Plzen fall despite going unbeaten
15 - Ferencvaros had to overturn a first leg deficit against Ludogorets in their tie. It took them half an hour to go in front on aggregate through Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen. They held on from there, beating the Bulgarians 2-0 at home and prevailing 2-1 over the two legs. It was the third time they beat Ludo in what was a record fifth meeting between the two sides this term. Fradi have a thing for scoring at home, as they done so in their last 15 European games, qualifiers included.
5 - Ludogorets will surely feel this was an opportunity lost, especially because they had the first leg advantage. Nevertheless, they exit the European scene one round later than they did last term. Their focus will now be on trying to win the Bulgarian title for the 15th year running, a feat that is proving to be quite the challenge. Across nine head-to-heads against Ferencvaros, Ludo have now lost five times, three coming this season.
1 - Stuttgart will also be moving on to the next round despite their 1-0 reverse to Celtic in front of their home fans on Thursday. Their first leg performance was enough to see them through 4-2 on aggregate. Die Roten have now matched their last appearance in the UEL proper in 2012/13, where they also reached the last 16. That was where their journey ended, though, something they will want to avoid this time. The loss on Thursday was Stuttgart's first at home versus Scottish opposition.
7 - Celtic's wait to make it past the knockout playoffs in a UEFA club competition continues as they once again fail to qualify for the round of 16. They have not done so in any European tournament since the 2012/13 Champions League. The Hoops have made it past the group phase on six occasions since then, but the round of 32/knockout round playoffs once again proved to be too much. They can take solace in Thursday's victory, having scored their seventh goal against Stuttgart all-time.
17 - Crvena zvezda could keep Lille out at home, surrendering their first leg lead and subsequently the tie. The French club needed two hours, but won 2-0 in Belgrade, progressing 2-1 overall. Despite beating their opponents twice in the UEL this term, Red Star failed to do it for the third match in a row. That results in them having to watch Friday's draw from home, reflecting on what could have been. It ended a run of 17 straight home games in which they have scored.
4 - Olivier Giroud's goal four minutes in set the pace early for Lille, who quickly levelled the tie. It would take a winner from centre-back Nathan Ngoy nine minutes into extra time to see them through, making it this far in the UEL for the first time since 2009/10. Having lost their last three on the road, Les Dogues came up clutch when it mattered the most. The number four is significant for two reasons here: that was their fourth clean sheet this term, plus it is the fourth time in a row they have gotten to the last 16 in a European competition.
10 - Viktoria Plzen and Panathinaikos did not disappoint in what was a fascinating two legs of football. After the match in Czechia ended 1-1 through two hours of football - the aggregate score being 3-3, penalties were required to determine a victor. The Greeks held their nerve to prevail 4-3 in the shootout. Plzen will be very disappointed to see their run end here. Remarkably, they will end the season as the only unbeaten side in the Europa League, across 10 games (3-7-0).
16 - Panathinaikos will carry the Greek flag into the next round and will be very much relieved to have survived that tie. Rafa Benitez's side had to play the second period of extra time down a man, but still found a way to force a shootout. All three of their meetings with Plzen this campaign ended level, so it was fitting that spot kicks were the determining factor. Pana are back in the last 16 of the UEL, having last reached that stage 16 years ago in the inaugural edition under its current banner.
Genk outlast Dinamo
18 - For the second week in a row, Bologna earned a 1-0 success at the expense of Brann. The Italian side go through 2-0 overall, making it their best European run since 1998/99. Joao Mario's second half goal sealed the deal for Rossoblu, who played the final 53 minutes up a man. It will be very difficult to beat them at home in the UEL, something that has never been done. Moreover, the side claimed their 18th clean sheet in continental play.
0 - Brann are out of the Europa League at the same stage they were ousted from in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. As was the case on that occasion, the Norwegians lost both legs of their tie. At least they conceded six fewer goals, a small plus. All three of their last games in the competition ended in 1-0 defeats. The red card to Jacob Sorensen 10 minutes before the half really did the damage here, as Brann did not have a single shot in the second half of the match.
6 - Celta Vigo return to the last 16 of the UEL nine years after they last did so. They were challenged by PAOK, but their narrow 1-0 win at home finished off the tie. Over the two legs, Os Celestes prevailed 3-1. All three games between the pair this term went Celta's way, with the Spaniards winning 3-1 back on matchday 2. They seem to enjoy facing Greek clubs, as that was their sixth victory in seven attempts (6-1-0).
2 - There was no luck for PAOK once again as they failed to progress from the playoffs for the second successive season. It was not a massive surprise for them to lose this tie, considering their poor record versus Spanish teams. Still, the Greek club miss out on making the last 16. Scoring goals has not been a problem for Dikefalos, who scored 17 times in the league phase. Being kept out of the goals on Thursday marked just the second time in the UEL proper in 2025/26 in which they did not find the back of the net.
8 - Nottingham Forest will be relieved to make it past what was a tricky tie against Fenerbahce. They were one of two sides to advance despite losing on the night. The 2-1 reverse at home was not enough for the Turks to turn things around, with The Tricky Trees moved on 4-2 on aggregate. Remarkably, Forest have never won a European match in which they conceded multiple times, with this being the eighth occasion (0-2-6).
30 - While they are out, Fenerbahce can take some pride in how they gave it their all. Kerem Akturkoglu scored both goals for the visitors, who gave Forest something to worry about. In the end, it was the first leg that cost them dearly. After qualifying from this round a year ago, the same cannot be said this time around. Thursday's win was just the second time Fener won on English soil, some 30 years since the other occurrence.
9 - Genk needed extra time to find their way past Dinamo Zagreb in what was a tie featuring 10 goals in 210 minutes of football. The side from Limburg scored twice in the extra period to draw 3-3 and advance 6-4 overall. The Smurfs are now the last team from Belgium left in Europe after Club Brugge's elimination earlier in the week. They will play in the round of 16 of the Europa League nine years after their last appearance.
22 - Although they managed to match their opponents' 3-1 win from last week in normal time, Dinamo ran out of steam in the extra period. Luka Stojkovic's red card midway through extra time did not help, as it came a few minutes after conceding. The Croatian team, who have enjoyed much success against Belgian teams, conceded in all 10 of their European matches this campaign. In total, they let in 22 goals, which played a part in their downfall.
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