After an action-packed Thursday night, four teams remain in the UEFA Conference League, with none managing to secure victories in both legs of their fixtures. Here’s a key statistic for each team following the conclusion of the second legs.
19 – AZ Alkmaar failed to replicate their success from the 2022/23 campaign, bowing out of the competition after a 2-2 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, which saw the Ukrainians advance 5-2 on aggregate. The Dutch club, known as De Kaasboeren, was the last representative from the Eredivisie in a challenging year for Dutch football on the European stage. This marked their fourth draw out of 14 encounters against Ukrainian teams (6 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses), contributing to a total of 19 goals scored in these matchups.
9 – Shakhtar Donetsk has reached the semi-finals of a UEFA club competition for the first time since 2005, and they made history as the first Ukrainian team to reach this stage in the UECL. The Pitmen avenged their past elimination in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 16, where they suffered defeats in both legs. They have now extended their unbeaten away streak to nine matches (6 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses).
42 – AEK Athens staged a dramatic comeback from a three-goal deficit against Rayo Vallecano, equalising the tie by the 51st minute. Despite their spirited effort, Dikefalos conceded a decisive goal from Isaac Palazon an hour into the match. Although AEK triumphed 3-1 on the night, they ultimately fell 4-3 on aggregate. The goal they conceded marked their 42nd against LaLiga opponents, the most they have let in from any single league.
4 – Rayo Vallecano improved upon their previous efforts in UEFA Cup history by making it to the semi-finals for the first time. Rayito maintained their composure after AEK equalised, clinching the tie with a goal just nine minutes later. However, they may need to work on their away form ahead of the semis, as this loss in Greece marked their fourth European defeat.
33 – Fiorentina’s journey in the Conference League has ended prematurely. La Viola could not overturn their 3-0 deficit from the first leg against Crystal Palace. Despite a 2-1 victory at home in the return fixture, they were eliminated with a 4-2 aggregate score. Having made it to the competition multiple times, they will not feature in European football next season, concluding a four-year stint in the UECL where they achieved 33 wins—the highest in that period.
3 – Crystal Palace’s inaugural European campaign could not have gone better, as they secured their place in the semi-finals. Oliver Glasner’s side took an early lead through Ismaila Sarr’s header in the 17th minute and managed to resist the Italian clubs’ challenges despite conceding twice. They will face Shakhtar in the last four, marking another clash with a former European champion. The Thursday match reflected their third loss in the UECL this season, from which they managed to record three shots on target.
0 – Strasbourg was the only team to overturn a first leg loss, defeating Mainz 4-0 in the second leg and advancing with a 4-2 aggregate victory. The potential for multiple trophies awaits Le Racing, who are also competing in the Coupe de France semi-finals. Scoring twice in each half allowed them to become the first French team to reach a continental semi-final in recent memory. In their third encounter against German teams, Strasbourg managed to keep a clean sheet at home.
17 – Mainz experienced a shocking turn of events, having previously performed well at home last week. Now, they find themselves on the receiving end of a significant defeat that eliminated them from the Conference League. Die Nullfunfer only registered one shot on target throughout the entire match, contributing to the end of their campaign. In their history of five European away defeats, they have conceded 17 goals.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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