Stuttgart dominate at home as Ludogorets and PAOK entertain
9 - Dinamo Zagreb failed versus Spanish opposition for the second time this league phase at home, as Real Betis came away with a 3-1 success in the Croatian capital. All three of Los Verdiblancos' goals came seven minutes apart in the first half, helping them to a fourth victory of this league phase. Dinamo have lost consecutive home games in Europe for the first time in nine years.
16 - The 2021/22 finalists Rangers are on their way out of the competition after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at Ferencvaros. Bence Otvos and Barnabas Varga got the goals for the Hungarian champions as they came from a goal down to stay undefeated. Since beating Fenerbahce in the round of 16 last term, the Gers are seven away clashes without victory, losing six of them. In that torrid run, they have conceded 16 times.
25 - Ludogorets and PAOK Thessaloniki played a spectacle in Razgrad, where both sides had the lead at one point. The hosts were nearing what would have been a massive three points before Anestis Mythou tied things up in the 90th minute. That meant both teams received a point from their 3-3 draw. A total of 25 goals have been scored in Ludogorets' Europa League games this fall, the most of any team. PAOK have the second most at 23.
4 - Igor Jesus was Nottingham Forest's hero in the Netherlands. The Brazilian's 88th minute winner helped the Tricky Trees to a 2-1 win against Utrecht. Suddenly, Forest find themselves in a battle for a top eight spot, as they sit just two points back. This was the fourth time that they managed to beat a Dutch club, and second straight time coming out on top away in such matches.
78 - Sporting Braga picked up their fourth victory of the Europa League main rounds with a narrow 1-0 defeat of the now-eliminated OGC Nice. A first half marker from Pau Victor put the Portuguese side on the cusp of making the knockout rounds. Les Aiglons are out of the UEL with two rounds left, having lost all six ties. As for Braga, the win in France was their 78th all-time in the competition, both under its current guise and during the UEFA Cup era.
49 - Crvena zvezda have further strengthened their place in the top 24 thanks to a narrow 1-0 success away to Sturm Graz. The Serbian champions struck 10 minutes after the restart to claim a third successive victory. They are nearing a return to the UEL knockout phase four years after their last one. Moreover, the Belgrade-based club beat an Austrian team for the second time. The other previous occasion happened 49 years ago.
6 - Cho Gue-Sung was the only player to find the back of the net in Denmark as FC Midtjylland edged Genk 1-0 to return to winning ways. That was their 10th victory in Europe this term across 12 contests, qualifiers included. They have now secured a spot in the knockout round for the third straight time in the UEL. Moreover, Midtjylland have kept their sixth clean sheet in the competition this season, more than anyone else.
18 - The team that impressed the most across the early kickoffs were Stuttgart, who ran rampant in their 4-1 defeat of Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv. A pair of goals in either half were enough for the Germans to jump up to ninth in the league phase rankings and all but secure a place in the knockout rounds. They will now chase a top eight place, especially since they are just a point behind. As for Maccabi, they have conceded 18 times in this season's league phase, more than anyone else.
29 - It was a key three points for Young Boys, who claimed a 1-0 victory at the expense of Lille. The Swiss side made the most of playing much of the contest up a man, scoring their winner just after the hour mark. They have also joined their opponents on nine points with the victory. Lille played a man down from the 32nd minute after Ayyoub Bouaddi was given his marching orders. From there, Young Boys got their only goal 29 minutes after going up a man.
FCSB produce late drama with Fenerbahce cruising
11 - There appears to be no stopping Aston Villa right now. The former European Cup winners are on a tear, with their latest victim being Basel. Youri Tielemans came off the bench after half-time to score the winning goal in a 2-1 success. The Villans are through with two games to spare, and could clinch a top eight spot next round. Basel, for all the opportunities they created, could not find a second goal to get a result. They mustered 11 shots in the match, more than their opponents (7).
26 - Having to get the job done the hard way, Bologna recovered from a 1-0 deficit against Celta Vigo, winning the clash 2-1 on their travels. Federico Bernardeschi was the hero for I Rossoblu, scoring twice in eight minutes. They have leap-frogged their Spanish rivals in the standings as a result of the victory. It was just the second time that Bologna won two continental road matches in a row. The other occasion came 26 years ago in the UEFA Cup.
17 - Finalists in 2022/23, AS Roma earned a third win in a row, completing the double against the Old Firm. Evan Ferguson's brace played key for the Giallorossi in a 3-0 win at Celtic. Arne Engels failed to convert a penalty for the Hoops just before the break, which did little to help their cause. Instead, the Scottish outfit suffered their 17th loss against Italian opposition in Europe. Only German and Spanish clubs have enjoyed more success against them.
12 - Porto maintained their perfect home record in the UEL this term. The 2010/11 champions got past Malmo 2-1 at home, with a knockout round spot practically locked up. Samu was the difference-maker in the contest, as it was him who netted both of the host's goals in the space of six minutes. Malmo are set for elimination as their winless run in the Europa League proper has stretched to 12 matches (0-3-9).
20 - The most entertaining match of the round came in Romania, where FCSB battled back from a two-goal deficit to beat Feyenoord 4-3. Florin Tanase left it late for the hosts, scoring with virtually the last kick of the game to give them hope of advancing. Both teams are on six points ahead of January's final two rounds. It was just a second-ever defeat versus a Romanian side for Feyenoord, with the other coming 20 years ago.
28 - Freiburg are one of the four teams left without a loss in the UEL this season after a 1-0 victory over 10-man RB Salzburg. The lone goal came from Philipp Leinhart five minutes after the interval. They will be playing in the competition come February, something which looks unlikely for the Austrians after their fifth loss. Freiburg were the more adventurous team in this one, attempting 28 shots in the 90 minutes.
23 - While it was not as straightforward as they might have liked, Olympique Lyonnais have their fifth win from six matchdays. A 2-1 defeat of Go Ahead Eagles have L'OL top of the league phase for the second round in a row, with the best goal difference and joint-most goals scored. All hope is not yet lost for the Dutch side, though they will likely need at least four points from their final two matches. Thursday night's result was Lyon's 23rd home win in the Europa League era.
3 - Another team in excellent form of late are Fenerbahce, who made the most of an early red card at Brann to top their Norwegian opponents 4-0. Talisca bagged a hat-trick for the Turkish side, helping them virtually clinch a playoff place. Fener are now five games without defeat, their best run in the main stage of a UEFA club competition in three years.
13 - No goals were scored in Athens between Viktoria Plzen and Panathinaikos in a result that did little to help either team in their pursuit for the top eight. However, Plzen will certainly be the happier of the two, having played down a man for an hour. Still, their defensive prowess was on full display, as they have conceded the fewest in the league phase. That was Plzen's 13th goalless draw in Europe all-time, and their third on the spin.
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