Olympique Lyonnais clinched the top position in the Europa League standings following a decisive 4-2 home victory against Greek side PAOK on the final league phase matchday, according to reports.
This result ensured Lyon's direct passage to the round of 16, while Italian club AS Roma navigated a nervy night to secure the eighth and final automatic qualification berth.
Lyon overcame conceding an early goal and benefited from a red card issued to PAOK’s Giannis Konstantelias shortly before halftime, allowing the French side to rally for the win, as detailed by france24.com.
AS Roma faced significant adversity after defender Gianluca Mancini was sent off in the 15th minute for a challenge on Milos Pantovic, forcing the Italian team to play shorthanded against Panathinaikos.
Despite numerical disadvantage, Panathinaikos took the lead through Vicente Taborda, but a late equalizer from Jan Ziolkowski salvaged a crucial draw, enough for Roma to finish in the required top-eight bracket.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa concluded their group stage in second place after a 3-2 comeback win against Salzburg, having already secured their place in the knockout phase.
Several other key results determined the playoff seeding, with FC Porto overcoming an early deficit against Rangers to win 3-1, securing fifth place just ahead of Braga and Freiburg.
The final standings determined which clubs advance directly and which must contest the playoff round, highlighting the close margins in the competition's structure as Dutch clubs Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles were eliminated.
