Europa League knockout phase play-off second leg highlights and round-up: Lille, Genk, Panathinaikos take long route to last 16
Thursday, February 26, 2026
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Lille and Genk prevailed in extra time while Panathinaikos won through on penalties in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase play-off second legs.
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Lille came through in extra time, Panathinaikos prevailed on penalties and Nottingham Forest and Stuttgart relied on first-leg victories to take them into Friday's draw for the remainder of the UEFA Europa League.
We round up the second-leg action.
Crvena Zvezda 0-2 Lille (aet, agg: 1-2)
Nathan Ngoy scored an extra-time winner to tee Lille up to face Lyon or Aston Villa. The French side trailed from the home leg, but Olivier Giroud levelled the tie after just four minutes when he got a head to Benjamin André's cross. Goalkeeper Matheus denied Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Gaëtan Perrin to keep Crvena Zvezda afloat, but Ngoy capped a brilliant Lille break on 99 minutes to tip the balance. Marko Arnautović had a late chance to level but headed straight at Berke Özer.
Viktoria Plzeň 1-1 Panathinaikos (aet, agg: 3-3, Panathinaikos win 4-3 on pens)
Panathinaikos finally clinched their place in the last 16 after a shoot-out success at Viktoria Plzeň. Andreas Tetteh started and finished a ninth-minute move to put the Greek side ahead with his third goal of the tie. Karel Spáčil headed the hosts' equaliser halfway through the second half and Javi was dismissed in extra time for the visitors, but Plzeň could not make their man advantage count and Miloš Pantović scored the decisive spot kick to take Rafael Benítez's side through.
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Fenerbahçe (agg: 4-2)
Forest resisted Fenerbahçe's impressive comeback bid to advance despite a home second-leg defeat. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, the Turkish club hit back through a 22nd-minute Kerem Aktürkoğlu finish and the same player's penalty three minutes after the interval reduced the deficit to one. On as one of four half-time substitutes, Callum Hudson-Odoi took the heat out of the encounter with an arrowed strike in the 68th minute. Midtjylland or Real Betis are up next for Forest.
Stuttgart 0-1 Celtic (agg: 4-2)
The German side set up a meeting with Braga or Porto despite also suffering a second-leg home defeat. Luke McCowan's first-minute finish from inside the box boosted the Hoops' hopes of a comeback in the tie, although Die Roten went close when Badredine Bouanani's long-range shot was pushed behind by Viljami Sinisalo. The goalkeeper denied Bouanani again as Stuttgart dominated much of the second half, but Celtic held on for their first win in Germany at the 17th attempt.
Round of 16 line-up
Top eight: Aston Villa (ENG), Braga (POR), Freiburg (GER), Lyon (FRA), Midtjylland (DEN), Porto (POR), Real Betis (ESP), Roma (ITA)
Play-off winners: Bologna (ITA), Celta (ESP), Ferencváros (HUN), Genk (BEL), Lille (FRA), Nottingham Forest (ENG), Panathinaikos (GRE), Stuttgart (GER)
Genk 3-3 GNK Dinamo (aet, agg: 6-4)
Bruno Goda rattled the crossbar, but Genk seemed to have seen off a first-half rally until Mounsef Bakrar intercepted goalkeeper Tobias Lawal's clearance and scored. Yira Sor supplied a classy finish to a flowing 51st-minute Genk move, but Luka Stojković's penalty kept GNK Dinamo believing and the No7 then hit a beauty from range to force extra time. However, a Perez Vinlöf own goal, Stojković's dismissal and then a Daan Heymans finish steered the Belgian team into the last 16.
Bologna 1-0 Brann (agg: 2-0)
Bologna will face Roma or Freiburg next after securing a second 1-0 win against their Norwegian opponents. Brann had the best chances of the first half, including a Noah Holm effort cleared off the line, but were unable to level the aggregate score. With Jabob Sørensen sent off for the visitors before the break, Bologna started to find their feet and put the tie to bed just prior to the hour, João Mário firing in a right-footed shot for his first goal for the club.
Ferencváros 2-0 Ludogorets (agg: 3-2)
The Hungarian champions will face Porto or Braga of Portugal in the round of 16 after overcoming Ludogorets at home for the third time this season. Gabi Kanichowsky scored inside 15 minutes to cancel out the 2-1 deficit from the first leg, before Kristoffer Zachariassen put Robbie Keane's side ahead on aggregate for the first time in the tie. Despite almost matching the hosts for attempts on goal, the Bulgarian visitors were unable to make those openings count.
Celta 1-0 PAOK (agg: 3-1)
The Spanish side progressed with a controlled performance against PAOK. In a nervy first half, the Greek side start brightly and carved out a couple of half-chances, but Celta eventually seized control and took the lead through Williot Swedberg's quick touch and guided pass into the far corner just after the hour. Borja Iglesias and substitute Jones El-Abdellaoui also had good opportunities for Claudio Giraldez's team, but one goal was enough to put the tie to bed.
Europa League knockout phase dates
Round of 16: 12 & 19 March
Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April
Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May
Final: 20 May (Istanbul)