Last Thursday marked the conclusion of the inaugural league phase of the UEFA Europa League. With numerous dramatic moments across the 18 matches contested simultaneously, here’s a notable statistic from each game.
4 – Ajax secured a 2-1 triumph over Galatasaray, ensuring their progression to the knockout round playoffs. This victory marked their fourth consecutive win against Turkish teams, with an impressive record of 12 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in such encounters. Galatasaray wrapped up the league phase as the highest scorers, netting 19 goals.
3 – Despite a thrilling 4-3 win against Anderlecht in Brussels, Hoffenheim’s European campaign will not extend into February. On a positive note, this match marked their third-ever away win in Europe, all of which have come during the Europa League group stage. Their previous victory in Belgium was a 4-1 win against Gent in the 2020/21 group stage.
95 – AS Roma punched their ticket to the knockout rounds after a crucial 2-0 win at home against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Giallorossi recorded their 95th victory in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, putting them level with Sporting CP for second place, just one behind Inter Milan.
9 – Athletic Club emerged as the only team to win all four home games during the league phase, defeating Viktoria Plzen 3-1. Plzen’s difficulties against Spanish clubs persisted, suffering their ninth loss in 12 encounters (2 wins, 1 draw, 9 losses). Although they will progress, they fall short of a top-eight finish, unlike their Basque counterparts.
2 – Sporting Braga handed Lazio a narrow 1-0 defeat on home soil, but it wasn’t sufficient for the hosts to move forward. They missed advancing by conceding one more goal than Fenerbahce and now face elimination from the first phase of the UEL for the second consecutive season after finishing third in their group two years ago, dropping down to the UEFA Conference League.
19 – Dynamo Kyiv finally celebrated a victory, defeating RFS 1-0 in Germany, thus ending their lengthy winless streak in group-stage football at 19 matches. Their last triumph occurred on the final matchday of the Champions League group stage in 2020/21, where they overcame Ferencvaros.
0 – Manchester United advanced to the Round of 16 with a 2-0 win away at FCSB in Romania, becoming the only team in the UEL this season to complete the league phase without a loss. They, along with Chelsea and Vitoria Guimaraes, are the sole sides across all three UEFA competitions to maintain an unbeaten league phase.
8 – Ferencvaros secured a 4-3 victory against AZ Alkmaar, making it into the knockout stage for the second consecutive season. AZ’s struggles on European soil persisted, extending their run to eight matches without a win away from home, including qualifiers.
1 – Lyon managed to clinch a spot in the top eight, despite finishing 1-1 against Ludogorets at home. The Bulgarian side’s goal in France marked their only away goal throughout the league phase, as they scored the fewest on their travels. In contrast, Lyon led in away goals scored during the league phase, netting 10.
17 – Porto secured their place in the knockout stages by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 1-0 in Serbia. This match marked the 17th goal conceded by the Israelis during the Europa League’s league phase, ultimately ending their campaign. Only Dynamo Kyiv (18) and Qarabag (20) conceded more goals.
22 – Both Midtjylland and Fenerbahce advanced after a late strike in their 2-2 draw. Midtjylland conceded multiple goals in back-to-back European home games for the first time since the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League, a span of 22 matches since their last occurrence.
10 – Nice and Bodo/Glimt played out a 1-1 stalemate in France, resulting in the Norwegians missing out on a top-eight finish. Les Aiglons are now winless in their last 10 European outings, this being their first time failing to secure a win during a group phase, finishing second from the bottom on goal difference.
5 – Olympiacos took advantage of other teams faltering, as their 3-0 win over Qarabag propelled them into the last 16. This match marked the Azeri club’s first loss to Greek sides in five encounters. They placed last in their group, having conceded the highest number of goals (20).
7 – Rangers surprisingly finished in eighth position, winning 2-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox. This was Union’s seventh loss in their 17 continental away matches, denying them the opportunity to reach the knockout rounds of a UEFA club competition for the first time. They had previously fallen at Ibrox in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round two and a half years ago.
27 – Real Sociedad capped off the league phase with a 2-0 victory over PAOK Thessaloniki, marking the first time in 27 years they have maintained three consecutive clean sheets in European competitions. PAOK’s impressive three-game winning streak in the UEL ended with this defeat.
6 – Slavia Praha and Malmo finished their respective European campaigns with a 2-2 draw in Czechia. Following their matchday two victory, the Swedes failed to win any of their next six matches, conceding 14 goals in that stretch. Slavia broke their five-game losing streak, but they were already out of contention.
14 – Tottenham clinched qualification for the last 16 with a convincing 3-0 win over Elfsborg, finishing fourth in their league phase. Elfsborg, who were hunting for a spot in the knockout stages of a UEFA club competition for the first time, instead finished with the worst goal difference among teams tied on points with PAOK, Twente, Fenerbahce, and Braga, conceding 14 goals and suffering a -5 goal difference.
13 – Twente advanced to the knockout stages of a UEFA club competition after narrowly defeating Besiktas 1-0 at home, marking the first time in 13 years they have successfully progressed beyond the group stage. Besiktas, meanwhile, could not escape the group phase for the fifth consecutive time.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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