UEFA Conference League: Key Stat from Each Knockout Round Playoff Second Leg

The excitement of the UEFA Conference League was palpable on Thursday, as eight teams secured their spots in the competition’s last 16. Here’s a noteworthy statistic from each of the return legs.

3 – Paphos’ season is on an upward trajectory. Competing in their inaugural European campaign, they overcame fellow Cypriot club Omonoia Nicosia with a 2-1 victory on home soil, advancing 3-2 on aggregate. The club, formed through a merger 11 years ago, has now become the third team from Cyprus to reach the round of 16 in a UEFA club competition. They also follow AEK Larnaca as the second Cypriot side to achieve this milestone in the Conference League, having done so two years prior.

6 – Borac Banja Luka have joined the last 16, managing a 0-0 draw against Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia, which allowed them to progress 1-0 on aggregate. This Bosnian club has made history as the first from their nation to reach this stage of a UEFA club competition in the modern group phase. They have impressively recorded six clean sheets in European contests this season (including qualifiers), making them the only team in the knockout playoffs to finish without conceding. Remarkably, Borac has matched their total number of clean sheets in this campaign to that of their previous nine continental efforts combined.

16 – FC Kobenhavn has finally triumphed over a German side. The Danish club defeated FC Heidenheim 3-1 in Germany after extra time, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory. This marks their second appearance in the Conference League round of 16, three years since their last outing. Notably, this win against Bundesliga opponents was Kobenhavn’s first after 16 attempts in Europe.

9 – Real Betis suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Gent in their second leg, but fortunately for Los Verdiblancos, they progressed with a 3-1 aggregate score. Unlike last season, the Spanish team successfully navigated the UECL knockout round playoffs this time. However, they now face a concerning run of nine UEFA club competition knockout round home matches without a win, having lost seven of those. Betis last claimed victory in a European knockout round match 19 years ago, with a 2-0 win over AZ in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32.

2 – After losing the first leg at home, Molde were under pressure going into the return leg against Shamrock Rovers. Although they required a penalty shootout—both matches ending 1-0 in favour of the visitors—the Norwegians converted all five penalties to win 5-4 in the shootout. This victory enables Molde to progress to the Conference League round of 16 for the second consecutive season, making them one of only two teams to have achieved this in the past two years.

5 – Panathinaikos made a commendable comeback to avoid a shocking defeat to Iceland’s Vikingur Reykjavik, scoring in the dying moments to secure a 2-0 victory on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. The heartbroken Icelanders exit European competition with their heads held high but have faced five consecutive away defeats in Europe, losing four of those matches. Similar to Thursday’s clash, the Pepsi Deild runners-up from last season failed to find the net in four of those five away fixtures.

7 – Jagiellonia Bialystok secured a 3-1 win over TSC Backa Topola for the second week running, which propelled them into the round of 16. With this achievement, Poland remains the only country in the UECL with multiple teams still competing. Jagiellonia stands out as the only team to win both legs of their UECL knockout playoff tie, and Thursday’s win marked their seventh victory in Europe this season, surpassing their total wins from five previous continental campaigns combined.

22 – Celje, currently struggling in their domestic league, achieved a notable 2-0 win against APOEL Nicosia, progressing 4-2 overall. With this advancement, Slovenia became the 22nd country to have representation in the last 16 of the competition, coming just two hours after Bosnia reached this milestone through Borac. This achievement marks a historical first for Slovenian football in the modern era, as no side has progressed this far in European competition before.