Saturday, December 29, 2018

Crew To Stay In Columbus

Here come the Buckeye State derbies with FC Cincinnati.

Rossoneri Top SPAL On Saturday

At Milan, Italy:

In action from Italy's Serie A, Gonzalo Higuain scored the winning goal in the 64th minute as AC Milan defeated visiting SPAR 2-1.

Wolves Knock Off Spurs At Wembley

At London:

In Saturday English Premier League action, Raul Jimenez scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute as Wolverhampton Wanderers overcame an early deficit to knock off Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on the road at Wembley Stadium.

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Alvas Has Left The Building

He's rejoining his former Timbers teammate Fanendo Adi in Cincinnati.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Sigi Schmid, Winningest Coach In MLS History, R.I.P.

Sigi Schmid, the winningest coach in the history of Major League Soccer, passed away on Tuesday at age 65.

Mr. Schmid's family said that Sigi passed away at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized three weeks ago awaiting a heart transplant.

In 18 MLS seasons, Sigi's teams won an MLS-record 266 regular-season and post-season games with the Los Angeles Galaxy (where he won the 2002 MLS Cup crown), the Columbus Crew (2008 MLS Cup titlists), and the Seattle Sounders.

Before coming to MLS, the German-born Sigi, who moved to Southern California as a four-year-old, coached UCLA for 19 years and won three NCAA titles.

Rossoneri Settle For Scoreless Road Draw With Frosinone

At Frosinone, Italy:

In Wednesday Italian Serie A action, AC Milan battled hosts Frosinone to a 0-0 stalemate.

Wolves Battle Back To Gain Road Draw With Cottagers

At London:

In Boxing Day action from the English Premier League, Romain Saiss' equalizer in the 85th minute lifted Wolverhampton Wanderers to a 1-1 road draw with Fulham.

Ryan Sessegnon scored in the 74th minute for the Cottagers.

Monday, December 24, 2018

CAF Champions League: Fifteen Clubs Join ES Tunis In Group Stage

15 games were played over this past weekend as the first round of the CAF Champions League concluded as the winners of these first-round series advanced to the group stage, joining defending champions Esperance de Tunis.

Saturday Games:

At Dakar, Senegal:

Mohamed Ounajem's successfully-converted penalty kick in the 54th minute proved decisive as Wydad Casablanca, despite dropping a 3-1 game-two road decision to ASC Diaraf, knocked out the Senegalese club on away goals (with the aggregate score at 3-3) to advance to the group stage.

At Yaounde, Cameroon:

Baher El Mohamady's successful penalty kick in the third minute proved critical as Ismaily, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two road decision to Coton Sport, still won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Ndola, Zambia:

Elia Meschak scored the series winner in the 49th minute as TP Mazembe gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with ZESCO United and won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Windhoek, Namibia:

Justin Shonga scored the series' lone goal in the 55th minute as Orlando Pirates defeated African Stars 1-0 on the road in game two and ousted the Namibian club by that same score on aggregate.

At Pretoria, South Africa:

Leandro Sirino (34'), Jeremy Brockie (43'), Anthony Laffor (50'), and Jose Ali Meza (79') each scored once as Mamelodi Sundowns demolished visiting Al-Ahly Benghazi 4-0 in game two and ousted the Libyan club by that score on aggregate.

At Enugu, Nigeria:

Sikiru Alimi scored twice (70', 87') as Lobi Stars blanked visiting Gor Mahia 2-0 in game two and won their series with the Kenyan club on away goals with the aggregate score at 3-3.

At Wakiso Town, Uganda:

Adil Djabout (64') and Mohamed Bencherifa (70') each scored once as CS Constantine blanked Vipers SC 2-0 on the road and knocked out the Ugandan club 3-0 on aggregate.

At Zvishavane, Zimbabwe:

At 0-0 game-two home stalemate with AS Otoho was good enough for FC Platinum as they won their series with the club from the Republic of the Congo on away goals with the aggregate score at 1-1.



Sunday's Games:

At Tangier, Morocco:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to Itthad Tanger, Algeria's JS Saoura still won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:

Jonas Mkude (29'), Meddie Kagere (45'+1), and Clatous Chama (89') each scored a goal as Simba overcame their series-opening defeat in Zambia by defeating visiting Nkana 3-1 in game two and won their series 4-3 on aggregate.

At Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to Jimma Aba Jifar, Egypt's Al-Ahly still won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

Abdoul Tapsoba scored the game's lone goal at 28 minutes as ASEC Mimosas registered a second 1-0 victory over Stade Malien, this time at home, and won their series with the Malian club 2-0 on aggregate.

At Maseru, Lesotho:

Glodi Muzinga scored in the third minute as AS Vita Club gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with Bantu, more than good enough for the Congolese club to win their series 5-2 on aggregate.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to Al-Hilal, Club Africain still won their series with the Sudanese club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Conakry, Guinea:

Bolaji Sakin scored twice (41', 57') as Horoya overcame their 3-0 road series-opening defeat by demolishing visiting Al-Nasr 6-2 in game two and ousted the Libyan club 6-5 on aggregate.

Lions Knocked Off On The Road

At Guimaraes, Portugal:

In Sunday Portuguese Liga play, Toze scored the only goal of the match in the 26th minute as Vitoria Guimaraes knocked off visiting Sporting CP 1-0.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Well, Well

Looks like the Ottawa Fury will play in the USL Championship next season after all.

Mattress Makers Continue Woes For Parakeets

At Madrid:

Antoine Griezmann converted a penalty kick in the 56th minute for the long goal of the match on Saturday as Atletico Madrid continued Espanyol's ongoing Spanish La Liga slump by defeating the visiting Parakeets 1-0.

Dominating Road Win For Bayern

At Frankfurt, Germany:

Franck Ribery scored twice (35', 79') as Bayern Munich dominated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 on the road in Saturday German Bundesliga action.


Monaco To Try To Get Back On Winning Track

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

In a battle of the two teams now occupying the bottom two spots in the French Ligue 1 standings, Marcus Thuram (68') and Nolan Roux (75') each scored once in the final half-hour on Saturday as Guingamp blanked AS Monaco 2-0 on the road.

Violets Knock Off Rossoneri In Milan

At Milan, Italy:

Federico Chiesa scored the only goal of the match in the 73rd minute on Saturday as Fiorentina knocked off AC Milan 1-0 on the road in Italian Serie A action.

GALACTICOS MAKE IT THREE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP TITLES IN A ROW (AND FOUR OVERALL) AFTER POLISHING OFF AL-AIN IN TITLE GAME; River Plate Blow Out Antlers For 3rd Place

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Goals from Luka Modric (14'), Marcos Llorente (60'), Sergio Ramos (79'), and Yahya Nader (OG-90'+1) powered Real Madrid to their third consecutive FIFA Club World Cup championship (and fourth overall) on Saturday as Los Blancos dominated Al-Ain from the host country 4-1 at Zayed Sports City Stadium, breaking the record they shared with archrival Barcelona for most titles in this tournament.

Here are the happy Galacticos celebrating their record-breaking championship.

Getty Images photo by Michael Regan via FIFA website



Earlier on Saturday, at the same stadium, Gonzalo Martinez scored twice (73', 90'+3; that him here, celebrating) as River Plate demolished Japan's Kashima Antlers 4-0 in the third-place game.

Getty Images photo by David Ramos via FIFA website

Friday, December 21, 2018

Reds Snap Wolves' Three-Game EPL Winning Streak

At Wolverhampton, England:

Mohamed Salah had a hand in both goals, scoring in the 18th minute and assisting on Virgil van Dijk's tally in minute #68 on Friday as Liverpool ended Wolverhampton Wanderers' three-match English Premier League winning streak by blanking the hosts 2-0.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Bayern Top Visiting Leipzig

At Munich, Germany:

In Wednesday German Bundesliga action, Franck Ribery's goal in the 83rd minute lifted Bayern Munich to a 1-0 home win over RB Leipzig.

FIFA Club World Cup: It's Blancos vs. Al-Ain For The Marbles

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Gareth Bale produced a hat trick (44', 53', 55'; that's him celebrating) on Wednesday as Real Madrid defeated Japan's Kashima Antlers 3-1 in semifinal-round action in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Los Blancos will aim for a third straight title on Saturday against Al-Ain from the host country in the championship match at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Getty Images photo via FIFA website

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Bologna and Visiting Rossoneri Battle To Scoreless Draw

At Bologna, Italy:

Tuesday's Italian Serie A match between Bologna and visiting AC Milan ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

FIFA Club World Cup; Al-Ain Knock Off River Plate In PK Shootout To Advance To Final; ES Tunis Captures Fifth Place Over Goats In PK Thriller

At Al Ain, United Arab Emirates:

After a 2-2 regulation draw which was followed by 30 scoreless overtime minutes, Caio Lucas Fernandes, Tsukasa Shiotani, Bandar Al-Ahbabi, Amer Abdulrahman, and Rayan Yaslam (who scored the winning goal then celebrated afterward with coach Zoran Mamic as seen above) all converted their spot kicks as Al-Ain, representing the host nation, knocked off Argentina's River Plate (representing CONCACAF) 5-4 in the penalty-kick shootout to wrap up Tuesday's opening game of the FIFA Club World Cup's semifinal round at Al Ain's Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

Al-Ain will play the winner of Wednesday's contest between defending titlists Real Madrid and Japan's Kashima Antlers in Saturday's championship match.

Getty Images photo by Michael Regan via FIFA website



Earlier Tuesday at the same stadium, after a 1-1 regulation draw, with overtime dispensed with, Ali Machani, Khalil Chemmam, Taha Khenissi, Sameh Derbali, Fousseny Coulibaly, and Chemseddine Dhaouadi converted their spot kicks as nine-man Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia, representing Africa) outlasted Chivas of Guadalajara (Mexico, representing CONCACAF) 6-5 in the penalty-kick shootout to capture fifth place in the tournament.

That's the Tunisian club's Taha Knenissi celebrating his team's victory following the shootout.

Getty Images photo by Francois Nel

MLS To Shorten Season And Eliminate Two-Match Series

Beginning next year, all series are one-game knockout playoffs, with the top seven clubs in each conference qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

They're also doing away with re-seeding.

Looks Like........

Jose's not so special after all.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Monaco Embarrassed On Road

At Decines-Charpieu, France:

In Monday French Ligue 1 action, Houssem Aouar (6'), Nabil Fekir (34'), and Ferland Mendy (59') each delivered a goal as Lyon dominated visiting AS Monaco 3-0 as the visiting club from the Principality find themselves second from the bottom in the league standings.

Parakeets Fall Again

At Barcelona:

In Sunday Spanish La Liga action, Cristian Tello scored the winning goal in the 85th minute as Real Betis defeated Espanyol 3-1 on the road.

Dominating Sunday Win For Lions

At Lisbon:

Bas Dost (PK-35', PK-87') and Bruno Fernandes (70', 90'+1) each scored twice on Sunday as Sporting CP dominated visiting Nacional 5-2 in Portuguese Liga action.

Draw For Europa League Round of 32

The draw for the Europa League's Round of 32 was conducted on Monday at Nyon, Switzerland.

Except as noted, each series is set to commence on February 14 with the return matches set for February 21.

The game one hosts are listed first:

Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Club Brugge (Belgium) vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

Rapid Vienna (Austria) vs. Inter Milan (Italy)

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) vs. KRC Genk (Belgium)

FC Krasnodar (Russia) vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

FC Zurich (Switzerland) vs. Napoli (Italy)

Malmo FF (Sweden) vs. Chelsea (England)

Skakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)

Celtic (Scotland) vs. Valencia (Spain)

Rennes (France) vs. Real Betis (Spain)

Olympiacos (Greece) vs. Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)

Lazio (Italy) vs. Sevilla (Spain), February 14 and 20

Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia), February 12 and 21

Sporting CP (Portugal) vs. Villarreal (Spain)

FC BATE Borisov (Belarus) vs. Arsenal (England)

Galatasaray (Turkey) vs. SL Benfica (Portugal)

Draw For UEFA Champions League's Round of 16: Mattress Makers Get Juve; Man U To Battle PSG; Barca To Tangle With Lyon; Blancos To Battle Ajax; Bayern To Get Liverpool

The draw for the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 was conducted on Monday at Nyon, Switzerland:

The game-one hosts are listed first with the dates of the respective matches indicated:

Schalke 04 (Germany) vs. Manchester City (England), February 20 and March 12

Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs. Juventus (Italy), February 20 and March 12

Manchester United (England) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (France), February 12 and March 6

Tottenham Hotspur (England) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Germany), February 13 and March 5

Lyon (France) vs. Barcelona (Spain), February 19 and March 13

AS Roma (Italy) vs. FC Porto (Portugal), February 12 and March 6

Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) vs. Real Madrid (Spain), February 13 and March 5

Liverpool (England) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany), February 19 and March 13

CAF Champions League

Action from the opening round of the CAF Champions League continued on Sunday with seven games.

At Ismailia, Egypt:

Baher El Mohamady (45'+1) and Karim Bambo (59') each scored once as Ismaily blanked visiting Coton Sport (Cameroon) 2-0 in their series-opening contest.

At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Jackson Muleka scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute as TP Mazembe took the opening match of their series with Zambia's ZESCO United 1-0 at home.

At Cairo, Egypt (due to ongoing security concerns in Libya):

The opening match between Al-Ahly Benghazi and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Karasani, Kenya:

Samuel Onyango scored twice (22', 33') as Gor Mahia took the opening contest of their series with Nigeria's Lobi Stars 3-1 at home.

At Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Jean-Marc Mundele scored twice (36', 53') as AS Vita Club dominated visiting Bantu (Lesotho) 4-1 in their series opener.

At Rades, Tunisia:

Bilel Khefifi scored the winning goal in the 60th minute as Club Africain defeated visiting Al-Hilal of Sudan 3-1 in their series-opening match.

At Owando, Republic of the Congo:

William Stima's equalizer in the 45th minute lifted Zimbabwe's FC Platinum to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with AS Otoho.

Matheus Botamba scored at 21 minutes for the hosts.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

CAF Champions League

The first round of the CAF Champions League continued on Saturday with five games.

At Casablanca, Morocco:

William Jebor (18') and Mohamed Nahiri (86') each scored once as Wydad Casablanca posted a series-opening 2-0 home victory over Senegal's ASC Diaraf.

At Bechar, Algeria:

El Hadji Konate (PK-69') and Mohamed Hammia (80') produced the goals as JS Saoura blanked visiting Ittihad Tanger 2-0 in their series-opening match.

At Johannesburg, South Africa:

The opening match between Orlando Pirates and Namibia's visiting African Stars resulted in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Kitwe, Zambia:

Ronald Kampamba (27') and Kelvin Kampamba (56') each scored once as Nkana opened their series by defeating visiting Simba of Tanzania 2-1.

At Bamako, Mali:

Ahmed Toure scored a critical road goal in the opening minute of second-half stoppage time as ASEC Mimosas knocked off Stade Malien 1-0 on the road in their series-opening match.


Bayern Way Too Much For Hannover

At Hanover, Germany:

Joshua Kimmich (2'), David Alaba (29'), Serge Gnabry (53'), and Robert Lewandowski (62') each scored once on Saturday as Bayern Munich demolished Hannover 96 4-0 on the road in Germany Bundesliga action.

Wolves Make It Three In A Row (First Such Winning Streak In Top Flight Since 1980)

At Wolverhampton, England:

Raul Jimenez (12') and Ivan Cavaleiro (90'+4) each scored once on Saturday as Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their third straight English Premier League victory (their first three-game winning streak in the top flight since 1980) by blanking visiting AFC Bournemouth 2-0.

FIFA Club World Cup: Antlers Hold Off Goats To Get Crack At Blancos; Al-Ain Roll Over ES Tunis To Get Shot At River Plate

The quarterfinal round of the FIFA Club World Cup took place on Saturday with two games, both contested at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

In the opener, Hiroki Abe scored the winning goal in the 84th minute as Japan's Kashima Antlers (representing Asia) held off Chivas of Guadalajara of Mexico (CONCACAF) 3-2 in advance to Tuesday's semifinal match against reigning champs Real Madrid.

That's Antlers' Serginho, center, celebrating with teammates after converting a penalty kick in the 69th minute.

Reuters photo by Ahmed Jadallah




Emirates_Soccer_Club_World_Cup_84776.jpg
In the nightcap, Juma Ahmed (2'), Hussein El Shahat (16'), and Bandar Al-Ahbabi (60') each scored once as Al-Ain, representing the host nation, dominated African champs Esperance du Tunis of Tunisia 3-0 to earn the right to face Argentina's River Plate (South American champs) on Wednesday, also at Al Ain.

Here's Al-Ain's Mohamed Ahmed, in the above photo,  going for the ball with ES Tunis' Mohammed Belaili.

Associated Press photo by Kamran Jebreili


Friday, December 14, 2018

CAF Champions League: Al-Ahly, CS Constantine, Al-Nasr Take Series Openers As First Round Commences

The first round of the CAF Champions League commenced on Friday with three games.

At Alexandria, Egypt:

Nasser Maher (6') and Marwan Mohsen (38') each scored once as Al-Ahly took the opening match of their two-game series with visiting Jimma Aba Jifar of Ethiopia 2-0.

At Constantine, Algeria:

Kaddour Beldjilali's goal in the 15th minute enabled CS Constantine to defeat visiting Vipers SC of Uganda 1-0 in their series-opening contest.

At Cairo, Egypt (due to ongoing security concerns in Libya):

Moataz Al-Mehdi scored twice (26', 85') as Al-Nasr of Libya dominated visiting Horoya of Guinea 3-0 in their series opener.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Why Is The Ottawa Fury Being Booted Out Of The USL?

Could it be that the new president of CONCACAF was helpful in forming the Canaidan Premier League?

Europa League Group-Stage Play Ends

Group-stage action in the Europa League concluded on Thursday with 24 games.

GROUP A:

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Dominik Kohr (28', 68') and Lucas Alario (PK-41', 86') each scored twice (once in each half) as Bayer Leverkusen secured top spot in Group A after dominating AEK Larnaca 5-1 on the road.

At Razgrad, Bulgaria:

Jakub Swierczok's equalizer in the opening minute of first-half stoppage time lifted Ludogorets Razgrad to a 1-1 home draw with FC Zurich.

Rafael Forster's own goal in the 21st minute provided the scoring for the Swiss club, who had already qualified for the tournament's Round of 32.

Final Group A Standings:

1. Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. FC Zurich (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. AEK Larnaca (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 5)
4. Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 4)

Bayer Leverkusen and FC Zurich advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP B:

At Leipzig, Germany:

Tore Reginiussen's equalizer in the 86th minute lifted Rosenborg to a 1-1 road draw with RB Leipzig, knocking them out of the tournament.

Matheus Cunha scored for the hosts in the 47th minute.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Fredrik Gulbrandsen scored the game winner in the 78th minute as FC Red Bull Salzburg completed a perfect group-stage campaign by knocking off Celtic 2-1.

The Bhoys still advanced to the tournament's knockout stage.

Final Group B Standings:

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 18)
2. Celtic (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 9)
3. RB Leipzig (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. Rosenborg BK (GP: 6; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

FC Red Bull Salzburg and Celtic advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP C:

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Jimmy Briand scored the only goal of the match in the 73rd minute as Bordeaux defeated FC Copenhagen 1-0 on the road in what proved to be the tournament finale for both clubs.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Joromar Zmrhal (32') and Miroslav Stoch (41') delivered the goals as Slavia Prague knocked off visiting Zenit Saint Petersburg 2-1 to join the Russian club in the knockout stage.

Final Group C Standings:

1. Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 11)
2. Slavia Prague (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. Bordeaux (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 5)

Zenit Saint Petersburg and Slavia Prague advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP D:

At Trnava, Slovakia:

Kubilay Yilmaz scored the only goal of the match in the 41st minute as Spartak Trnava knocked off visiting Fenerbahce 1-0.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Dinamo Zagreb and visiting RSC Anderlecht battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Final Group D Standings:

1. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 14)
2. Fenerbahce (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
3. Spartak Trnava (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 7)
4. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

Dinamo Zagreb and Fenerbahce advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP E:

At Lisbon:

Fredy Montero (17'), Miguel Luis (35'), and Ardin Dallku (OG-44') each scored once as Sporting CP dominated visiting Vorskla Poltava 3-0.

At London:

Alexandre Lacazette scored the game's lone goal in the 17th minute as Arsenal defeated visiting Qarabag 1-0.

Final Group E Standings:

1. Arsenal (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 16)
2. Sporting CP (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 13)
3. Vorskla Poltava (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 3)
4. Qarabag (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 3)

Arsenal and Sporting CP advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP F:

At Luxembourg City:

F91 Dudelange and visiting Real Betis battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Piraeus, Greece:

Cristian Zapata's own goal proved to be vital as Olympiacos knocked off visiting AC Milan 3-1 and advanced to the knockout stage at the Rossoneri's expense.

Final Group F Standings:

1. Real Betis (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 12)
2. Olympiacos (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
3. AC Milan (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
4. F91 Dudelange (GP: 6; GD: -13; PTS: 1)

Real Betis and Olympiacos (due to superior head-to-head goal differential vis a viv AC Milan [+1 to 0]) advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP G:

At Villarreal, Spain:

Samuel Chukwueze (11') and Karl Toko Ekambi (48') each scored once as Villarreal defeated visiting Spartak Moscow 2-0 to snag top spot in Group G while eliminating the Russian club from the tournament in the process.

At Vienna, Austria:

Dejan Ljubicic scored the game's only goal in the 84th minute as Rapid Vienna defeated visiting Rangers 1-0 to claim a berth in the knockout stage.

Final Group G Standings:

1. Villarreal (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 10)
2. Rapid Vienna (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 10)
3. Rangers (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. Spartak Moscow (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 5)

Villarreal and Rapid Vienna advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP H:

At Marseilles, France:

Anton Maglica scored twice (PK-8', 30') as Apollon Limassol defeated Marseille 3-1 on the road in the tournament swan song for both clubs.

At Rome:

Sebastien Haller scored the winning goal at 71 minutes as Eintracht Frankfurt competed a perfect group-stage campaign by defeating Lazio 2-1 on the road as both clubs had already secured knockout-stage berths in the Europa League.

Group H Standings:

1. Eintracht Frankfurt (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 18)
2. Lazio (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 9)
3. Apollon Limassol (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. Marseille (GP: 6; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP I:

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Carl Marcus Antonsson scored the only goal of the match as Malmo FF knocked off Besiktas 1-0 on the road to snatch a berth in the knockout stage at the Black Eagles' expense.

Genk, Belgium:

Zinho Gano (GP: 3'), Joseph Paintsil (5'), Sander Berge (64'), and Joseph Aidoo (67') each scored once as KRC Genk locked up top spot in Group I by demolishing visiting Sarpsborg 08 by a 4-0 count.

Final Group I Standings:

1. KRC Genk (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
2. Malmo FF (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
3. Besiktas (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS; 7)
4. Sarpsborg 08 (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 5)

KRC Genk and Malmo FF advanced to the Europa League's group stage.



GROUP J:

At Seville, Spain:

Wissam Ben Yedder scored twice (5', 10') as Sevilla dominated visiting FC Krasnodar 3-0 to lock up top spot in Group J while the visiting Russian club still advanced to the knockout round.

At Akhisar, Turkey:

Akhisarspor and visiting Standard Liege battled to a 0-0 draw which eliminated the Belgian club from the tournament.

Final Group J Standings:

1. Sevilla (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 12)
2. FC Krasnodar (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 12)
3. Standard Liege (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 10)
4. Akhisarspor (GP: 6; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

Sevilla and FC Krasnodar advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP K:

At Rennes, France:

Ismalia Sarr scored twice (68', 73') as Rennes blanked visiting Astana 2-0 to jump the Kazakh club and finish second in Group K and advance to the knockout stage.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Martin Dolezal scored the only goal of the match in the 10th minute as FK Jablonec knocked off Dynamo Kiev (who still locked up top spot in Group K) 1-0 on the road.

Final Group K Standings:

1. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 11)
2. Rennes (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 9)
3. Astana (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
4. FK Jablonec (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 5)

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



GROUP L:

At Thessaloniki, Greece:

Mikalay Signevich scored twice (PK-42', 45'+1) as FC BATE Borisov secured a knockout-stage berth by defeating PAOK FC 3-1 on the road.

At Budapest, Hungary:

Willian (30') and Olivier Giroud (75') each scored once as Chelsea gained a 2-2 road draw with MOL Vidi.

Ethan Ampadu (OG-32') and Loic Nego (56') each scored for the Hungarian club.

Final Group L Standings:

1. Chelsea (GP: 6; GD: +9; PTS: 16)
2. FC BATE Borisov (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
3. MOL Vidi (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
4. PAOK FC (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 3)

Chelsea and FC BATE Borisov advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.