2023/24 UEFA Europa League Roundup
The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League has had an exciting season with unexpected twists, exciting comebacks, and impressive demonstrations of talent. With the group stage, knockout rounds and the finals now over, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on the key moments and storylines that influenced the competition.
Group Stage
The Europa League group stage for the 2023-2024 season was full of thrilling moments and fierce competition, featuring surprising displays and intense matches. Here is a summary of the important events and results from this stage.
Group A
West Ham United topped Group A in the UEFA Europa League with strong performances. Freiburg and Olympiacos competed for the second spot, with Freiburg ultimately progressing and leaving Olympiacos and FK TSC behind.
Group B
Brighton, making their first appearance in Europe, performed well and finished at the top of the group, while Marseille also showed strong performances to secure the second spot. Ajax and AEK Athens, despite playing competitively, did not manage to advance.
Group C
Rangers and Sparta Prague were the top two teams, while Real Betis and Aris Limassol were unable to advance, although Betis showed some impressive offensive performance during the group stage.
Group D
In Group D, Atalanta displayed their strong attacking skills and easily topped the group. Sporting CP claimed the second position, while Sturm Graz and Raków Czestochowa failed to advance to the knockout rounds.
Group E
Liverpool, a top contender, was in a strong position at the top of the group. Union SG and Toulouse battled for the last qualifying spot, with Toulouse eventually securing it. LASK had difficulty keeping pace with the other teams.
Group F
Villarreal finished first in a tough group, with Rennes coming in second. Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos, despite putting up a good fight, did not advance to the next stage.
Group G
Slavia Prague demonstrated their dominance by topping the group, with AS Roma also advancing to the knockout stages. However, Sheriff Tiraspol and Servette were unable to accumulate sufficient points to progress.
Group H
Bayer Leverkusen showcased their excellence by securing the top spot, while Qarabağ also progressed to the next stage. However, Molde and Häcken were unsuccessful in advancing beyond the group stage despite their strong performances.
Knockout Stage
The knockout stages of the 2023-2024 UEFA Europa League were filled with exciting games and unexpected results, which culminated the final in Dublin.
Knockout Round Play-offs
The Europa League knockout round play-offs feature 16 teams, including the eight runners-up from the Europa League group stage and the eight third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League group stage. These teams compete for a place in the Round of 16. Here is a recap the events during the play-offs.
Benfica vs Toulouse: Ángel Di María scored a penalty in the 95th minute to help SL Benfica secure a dramatic 2-1 win over Toulouse in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round. Despite facing a strong Toulouse team, Benfica managed to hold them to a goalless draw in the second leg and ultimately advanced to the last 16 of the competition with a 2-1 aggregate score.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille: Shakhtar Donetsk resumed competitive play after a two-month break with an exciting 2-2 draw against Marseille in the first leg. Marseille then secured their place in the UEFA Europa League last-16 by scoring two goals in the second half through Ismaïla Sarr and Geoffrey Kondogbia, resulting in a 5-3 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague: Galatasaray defeated Sparta Prague 3-2, giving them a slight lead in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off round. However, Sparta Prague managed to turn the tables in the second leg, winning 4-1 and securing a 6-4 aggregate victory to advance to the Round of 16.
Young Boys vs Sporting CP: Sporting CP defeated BSC Young Boys 3-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off. Despite Silvère Ganvoula’s late penalty helping BSC Young Boys secure a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon, Sporting Lisbon won 4-2 on aggregate to progress in the UEFA Europa League play-offs.
AC Milan vs Rennes: AC Milan took a significant step towards the UEFA Europa League last 16 by defeating Rennes 3-0 at the San Siro. Despite losing 3-2 to Rennes in the second leg, AC Milan secured their spot in the next round with a 5-3 aggregate score.
Feyenoord vs AS Roma: At the halfway mark of their UEFA Europa League knockout play-off round match, Feyenoord and Roma were evenly matched. Roma then eliminated Feyenoord from the UEFA Europa League for the second consecutive season by advancing on penalties at the Stadio Olimpico.
Braga vs Qarabag: Qarabağ achieved their first victory in a UEFA Europa League knockout match with their most significant win in the tournament since 2022, as they surprised Braga with a 4-2 victory in the first leg. Qarabağ FK managed to secure their first-ever spot in the round of 16 in a European competition with a thrilling extra-time goal from Nariman Akhundzade in the second leg.
RC Lens vs Freiburg: The UEFA Europa League play-off match between RC Lens and SC Freiburg was still undecided after a goalless draw in the first leg in France. Freiburg then advanced to the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League for the second consecutive season thanks to Roland Sallai scoring twice to help his team secure a remarkable comeback win after extra time.
Round of 16
Benfica vs Rangers: Rangers experienced a familiar outcome when Connor Goldson inadvertently scored an own goal during a draw against Benfica. This resulted in a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Europa League round-of-16 first leg. Unfortunately, Rangers were eliminated, as Benfica claimed a 1-0 victory in Glasgow in the second leg to secure a 3-2 aggregate win.
Marseille vs Villarreal: Marseille took a significant step towards reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League by securing a strong 4-0 win in the first leg against Villarreal CF. Despite facing a tough challenge in their 3-1 defeat in Spain during the second leg, Marseille managed to secure a 5-3 aggregate victory and qualify for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League for the first time since 2010.
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool: Liverpool moved significantly closer to reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League with a dominant 5-1 win over Sparta Prague in the first leg of their last-16 matchup. They then secured their spot in the UEL quarter-finals by defeating Sparta Prague 6-1 at Anfield, ultimately winning 11-2 on aggregate.
Sporting CP vs Atalanta: Sporting CP and Atalanta BC played a 1-1 draw at Estádio José Alvalade in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg. Atalanta staged a comeback in the second half to secure a 2-1 victory in the second leg match against Sporting CP at Gewiss Stadium.
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague: Slavia Prague were unfairly reduced to 10 players before ultimately losing 4-2 to AC Milan in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 match. AC Milan then overcame their poor history in Czechia by defeating SK Slavia Prague 3-1, advancing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
AS Roma vs Brighton: AS Roma were on the verge of reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League after a convincing 4-0 victory in the first leg of the round of 16 against Brighton at the Stadio Olimpico. They then secured their spot in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row with a 4-1 aggregate win over Brighton & Hove Albion, holding strong in a rainy match at the Amex Stadium.
Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen: Patrik Schick scored a late equalizer in the 92nd minute to help Bayer Leverkusen avoid a loss, coming back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 match against Qarabağ. In the second leg, Schick’s two goals in stoppage time saved Bayer Leverkusen and propelled them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, eliminating Qarabağ FK in a thrilling fashion.
Freiburg vs West Ham: Freiburg secured their first-ever head-to-head win against West Ham with a late goal from Michael Gregoritsch, giving the German team a slim 1-0 lead at the midway point of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 matchup. However, West Ham bounced back with a commanding performance, defeating Freiburg 5-0 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 encounter.
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals featured some highly competitive contests, they include;
Benfica vs Marseille: Roger Schmidt’s Benfica team was close to reaching the UEFA Europa League semi-finals for the first time since 2014 after defeating Marseille 2-1 in the first leg at Estádio da Luz. Marseille then went on to face Atalanta BC in the semi-finals after winning a penalty shootout against SL Benfica in the second leg.
Liverpool vs Atalanta: Atalanta surprised the football world by defeating Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final match at Anfield. Despite Liverpool’s 250th win in UEFA competition, it was not sufficient to make up for their previous first-leg performance. As a result, Liverpool was eliminated from the Europa League in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate loss to Atalanta.
AC Milan vs AS Roma: Gianluca Mancini scored a precise header to give AS Roma a well-earned 1-0 lead over AC Milan in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-final. AS Roma then secured a spot in the semi-finals of a European competition for the fourth consecutive year by defeating AC Milan 2-1 in the second leg, resulting in a 3-1 aggregate victory at the Stadio Olimpico in a thrilling UEFA Europa League quarter-final match.
Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham: Bayer Leverkusen showed patience in overcoming a resilient West Ham United team to secure a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final. The team, led by Xabi Alonso, continued their unbeaten streak of 44 games this season and advanced to the UEL semi-finals with a 3-1 aggregate score after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
Semifinals
The semifinal matches include;
Marseille vs Atalanta: Marseille and Atalanta BC drew in an exciting first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final at the Stade Vélodrome. Gian Piero Gasperini then made history as the first manager to lead Atalanta to a European final with a 3-0 win over Marseille in the second leg, winning 4-1 on aggregate.
AS Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen: Bayer Leverkusen achieved a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. In an impressive turn of events, Bayer Leverkusen’s late surge secured their place in the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin.
Final
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen: Ademola Lookman made history by scoring a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final, leading Atalanta BC to a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and ending the Bundesliga champions’ 51-match unbeaten streak. This memorable night marked Atalanta’s first European title, a significant achievement for Gasperini who secured his first major trophy in a highly respected managerial career. On the other hand, Leverkusen came close to success but ultimately fell short of completing an unbeaten treble, despite their captivating performances.
