Everything you need to know as Europa League heads into knockout rounds

Wednesday’s conclusion of the Champions League’s opening round had plenty of thrills and spills. Matchday 8 was no different in the Europa League. theScore covers the major storylines as the league phase in Europe’s secondary competition wrapped up with Thursday’s 18-game bonanza.

The best

An octet of big clubs secured their progression into the Europa League last 16.

Lazio finished atop the 36-team league despite losing 1-0 in their final match at Braga. Olympiacos and Rangers both rose five positions to squeeze into the top eight. The Greek side hit three unanswered goals past Qarabag and Scottish Premiership side Rangers eked out a 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise.

Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Eintracht Frankfurt safeguarded their places in the top eight with wins. Lyon also stayed among the leading bunch despite their 1-1 home draw with Bulgaria’s Ludogorets.

The rest

Anderlecht and FCSB tumbled out of the top eight and into playoff positions. The former’s late comeback fell short in a 4-3 home defeat to underperforming German side Hoffenheim and the latter lost 2-0 to illustrious visitors Manchester United.

Bodo/Glimt, Ajax, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Roma, Viktoria Plzen, Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, FC Midtjylland, Union Saint-Gilloise, PAOK Thessaloniki, and Fenerbahce all started and ended the day in the 16 playoff places.

FC Porto and FC Twente clambered out of the elimination zone. Porto, who competed in the Champions League last 16 in each of the two previous seasons, climbed from 25th to 18th courtesy of a 1-0 success at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Twente stayed alive while simultaneously dumping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Besiktas out of the competition thanks to winger Daan Rots’ 76th-minute finish.

Other notable names booted from Europe include Hoffenheim and Nice. The French side, which currently sits fourth in Ligue 1, recorded a miserable 35th-place finish after a 1-1 draw against Bodo/Glimt on the Mediterranean coast left it with three points from eight matches.

What’s next?

The top eight won’t continue their bid for Europa League glory until the last 16 commences on March 6.

The teams positioned ninth to 24th enter playoffs to determine who gets into the round of 16. The first legs are set for Feb. 13 and the return fixtures are held the following week.

The playoff-bound teams already know they’ll face one of two possible opponents. Their final position in the league phase whittled it down to two possibilities before Friday’s draw (7 a.m. ET) locks it in. For example, Fenerbahce, who took the final 24th playoff spot, will take on Bodo/Glimt (who finished ninth) or Anderlecht (10th).

The matchups understandably lack the heavyweight clout of the Champions League playoffs. Among the more appealing matchups is Claudio Ranieri’s Roma taking on either Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros or Martin Anselmi’s Porto.

In the round of 16, the two who progress out of AZ Alkmaar, Midtjylland, Real Sociedad, and Galatasaray will face Manchester United or Tottenham.

The final table

Bound for round of 16

Bound for playoff round

Eliminated