Aston Villa’s dramatic comeback was one of the defining moments of the Europa League’s final league-phase matchday as the new format reached its conclusion.
Villa recovered from two goals down to secure a memorable victory, a result that confirmed their place inside the top eight of the final standings.
The turnaround carried a strong local angle, with ex-AFC Bournemouth players Tyrone Mings and Morgan Rogers both finding the net.
Rogers was introduced from the bench in the second half and made an immediate impact as Villa searched for a route back into the contest.
Mings, who began his professional career on the south coast, then added a crucial goal as Villa completed the fightback.
The result capped a strong league-phase campaign for Unai Emery’s side and ensured they progressed directly to the last 16.
Nottingham Forest also ended the league phase on a positive note, claiming a 4-0 victory in their final fixture.
The win was a strong finish to their group campaign, having already secured qualification for the play-off stages.
Across Europe, the scale of the night was underlined by 18 fixtures kicking off simultaneously to decide final positions.
Celtic secured a home win on the final matchday to confirm their place in the knockout phase.
Porto finished the league phase strongly with a victory that lifted them into the qualification places.
Rangers were among the sides to miss out on the top eight and now face an additional play-off round.
Elsewhere, Midtjylland’s result proved decisive as they climbed into the automatic qualification positions.
Roma, Real Betis and Braga also did enough on the final night to secure top-eight finishes.
At the other end of the table, several clubs saw their European campaigns end as the final standings were confirmed.
The league-phase format created fine margins, with small gaps separating teams across the middle of the table.
Under the competition rules, the top eight sides progress straight to the last 16.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will contest a two-legged play-off, while those placed 25th or lower are eliminated.
For Villa, finishing inside the top eight removes the need for an extra round and offers valuable recovery time.
It also reinforces their status as one of the strongest sides remaining in the competition.
With the league phase now complete, attention turns to the knockout draw and the next stage of the tournament.
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