Having already been eliminated, Malmo were playing for nothing but pride as they looked to avoid ending the league phase without picking up a single win.
Miguel Angel Ramirez’s men started the game well, taking the lead after just four minutes when Taha Ali managed to wriggle past a series of Genk defenders before firing off a shot that took a heavy deflection on its way past Tobias Lawal.
Despite the early setback, Genk looked the better side for the majority of the first half and nearly equalised midway through it. Hyun-Gyu Oh’s flashed an effort just wide of the post, shortly before seeing his header from a corner rattle the crossbar.
De Smurfen continued to probe as the opening period progressed, and they were handed a perfect opportunity to level the scores on the brink of half-time when Melker Ellborg felled Matte Smets, resulting in a penalty.
Subsequently, Daan Heymans stepped up to take the spot-kick and expertly found the bottom corner.
Genk continued to control the game at the start of the second half, but it was Malmo who had the best opportunity before the hour mark. Di Blae broke away at speed before the ball found its way to Anders Christiansen on the edge of the penalty area, but his effort was clawed away from the top corner by Lawal.
Ellborg was also called into action with just over 20 minutes remaining, keeping out Konstantinos Karetsas’ effort from a tight angle.
Genk finally managed to get their noses in front in the 82nd minute through Karetsas, as the Greece international rifled a fantastic strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
The game ended with Genk taking all three points, but they ultimately missed out on a place in the top eight on goal difference. Meanwhile, Malmo’s campaign ends in disappointment, and they finish the UEL league phase as one of only three teams who failed to pick up a single victory, finishing 35th.
Review the final night of UEL League Phase action on Flashscore.