Europa League: Group Stage Play Closes

24 games were played on Thursday as group-stage play in the Europa League concluded.

Group A:

At Valencia, Spain:

Francisco Alcacer's goal in the 67th minute enabled Valencia to gain a 1-1 home draw with FC Kuban Krasnodar. Lorenzo Melgarejo equalized in the 84th minute for the Russian club, who were eliminated from the tournament.

At St. Gallen, Switzerland:

Despite dropping a 1-0 decision on the road to FC St. Gallen, Swansea City still advanced to the Europa League's group stage.

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Valencia (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
2. Swansea City AFC (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3. FC Kuban Krasnodar (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. FC St. Gallen (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 6)

Valencia and Swansea City advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group B:

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Roman Bezjak scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute as Ludogorets Razgrad defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 on the road.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Franck Dja Djedje scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute as Chornomorets Odessa knocked off PSV Eindhoven 1-0 to lock up a berth in the knockout stage and end the hosts' adventure in European competition.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 6; GD: +9; PTS: 16)
2. Chornomorets Odessa (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 10)
3. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 1)

Ludogorets Razgrad and Chornomorets Odessa advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group C:

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Sadio Mane scored twice (20', 63') as FC Red Bull Salzburg completed a perfect Europa League group-stage campaign---and locked up the top spot in Group C---with a 3-0 home domination of fellow Round-of-32 qualifiers Esbjerg fB.

At Liege, Belgium:

Lasse Nilsson scored twice (41', 46') as Elfsborg avoided the Group C basement with their 3-1 road win over Standard Liege.

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 18)
2. Esbjerg fB (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 12)
3. IF Elfsborg (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
4. Standard Liege (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 1)

FC Red Bull Salzburg and Esbjerg fB advanced to the Europa League's group stage.



Group D:

At Bruges, Belgium:

Bibras Natkho (79') and Jose Salomon Rondon (85') delivered the scoring that  propelled FC Rubin Kazan to a 2-0 road win over SV Zulte Waregem.

At Maribor, Slovenia:

NK Maribor, thanks to Zeljko Filipovic's game-winning tally in the 59th minute, came from behind to upend visiting Wigan Athletic 2-1 and jumped past not only the reigning FA Cup champs but SV Zulte Waregem as well (thanks to superior goal differential) and into the Europa League's knockout stage.

FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 14)
2. NK Maribor (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
3. SV Zulte Waregem (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 7)
4. Wigan Athletic FC (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 5)

FC Rubin Kazan and NK Maribor advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group E:
At Florence, Italy:

In a battle of knockout-stage-bound clubs, Fiorentina, thanks to Juan Guillermo Cuadrado's 77th-minute game-winner, locked up the top spot in Group D with a 2-1 home win over FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

At Cluj-Napoca, Romania:

CS Pandurii Targu Jiu and visiting Pacos de Ferreira (who are having a dismal season domestically in Portugal) ended their respectively miserable Europa League campaigns with a 0-0 stalemate.

FINAL GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Fiorentina (GP: 6; GD: +9; PTS: 16)
2. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
3. Pacos de Ferreira (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 3)
4. CS Pandurii Targu Jiu (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 2)

Fiorentina and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk advanced to the Europa League's group stage.



Group F:

At Frankfurt am Main, Germany:

Stephan Schrock (68') and Constant Djakpa (77') delivered the goals that carried Eintracht Frankfurt to a 2-0 home win over APOEL, which knocked the visiting Cypriot club from the tournament.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Maccabi Tel Aviv, thanks to Eran Zahavi's successful penalty kick in the 74th minute, blanked visiting Bordeuax 1-0.  The Israeli club will be playing in the knockout stage of the Europa League, their first-ever knockout-stage appearance in a European tournament.

FINAL GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Eintracht Frankfurt (GP: 6; GD: +9; PTS: 15)
2. Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 11)
3. APOEL FC (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 5)
4. Bordeaux (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

Eintracht Frankfurt and Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group G:

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Oleh Husyev scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 28th minute as Dynamo Kiev clinched a berth in the knockout stage by holding off, and eliminating, visiting Rapid Vienna 3-1.

At Thun, Switzerland:

KRC Genk coach Mario Been celebrated his 50th birthday as his team, with Jelle Vossen scoring the game's lone goal in the 31st minute, blanked FC Thun 1-0 on the road.

FINAL GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. KRC Genk (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 14)
2. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3. Rapid Vienna (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
4. FC Thun (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 3)

KRC Genk and Dynamo Kiev advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group H:

At Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany:

Vicente Iborra (40') and Raul Rusescu (90'+4) provided the scoring as Sevilla secured top spot in Group H by defeating SC Freiburg 2-0 on the road and eliminating the German club from the tournament.

At Estoril, Portugal:

Michael Rabusic scored the winning goal in the 70th minute as Slovan Liberec locked up a berth in the knockout stage with a 2-1 road win over Estoril.

FINAL GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Sevilla (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 12)
2. FC Slovan Liberec (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
3. SC Freiburg (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. GD Estoril Praia (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 3)

Sevilla and FC Slovan Liberec advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.
Group I:

At Seville, Spain:

Real Betis settled for a 0-0 stalemate with visiting HNK Rijeka en route to the Europa League's knockout stage.

At Guimaraes, Portugal:

Bafetimbi Gomes (PK-62') and Jordan Ferri (65') each scored a goal three minutes apart shortly after the one-hour mark as Lyon laid claim to top spot in Group I after their 2-1 road win over Vitoria de Guimaraes, ending the Portuguese club's European adventure.

FINAL GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. Lyon (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2. Real Betis (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
3. Vitoria de Guimaraes (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
4. HNK Rijeka (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

Lyon and Real Betis advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group J:

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Tomasz Judlowiec (8') and Tomasz Brzyski (63') delivered the goals as Legia Warsaw collected their first----and only----points of Europa League group-stage play, a 2-0 road shutout over Apollon Limassol.

At Rome:

In a battle of Group J's two entrants into the knockout stage, Trabzonspor laid claim to the top spot by holding hosts Lazio to a 0-0 deadlock.

FINAL GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Trabzonspor (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 14)
2. Lazio (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
3. Apollon Limassol (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
4. Legia Warsaw (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

Trabzonspor and Lazio advanced to the Europa League's group stage.



Group K:

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Cadu (4') and Ismail Isa (36') each scored once as FC Sheriff Tiraspol closed out their stay in the Europa League by blanking visiting Tromso IL 2-0.

At London:

Tottenham Hotspur finished off a perfect group-stage run by dominating visiting (and fellow knockout-stage qualifiers) FC Anzhi Makhachkala 4-1, as Roberto Soldado delivered a hat trick (7', 16', PK-70') for Spurs.

FINAL GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 6; GD: +13; PTS: 18)
2. FC Anzhi Makhachkala (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 8)
3. FC Sheriff Tiraspol (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
4. Tromso IL (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 1)

Tottenham Hotspur and FC Anzhi Makhachkala advanced to the Europa League's group stage.

Group L:

At Thessaloniki, Greece:

In a battle of the group's two knockout stage entrants, Lucas Perez Martinez (PK-37') and Stelios Pozoglou (90'+4) delivered the goals as PAOK FC salvaged a 2-2 home draw with AZ Alkmaar.  Thomas Lam (31') and Donny Gorter (PK-71') delivered the scoring for the Dutch club, who won Group L due by outscoring the Greek club on away goals in head-to-head play (2-1).

At Haifa, Israel:

Shoval Gozlan (72') and Shimon Abuhatzira (80') provided the scoring as Maccabi Haifa avoided the Group L basement by coming from behind to defeat visiting Shakhter Karagandy 2-1.

FINAL GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2. PAOK FC (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
3. Maccabi Haifa FC (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 5)
4. FC Shakhter Karagandy (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 2)

AZ Alkmaar and PAOK FC advanced to the Europa League's group stage.