achieved by defender Mings (76′).
Persistence paid off with a goal from young Jamaldeen Jimoh (87′).
Villa reached 21 points, but finished second on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Salzburg finished only in 31st place.
🇪🇸Betis 2 x 1 Feyenoord 🇳🇱
The Andalusian team needed to win so as not to depend on other results, since they began the day in eighth position.
And in the first half they fixed things.
Thanks to the talent of Antony, who opened the scoring with a nice goal (17′).
His fifth goal in the competition.
Antony also assisted Ezzalzouli, who scored the second (32′), guaranteeing another double celebration.
Feyenoord would only have a chance if they won.
But Tengstedt only managed to close the gap (77′).
Betis reaches 15 points, confirming fourth place. They will have the advantage of playing the second leg at home in the round of 16.
🇫🇷 Lyon 4 x 2 PAOK 🇬🇷
Once again without Endrick, who is not registered, Lyon struggled, but ended their campaign in the group stage by confirming first place.
They faced a PAOK with chances of a direct goal and fell behind after Giakoumakis’ goal.
Himbert (34′), offensive reference in the absence of the Brazilian, tied.
The Greek team lost Konstantelias, sent off in the 41st minute.
Merah put Lyon ahead (55′), but equalized thanks to Meité (67′).
Then came a penalty committed by Lucescu, who was sent off, leaving PAOK with nine men.
Karabec missed the penalty, but scored five minutes later (88′).
There was still time for Alejandro Gomes, just 17 years old, to score the fourth (93′).
Securing Lyon with the same 21 points as Aston Villa, but with a greater goal difference.
🏴Nottingham Forest 4 x 0 Ferencváros 🇭🇺
Forest’s mission to advance directly to the round of 16 was not easy, as they needed to overtake eight teams.
But they did their part by securing a playoff spot.
Yates saw Otvos score an own goal (17′) and then assisted Igor Jesus (21′).
The former Botafogo striker scored the second of the game in the second half (55′).
📸 Michael Regan – 2026 Getty Images
He scored six goals in the competition. He is the second top scorer.
McAtee scored the fourth with a penalty (90′).
Secured in the playoffs, Forest finished 13th with 14 points. Just behind his rival, who finished 12th with 15.
🇬🇷 Panathinaikos 1 x 1 Rome 🇮🇹
Needing to do their part to avoid the risk of falling out of the top 8, the Eternal City team started well.
Great chances were wasted and, in the 14th minute, Mancini was sent off.
The numerical disadvantage did not prevent Roma from continuing to be superior.
But another error, this time by Ghilardi, allowed Taborda to score (58′).
Roma was on the verge of leaving the top 8 and going to the playoffs.
Then everything changed thanks to a goal from Ziolkowski (80′).
A result that, for example, caused Bologna to abandon the group that was advancing directly.
Gasperini’s team achieved eighth place with 16 points and a better goal difference than Genk.
The Greek team confirmed its place in the playoffs, finishing in 20th place.
🇵🇹 Porto 3 x 1 Rangers🏴
Chasing a spot in the top eight, the Dragons were surprised by a goal from Gassama in the sixth minute.
But the reaction against one of the worst teams in the UEL league phase was immediate.
Rodrigo Mora, Francisco Moura and Emmanuel Fernández (own goal) scored before the break.
Porto confirmed fifth place with 17 points, leaving the eliminated Rangers in 30th place.
Final classification of the league phase
Direct place in the round of 16
Guaranteed in the round of 16 of the playoffs
See all other results:
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 CRISTINA QUICLER – AFP or licensors
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