AFCON 2025
The Europa League play-off round reached its conclusion today with several decisive second-leg encounters across Europe as teams battled for a place in the league phase.
Romanian giants FCSB produced one of the standout performances of the night, sweeping aside Aberdeen 3–0 in Bucharest to secure a 5–2 aggregate victory. The turning point came early in the second half when Alexander Jensen was controversially sent off for handball, conceding a penalty that Darius Olaru converted. Olaru later added a second, before Adrian Sut struck late to confirm Aberdeen’s exit.
In Belgium, Genk’s hopes were dashed after a 2–1 home defeat to Lech Poznań, who progressed 6–3 on aggregate thanks to goals from Kornel Lisman and Leo Bengtsson. Junya Ito had given Genk some hope with the opener, but their defensive lapses proved costly. In Greece, PAOK produced a dominant display in Thessaloniki, crushing Rijeka 5–0 on the night and overturning the tie to go through 5–1 overall. Panathinaikos, meanwhile, held firm in a goalless draw against Samsunspor, advancing 2–1 on aggregate after their first-leg advantage.
Elsewhere, Dynamo Kyiv booked their place with a narrow 1–0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, sealing a 3–2 overall triumph, while Swiss champions Young Boys overcame Slovan Bratislava 3–2 in a thrilling contest that saw them advance 4–2 on aggregate. Ludogorets Razgrad needed extra time but eventually overpowered Shkëndija 4–1, edging the tie 5–3.
Other ties saw routine progressions, with Braga dismantling Lincoln Red Imps 5–1 to complete a 9–1 aggregate rout, Malmö FF easing past Sigma Olomouc with a 2–0 win to go through 5–0, and Midtjylland cruising past KuPS after another 2–0 result for a comfortable 6–0 aggregate. FC Utrecht also advanced with a professional 0–0 draw at home against Zrinjski Mostar, protecting their 2–0 lead from the first leg.
Here’s the full list of today’s Europa League play-off second leg results with aggregates:
KuPS 0–2 Midtjylland (Midtjylland win 6–0 on aggregate)
Sigma Olomouc 0–2 Malmö FF (Malmö win 5–0 on aggregate)
Samsunspor 0–0 Panathinaikos (Panathinaikos win 2–1 on aggregate)
Ludogorets Razgrad 4–1 Shkëndija AET (Ludogorets win 5–3 on aggregate)
PAOK 5–0 Rijeka (PAOK win 5–1 on aggregate)
Dynamo Kyiv 1–0 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Dynamo Kyiv win 3–2 on aggregate)
FC Utrecht 0–0 Zrinjski Mostar (Utrecht win 2–0 on aggregate)
Genk 1–2 Lech Poznań (Lech Poznań win 6–3 on aggregate)
Young Boys 3–2 Slovan Bratislava (Young Boys win 4–2 on aggregate)
FCSB 3–0 Aberdeen (FCSB win 5–2 on aggregate)
Braga 5–1 Lincoln Red Imps (Braga win 9–1 on aggregate)
With these results, the lineup for the Europa League league phase is now complete. The draw takes place tomorrow, with clubs such as PAOK, Dynamo Kyiv, Young Boys and FCSB eagerly awaiting their opponents as they prepare to embark on the road to the knockout stages.
