Matchday 8 yesterday marked the intense and frantic finale of the Europa League league phase, where all 18 matches were played simultaneously across the continent. It was a night defined by high drama, dramatic late winners, and the high-stakes confirmation of spots for the knockout rounds. Fans were treated to an incredible display of European football as teams battled through every minute to secure their future in the competition.
1. Aston Villa 3-2 RB Salzburg
Aston Villa pulled off a massive comeback at Villa Park after trailing 2-0 to a Victor Lindelof own goal and a Moussa Yeo strike, eventually winning 3-2 thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers, Tyrone Mings, and an 87th-minute winner by 19-year-old Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba.
2. Nottingham Forest 4-0 Ferencvaros
Nottingham Forest dominated Ferencvaros 4-0 at the City Ground, with Igor Jesus bagging a brace alongside a Bence Otvos own goal and a late James McAtee penalty.
3. Celtic 4-2 Utrecht
Celtic blitzed Utrecht 4-2, scoring three times in the opening 19 minutes via Benjamin Nygren, a Nick Viergever own goal, and an Arne Engels penalty, with Auston Trusty adding a fourth to negate responses from Dani De Wit and Adrian Blake.
4. Lyon 4-2 PAOK
Lyon secured the top spot in the standings by overcoming a resilient PAOK 4-2, with Remi Himbert, Khalis Merah, Adam Karabec, and Alejandro Rodriguez netting for the French side while Giorgos Giakoumakis and Soualiho Meite scored for the visitors.
5. Porto 3-1 Rangers
Porto comfortably secured a top-eight finish with a 3-1 victory over Rangers; despite Djeidi Gassama giving Rangers an early lead, Porto roared back through Rodrigo Mora, Francisco Moura, and an Emmanuel Fernandez own goal.
6. VfB Stuttgart 3-2 Young Boys
VfB Stuttgart snatched a 3-2 win against Young Boys to secure an 11th-place finish, with Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic scoring before Chema Andrés delivered a 90th-minute winner to overcome goals from Armin Gigović and Sandro Lauper.
7. Real Betis 2-1 Feyenoord
Real Betis defeated Feyenoord 2-1 as Antony provided both a goal and an assist alongside a strike from Abde Ezzalzouli, while Casper Tengstedt managed the only reply for Feyenoord.
8. Midtjylland 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Midtjylland clinched 3rd place with a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, keeping a clean sheet while Cardoso Varela and Scott McKenna provided the goals.
9. Lille 1-0 Freiburg
Lille found a late breakthrough against Freiburg as veteran striker Olivier Giroud tucked away a 91st-minute winner for a 1-0 victory.
10. Ludogorets 1-0 Nice
Ludogorets edged Nice 1-0, with competition top scorer Petar Stanić continuing his prolific scoring run to secure the three points.
11. Sturm Graz 1-0 Brann
Sturm Graz advanced with a minimalist 1-0 victory over Brann, courtesy of a goal from Otar Kiteishvili.
12. Genk 2-1 Malmo
Genk saw late pressure pay off in a 2-1 win against Malmo, with Daan Heymans converting a penalty and Konstantinos Karetsas scoring to overturn Taha Ali’s opener.
13. Panathinaikos 1-1 Roma
Roma showed incredible resolve to draw 1-1 with Panathinaikos, holding on with 10 men for 75 minutes after Jan Ziolkowski’s goal was answered by Vicente Taborda.
14. FCSB 1-1 Fenerbahce
FCSB and Fenerbahce ended in a 1-1 stalemate, with Juri Cisotti’s strike for the hosts eventually cancelled out by a late İsmail Yüksek equalizer.
15. Red Star 1-1 Celta Vigo
Red Star and Celta Vigo shared the points in a dramatic 1-1 draw involving heavy VAR interference, with goals coming from Bruno Duarte and Fer Lopez.
16. Go Ahead Eagles 0-0 Braga
Go Ahead Eagles and Braga played out a rare 0-0 stalemate on an otherwise high-scoring night.
17. Basel 0-1 Viktoria Plzen
Viktoria Plzen delivered an efficient away performance to beat Basel 1-0, with Jiří Panoš netting the decisive goal.
18. Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-3 Bologna
Bologna finished the phase with a professional 3-0 away win against Maccabi Tel Aviv, fueled by goals from Jonathan Rowe, Riccardo Orsolini, and Tommaso Pobega.
The conclusion of these matches marks the end of a grueling league phase, with the results now firmly establishing the final standings and the path forward for the remaining clubs. As the focus shifts toward the upcoming knockout stages, the teams that survived this frantic night of 18 simultaneous fixtures will now look ahead to the playoff draw to see who they must overcome next. The journey toward the trophy continues, as clubs now prepare for the increased pressure and intensity of the elimination rounds in their pursuit of European glory.
