Conference League Matchday 6 highlights and round-up: KuPS hold Crystal Palace, beaten Fiorentina edge through
Thursday, December 18, 2025
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Crystal Palace and Fiorentina are through to the UEFA Conference League knockout phase play-offs, but neither won on Matchday 6.
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KuPS gave Crystal Palace a scare while Fiorentina lost at Lausanne-Sport but both sides progressed on a dramatic final day of league phase action as the line-up for the UEFA Conference League knockout stages was completed.
UEFA.com wraps up Matchday 6.
Matchday 6 results
Mainz 2-0 Samsunspor
Sparta Praha 3-0 Aberdeen
AEK Athens 3-2 Universitatea Craiova
AEK Larnaca 1-0 Shkëndija
AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Jagiellonia Białystok
Crystal Palace 2-2 KuPS Kuopio
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Rijeka
Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 Noah
Lausanne-Sport 1-0 Fiorentina
Zrinjski 1-1 SK Rapid
Legia Warszawa 4-1 Lincoln Red Imps
Celje 0-0 Shelbourne
Omonoia 0-1 Raków
Strasbourg 3-1 Breidablik
Rayo Vallecano 3-0 Drita
Shamrock Rovers 3-1 Hamrun Spartans
Sigma Olomouc 1-2 Lech Poznań
Slovan Bratislava 1-0 Häcken
Crystal Palace 2-2 KuPS Kuopio
A breathless draw at Selhurst Park secured KuPS a spot in the knockout phase play-offs. Goals from Piotr Parzyszek and Ibrahim Cissé in the space of three minutes stunned the Eagles after Christantus Uche's superb opener in the fifth minute.
Oliver Glasner's substitutions sparked the home side back to life; a perfect cross from Tyrick Mitchell, fresh off the bench, finding an unmarked Justin Devenny at the far post. However, Palace could not find the winner which would have sent them through to the round of 16, instead joining their Finnish visitors in the knockout phase play-offs.
Lausanne-Sport 1-0 Fiorentina
Lausanne-Sport just missed out on a top-eight place despite beating Fiorentina in Switzerland. The first half was one of few chances, a Sekou Fofana attempt that skewed wide the closest either side came.
The second was more open, however, and after Enzo Kana-Biyik skimmed the post with one deft effort, his cross picked out Gabriel Sigua to head in from close range. Beyatt Lekoueiry might have added a second but was denied by Viola goalkeeper Tommaso Martinelli. Fiorentina will enter the play-offs after finishing 15th in the rankings.
Best of the rest
- Two late goals earned Strasbourg a 3-1 win against valiant Breidablik and ensured that the French side finished top of the league phase on 16 points. Unbeaten Raków (W4 D2) finished second with 14, with seventh-ranked AEK Larnaca the only other team to end the league phase undefeated (W3 D3); the Cypriot side also conceded only one goal in their six fixtures, equalling the competition record.
- Luka Jović converted a penalty in the 15th minute of added time as AEK Athens won 3-2 against Universitatea Craiova and condemned the Romanian side to an exit from the competition. The Greek side trailed 2-1 after 90 minutes, but Derek Kutesa levelled the scores, and a win means they finished third in the table.
- Sparta Praha, Rayo Vallecano, Shakhtar Donetsk and Mainz took the remaining places in the top eight to ensure places in the round of 16.
- Czechia's Sigma Olomouc took the 24th and final place in the knockout phase despite losing 2-1 at home against Lech Poznań while Zrinjski also squeezed through in 23rd position thanks to a 93rd-minute own goal at home to SK Rapid.
What happens next?
Clubs ranked 1 to 8 advance straight to the round of 16; the draw for that and the remainder of the competition is on 27 February.
Clubs ranked 9 to 24 qualify for the knockout phase play-offs; that draw takes place on 16 January.