The final week of January saw the conclusion of the UEFA Europa League’s second-ever league phase, with all 24 teams for the knockout rounds confirmed. Here’s one key stat from each of the 18 matches.

Lyon and Aston Villa set league-phase points records
20 – Olympique Lyon topped their group with a 4-2 win over 10-man PAOK Thessaloniki. Three second-half goals helped Lyon secure their seventh win of the campaign, finishing the league phase unbeaten at home (6-2-0) and scoring 20 goals over eight matches. They are also the only team to reach the top eight in both UEL league stages so far.

6 – Panathinaikos drew 1-1 with AS Roma despite having a man advantage. The Greek side ended the league phase 20th, drawing six matches in the competition including qualifiers, while Roma secured a top-eight finish for direct last-16 qualification.

9 – Real Betis’ first-half goals from Antony and Abde Ezzalzouli helped them beat Feyenoord 2-1, avoiding the knockout round playoffs. Feyenoord, who last missed the knockout stage in 2020/21, extended a nine-game winless run on the road, losing six of their last seven away matches.

10 – Go Ahead Eagles’ debut in a UEFA club competition ended with a 0-0 draw against Sporting Braga, the only scoreless game of the night. Braga qualified for the last 16 while the Dutch side made little impact, taking just four shots and failing to score. Braga also kept their 10th clean sheet of the campaign.

16 – FCSB and Fenerbahce played out a 1-1 draw in Bucharest. Ismail Yuksek’s opener for Fener was cancelled out by Juri Cisotti. FCSB needed a win to progress but scored their 16th goal against Turkish opposition, while Fenerbahce moved on more comfortably than last season.

5 – Aston Villa overturned a two-goal deficit to beat RB Salzburg 3-2 at Villa Park. Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba’s late winner gave Villa 21 points, matching Lyon for the highest total in a UEL league phase. Villa also extended their longest-ever European winning run to five matches.

1 – FC Midtjylland defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in Denmark with goals from Doguhan Simsir and Victor Bak. The Danes won all their home games in the group phase for the first time, while Dinamo now head to the knockout round playoffs after losing four of their last five matches.

17 – Porto joined Braga in the top eight with a 3-1 comeback victory over Rangers. All goals came in the first half, earning Porto their fifth win of the league phase. Rangers scored among the lowest in the competition and went eight UEL away matches without a clean sheet, conceding 17 goals in that run.

25 – Genk recovered from an early setback to beat Malmo 2-1, taking 25 shots in the process. Konstantinos Karetsas’ goal secured knockout round football for the Belgian side for the first time since 2018/19.

15 – Stuttgart edged Young Boys 3-2 in a thrilling contest. Chema Andres’ 90th-minute winner ensured Stuttgart were seeded for the knockout playoffs, while the Swiss side were eliminated despite needing only a draw. It marked Stuttgart’s first European season with five wins in 15 years.

11 – Crvena zvezda and Celta Vigo shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Belgrade. Fernando Lopez had put Celta ahead in the 88th minute, but Bruno Duarte equalised moments later. Both teams advance to the knockout round playoffs, with Red Star unbeaten in five.

7 – Lille secured a late 1-0 win over Freiburg thanks to Olivier Giroud’s 92nd-minute penalty. The victory guaranteed their playoff spot, while Freiburg suffered their first league-phase loss but still finished seventh overall.

3 – Viktoria Plzen defeated Basel 1-0 on the road, remaining undefeated in the league phase. Basel missed out on the top 24, suffering their first loss to a Czech team in three attempts.

37 – Ferencvaros, undefeated entering the final round, lost 4-0 to Nottingham Forest. Two goals in each half gave Forest their third consecutive European home win—a feat not achieved in 37 years. Ferencvaros drop into the knockout round playoffs.

22 – Bologna beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0, narrowly missing out on the top eight by one point. Maccabi finished the group phase without a win and conceded 22 goals, the most among the 36 teams.

2 – Sturm Graz ended their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Brann. Brann still qualified for the knockout playoffs on goal difference, despite scoring just twice away in the league phase.

14 – Celtic needed three points to reach the knockout rounds and raced to a 4-2 victory over Utrecht. The Hoops finished 21st, one of four teams to advance despite a negative goal difference (-2), while Utrecht remain winless in 14 attempts in UEFA competitions.

28 – Ludogorets defeated Nice 1-0 thanks to Petar Stanic’s goal before halftime, securing their first UEL knockout round appearance since 2019/20. Nice, who managed one win this time, suffered their 28th European away defeat in history.