5 - As they had for virtually all of the league phase, AEK Larnaca held out another opponent. Karol Angielski scored seven minutes from time to allow the Cypriot Cup winners to beat Shkendija 1-0 at home. The North Macedonians will make the knockout round playoffs, something no other club from their country had ever done before. As for AEK, they have kept their fifth clean sheet in the UECL this term. That is as many as they had in previous appearances in the main rounds in Europe.
4 - No goals were scored in the Netherlands between AZ and Jagiellonia Bialystok. The hosts played up a man for about half an hour after Afimico Pululu was dismissed shortly after the hour mark. Still, it was not enough for AZ as they finished three points above their opponents in the middle of the table. Jagiellonia drew all three of their away ties in the league phase, and, when including their playoff round stalemate in Albania, they have four straight road draws.
8 - Celje once again could not get a win, having to be satisfied with a scoreless result versus Shelbourne. The hosts had 23 attempts in the match, but could not find their way past their Irish opponents, leaving them with a knockout playoff berth. The Shels concluded their maiden group phase appearance without a win and, more embarrassingly, without a goal. In fact, the Irish club have failed to score in eight matches in the UECL all-time, qualifiers included.
21 - The drama of the night came in Greece, where AEK Athens overcame a two-goal deficit at home to CS Universitatea Craiova. Luka Jovic's penalty in the 105th minute helped them to a 3-2 victory, as the hosts finished fourth in the league phase. It was heartbreak for CSU Craiova, who dropped out of the knockout round spots on goals scored, thanks to that penalty. Jovic's key goal was AEK Athens' 21st goal versus Romanian opposition in continental play.
11 - Dynamo Kyiv concluded their UECL campaign on a high note thanks to a 2- 0 defeat of Noah. A goal in either half was sufficient for the Ukrainians to finish a point out of the top 24. Noah were still able to make history in being the first team from Armenia to get past a group stage/league phase. Since they started playing on neutral territory for home games, it was the 11th time a Dynamo 'home' clash saw only one team score.
1 - Things continue to go from bad to worse for Fiorentina, who fell 1-0 in Switzerland to Lausanne-Sport. Gabriel Sigua made the difference in the match as the Swiss team just missed out on qualifying directly for the last 16 as they passed La Viola. Fiorentina had two firsts after their latest setback: this was their first defeat on Swiss soil after going unbeaten in their first seven trips. Moreover, this is the first time ever that the club have suffered back-to-back losses on the road in the same European season.
13 - Mainz did their damage just before and after the break as they found their way past Samsunspor 2-0 in a key clash. Victory sealed a place in the round of 16 for Die Nullfunfer, who have now gone farther than they ever have in Europe. The Turks could not keep their impressive start going, failing to win any of their last three matches to slip out of the top eight. The Bundesliga side had 13 shots in the match, six more than their opponents.
15 - It was not to be for Lincoln Red Imps, who missed out on qualification following a 4-1 reverse away to Legia Warsaw. The Poles scored early and piled on their Gibraltarian opponents. Despite already being eliminated before kickoff, Wojskowi dragged The Red Imps out of Europe with them. It does not get any better for Lincoln, who conceded a league phase-high 15 times across the six games.
2 - History was made at Selhurst Park, as Crystal Palace were held 2-2 against KuPS Kuopio. The Eagles were once again unable to get the expected result, leaving them outside of the top eight. They will instead have to progress to the last 16 via the knockout playoffs. Joining them are KuPS, who became the first Finnish team to successfully negotiate a group phase. The Veikkausliiga holders also scored both of their goals from their only two attempts on target.
16 - Rakow completed an impressive league phase showing with a narrow 1-0 defeat of Omonia Nicosia on the road. Oskar Repka decided the game shortly after the restart, as the team from Czestochowa held on for three more points and a second-place finish. They will play in the last 16 in March, something Omonia will still have a chance to do, albeit through the playoffs. The side from the Cypriot capital have lost a home game in Europe without scoring for the 16th time.
17 - The biggest clash of the round did not disappoint as Lech Poznan came out on top versus Sigma Olomouc. A Mikael Ishak double in the first half saw the Poles prevail 2-1 away to progress to the knockout playoffs. However, the most important goal turned out to be Jan Kral's in the 84th minute, as that, coupled with the last-gasp AEK Athens win, sent the Czechs through. Lech have scored in all of their group games for the first time in 17 years, back when they did so in the UEFA Cup.
10 - There was no stopping Rayo Vallecano at home as the La Liga outfit maintained their unbeaten record in continental home ties with a 3-0 success over Drita. While the match itself was a bit tighter than the scoreline suggests, the Spaniards still got the job done and are rewarded with two fewer games on their schedule. Drita will still be happy to be the first team from Kosovo to make the knockout stages. Rayo have prevailed for the 10th time in a UEFA club competition in front of their fans from 11 outings (10-1-0).
12 - It ended scoreless in Poland between Shakhtar Donetsk and Rijeka, with the Pitmen doing enough to make the round of 16 as a top-eight finisher. The visitors mustered just one attempt on target in the 90 minutes, and were more than happy to have made the knockout stages for the very first time. After all, it was just the second time that Rijeka managed to keep a clean sheet in an away group phase match, the other occasion happening 12 years ago.
18 - Shamrock Rovers ended their disappointing league phase campaign with a win. Scoring in stoppage time of both halves, the League of Ireland champions claimed a 3-1 result against Hamrun Spartans. Graham Burke's goal and assist in the first 45 minutes powered the hosts to a victory in the dead rubber. Hamrun, who also exited the Conference League at this stage, have been beaten on the road in Europe for the 18th time.
14 - Zrinjski live to see another day in remarkable fashion. A Nenad Cvetkovic own goal denied Rapid Wien the perfect send-off, with the Bosnians grabbing the goal they needed in a 1-1 tie. It proved to be enough to send the hosts through, making it the second year in a row that a Bosnian team has successfully negotiated this stage. Rapid avoided the ignominy of going pointless in the league phase despite the late equaliser. As for the Mostar-based team, they have scored 14 goals across their two appearances in the UECL group phase, all of which have come at home.
9 - Cesar Blackman gave Slovan Bratislava something to cheer about in their final UECL game of the season. The Slovaks topped BK Hacken 1-0 in front of their fans as both teams bow out of the competition. Just as they did two years ago in the Europa League, the Swedes failed to claim a victory. This time, they managed to avoid defeat thrice. They could not on this occasion, though, with this being their ninth defeat in a group phase.
20 - Having already ensured a knockout round spot before kickoff, Sparta Praha claimed a 3-0 success over Aberdeen to end the league phase in fourth spot and make the last 16. The Dons are out, losing four of their six clashes, conceding 14 times, and failing to score on the road. As for Sparta, they keep their strong record versus Scottish opposition going with an eighth win in 13 games (8-2-3), scoring 20 times in those matches.
29 - We save the best for last, with Strasbourg finishing top of the 36-team league phase thanks to their 3-1 home victory over the now-eliminated Breidablik. Martial Godo netted the winner 10 minutes from time to give the Ligue 1 team their fifth win in the UECL this term. Breidablik, who had a chance to progress with a win, exited the competition having conceded a whopping 29 times across their two appearances at this stage.
Relive the chaotic end to the UEFA Conference League on Flashscore.