By Eden Roitfarb and Yossi Medina
The final day of the Europa Conference League group stage had everything. Teams ended the night knowing whether they’d made it through to the next round, or whether they’d made their last European dance. Here are the best moments from matchday six.
Group D drama
One of the best groups in this year's competition was Group D. Coming into the final matchday, Nice, Koln and Partizan all had something to play for.
Nice traveled to Germany, and in a dramatic game managed to hold on to a 2-2 draw that sent them through in first place.
Partizan drew at home against Slovacko and finished second, but it was all determined by close margins.
Koln, on the other hand, finished their European campaign in November, and can feel very disappointed about that.
Quand tu te réveilles avec ces images plein la tête…♥️🖤
— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) November 4, 2022
Belle journée poble nissart !
À dimanche pour la der’ avant la trêve à l’#AllianzRiviera pic.twitter.com/jr40f2NmEN
The hosts are out
Slavia Prague were one of the dominant clubs in the Europa League and the Europa Conference League last season.
After reaching the quarter finals last year, Slavia dreamt of getting closer to the final, which will be played in their home stadium.
Unfortunately, their chances to qualify for the next stage were complicated, as they failed to win against Sivasspor, and CFR Cluj in their previous matches.
A 1-1 draw against Sivasspor this week, saw them complete a disappointing European campaign.
📝 | Slavia only shared points with already qualified Sivasspor in 1-1 draw, which resulted in the 3rd place in the @europacnfleague group-stage. #slasiv #UECL
— SK Slavia Prague EN (@slavia_eng) November 3, 2022
📰 REPORT ➡️ https://t.co/gZtCxhFvYw pic.twitter.com/MXdm5x0aiq
Anderlecht advance in Denmark
In a head to head clash for qualification, Anderlecht traveled to play Silkeborg, who had a one point advantage over them.
The task was clear - only a win would be sufficient.
Despite being coached by interim manager Robin Veldman, the Belgians have Lior Refaelov, who you can always count on to deliver the goods.
The Israeli scored first, and the Danes were left chasing the game.
A red card for Anders Klynge didn't help their cause, and Benito Raman sealed the deal in the final minutes.
Full time in Silkeborg. 🟣⚪ #SILAND pic.twitter.com/m0arSeKfF3
— RSC Anderlecht (@rscanderlecht) November 3, 2022
Pandemonium in Poland
Fighting for second place with Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Lech Poznan knew a win over Villarreal would secure them qualification - regardless of the score in Turner Stadium.
A draw, on the other hand, would have left their fate in the Israelis hands.
But John van der Brom’s men didn’t risk anything, and produced their best win of the year against the Yellow Submarine - 3-0 with goals from Kristoffer Velde and Michal Skoras.
Be’er Sheva won 4-0 against Austria Vienna, and can feel disappointed with their inability to beat Poznan head-to-head.
Skóra 🤝 Muraś pic.twitter.com/abqixEmaKg
— Mistrz Polski 🥇 (@LechPoznan) November 4, 2022
Slovan Bratislava ride to the knockout stage
Back when they were part of Czechoslovakia, Slovan Bratislava was a powerhouse.
They reached the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1969, defeating Barcelona in the final.
Since 1971, they haven't reached the round of 16 in any European competition, but the Conference League is the perfect stage to do just that.
After defeating Zalgiris 2-1, they finished the group stage in first place, above Basel.
This tournament is the perfect place for these clubs and countries to put on impressive performances - and maybe it’ll be the Slovak side’s year.
Edited by Alex Smith
