The UEFA Europa League drew the curtains for the final game of the competition as teams vied for a place in the knockout round, while some teams looked to continue their European campaign in the Europa Conference league.
The stakes were higher than usual as teams fought tooth and nail for a last-ditch effort to qualify for the next round.
Bayern Leverkusen 5-1 Molde
Bayern Leverkusen made it, six wins out of six as they hammered Molde.
Xavi Alonso's men have been flying in the Bundesliga this season and had already booked their spots in the next round, with a much-changed lineup, that saw 9 players dropped to the bench.
It was the host that looked the better side as they took the lead through Patrick Schick with a trademark finish. Edmond Tapsoba scored the second goal as the Norwegian outfit failed to contain Leverkusen, and the third came on the 25th minute through an own goal. Molde didn't register any shot on target throughout the game.
The host failed to make the score four nill before halftime as Nathan Tella's shot hit the post and Patrick Schick had his shot cleared off the line.
The Norwegian team improved in the second half but the host got their fourth through Adam Hlozek's strike.
The fifth goal came through Adam Hlozek's deflected strike off Mbemba into the back of the net.
Molde did get a consolation goal through Eric Kitalano but it didn't stop Bayern Leverkusen from finishing the group with a perfect record.
Xabi Alonso's Bayern Leverkusen remain unbeaten in all competition this term as they breeze into the knockout round.
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Qarabag sealed their spot as runners-up in Group H, to qualify for the knockout round as they saw off Hacken 2:1 in an impressive fashion, with goals from Leandro Andrade and Yassine Benzia. Hacken's solitary goal was scored by Badavi Huseynov.
AS Roma 3-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
As Roma ended their Europa League group stage campaign on a high. They saw off Sheriff Tiraspol in a comfortable win.
The Italian team had Belgian international Romelu Lukaku to thank for the opener. Andrea Belotti's header sealed a convincing 3 nill win in Group G, as they qualified for the knockout round playoffs.
Royal Saint-Giliose 2-1 Liverpool
Royal Saint-Gilliose sealed an impressive win against Premier League table toppers Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp's side consisted of young academy players as the team had already qualified as group winners. Nonetheless the host sealed a famous 2-1 win to leapfrog Lask into the UEFA Europa Conference league.
LASK 1-2 Toulouse
LASK failed to get the much-needed win as French side Toulouse defeated them 1:2 to book their spot finishing second behind Liverpool to qualify for the knockouts round in Group E.
Villarreal 2-3 Rennes
Villarreal edged French side Rennes 2-3 in a five-goal thriller to snatch top spot in the Group F encounter.
The Spanish team came into the game knowing fully well that a win would guarantee them the top spot.
Gerard Moreno converted from the spot to give his side the lead, but the French team carved out a quick equalizer through Lorenz Assignon.
Former La Masia graduate Elias Akomach would put his side in front with the second goal after a nice assist by Gerard Moreno.
Rennes got their equalizer for the second time in the game through Lodovic Blas, in the 79th minute, but the yellow submarine with an instantaneous reply on the 80th minute mark got their noses in front through Dani Parejo.
The game eventually ended 2-3 as Villarreal booked passage as group F winners into the next round, with Rennes finishing second.
Maccabi Haifa 2-1 Panathinaikos
Maccabi Haifa won the battle for third spot in Group F as they overtook Panathinaikos with a 2-1 victory.
Brighton 1-0 Olympique Marseille
Brighton and Marseille faced off against each other for the honor of who wins group B, with Both teams having booked a spot in the knockout rounds.
The encounter was designed as a winner-takes-all battle, with the host coming close with Joao Pedro Fierce's strike, and Gennaro Gattuso's men's threat came from Jonathan Claus as the first half ended goalless.
Brighton recorded a slim victory over Olympique Marseille, with Joao Pedro scoring late to hand the home side the win.
The Seagulls progressed into the next round as Group leaders, with 13 points from 6 games, drawing 1 and losing 1.
Olympiacos 5-2 TSC Backa Topola
Olympiacos walloped TSC Backa Topola in emphatic fashion, with Ayoub El Kaabi and Daniel Podence putting the Greek side in an advantageous position.
Podence scored a brace in the encounter, while Panagiotis Retsos made it 4 for the home team just with the restart of action in the second 45.
Ifet Dakovac also netted for Topola in the 48th minute, with Aleksander Cirkovic halving the deficit in the 61st minute before Youssef El Arabi finished the job for Olympiacos.
Rakow Czestochowa 0-4 Atalanta
Rakow Czestochowa also lost embarrassingly on the home turf in Poland, with Atalanta having a brilliant Europa League night.
Luis Muriel scored for Atalanta in the 14th minute, before Giovanni Bonfanti increased the Bergamo-based side's lead in the 26th minute.
Muriel secured his brace in the 72nd minute, while 2 minutes into additional time in the second 45, Charles De Ketelaere put the icing on the cake for the Italian side.
Ajax 3-1 AEK Athens
Chuba Akpom's brace and Kenneth Taylor's excellent goal propelled Ajax to a great victory over AEK Athens.
AEK Athens's consolation came in the 11th minute of proceedings, with Levi Garcia initially canceling out Chuba Akpom's opener.
West Ham United 2-0 Freiburg
A spirited performance from the Hammers culminated in an amazing victory for David Moyes' men.
Former Ajax men Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez scored in the 14th and 42nd minute to hand the English side a delightful victory in front of their supporters.
Results from all matches played on Thursday, December 14, 2023, in the UEFA Europa League:
Roma 3-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
Bayern Leverkusen 5-1 Molde
LASK 1-2 Toulouse
Panathinaikos 1-2 Maccabi Haifa
Rennes 2-3 Villarreal
Royal Union SG 2-1 Liverpool
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Olympiacos 5-2 TSC Backa Topola
Ajax 3-1 Athens
Real Betis 2-3 Rangers
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Slavia Prague 4-0 Servette
Union St. Gilloise 2-1 Liverpool
Aris Limassol 1-3 Sparta Prague
Brighton 1-0 Olympique Marseille
Rakow Czestochowa 0-4 Atalanta
Real Betis 2-3 Rangers
Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Sturm Graz
West Ham United 2-0 Freiburg
Teams that qualified for the knockout round playoffs due to finishing 2nd in their groups:
*Freiburg
*Olympique Marseille
*Sparta Prague
*Sporting Lisbon
*Toulouse
*Rennes
*Roma
*Qarabag
The aformentioned teams will be paired with teams that finished third in the Champions League group stage. The winners of the two-legged affair will qualify for the Europa League round of 16.
Teams that qualified for the round of 16 due to finishing 1st in their groups:
*West Ham United
*Brighton and Hove Albion
*Rangers
*Atalanta
*Liverpool
*Villarreal
*Slavia Prague
*Bayern Leverkusen
The stakes were higher than usual as teams fought tooth and nail for a last-ditch effort to qualify for the next round.
Bayern Leverkusen 5-1 Molde
Bayern Leverkusen made it, six wins out of six as they hammered Molde.
Xavi Alonso's men have been flying in the Bundesliga this season and had already booked their spots in the next round, with a much-changed lineup, that saw 9 players dropped to the bench.
It was the host that looked the better side as they took the lead through Patrick Schick with a trademark finish. Edmond Tapsoba scored the second goal as the Norwegian outfit failed to contain Leverkusen, and the third came on the 25th minute through an own goal. Molde didn't register any shot on target throughout the game.
The host failed to make the score four nill before halftime as Nathan Tella's shot hit the post and Patrick Schick had his shot cleared off the line.
The Norwegian team improved in the second half but the host got their fourth through Adam Hlozek's strike.
The fifth goal came through Adam Hlozek's deflected strike off Mbemba into the back of the net.
Molde did get a consolation goal through Eric Kitalano but it didn't stop Bayern Leverkusen from finishing the group with a perfect record.
Xabi Alonso's Bayern Leverkusen remain unbeaten in all competition this term as they breeze into the knockout round.
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Qarabag sealed their spot as runners-up in Group H, to qualify for the knockout round as they saw off Hacken 2:1 in an impressive fashion, with goals from Leandro Andrade and Yassine Benzia. Hacken's solitary goal was scored by Badavi Huseynov.
AS Roma 3-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
As Roma ended their Europa League group stage campaign on a high. They saw off Sheriff Tiraspol in a comfortable win.
The Italian team had Belgian international Romelu Lukaku to thank for the opener. Andrea Belotti's header sealed a convincing 3 nill win in Group G, as they qualified for the knockout round playoffs.
Royal Saint-Giliose 2-1 Liverpool
Royal Saint-Gilliose sealed an impressive win against Premier League table toppers Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp's side consisted of young academy players as the team had already qualified as group winners. Nonetheless the host sealed a famous 2-1 win to leapfrog Lask into the UEFA Europa Conference league.
LASK 1-2 Toulouse
LASK failed to get the much-needed win as French side Toulouse defeated them 1:2 to book their spot finishing second behind Liverpool to qualify for the knockouts round in Group E.
Villarreal 2-3 Rennes
Villarreal edged French side Rennes 2-3 in a five-goal thriller to snatch top spot in the Group F encounter.
The Spanish team came into the game knowing fully well that a win would guarantee them the top spot.
Gerard Moreno converted from the spot to give his side the lead, but the French team carved out a quick equalizer through Lorenz Assignon.
Former La Masia graduate Elias Akomach would put his side in front with the second goal after a nice assist by Gerard Moreno.
Rennes got their equalizer for the second time in the game through Lodovic Blas, in the 79th minute, but the yellow submarine with an instantaneous reply on the 80th minute mark got their noses in front through Dani Parejo.
The game eventually ended 2-3 as Villarreal booked passage as group F winners into the next round, with Rennes finishing second.
Maccabi Haifa 2-1 Panathinaikos
Maccabi Haifa won the battle for third spot in Group F as they overtook Panathinaikos with a 2-1 victory.
Brighton 1-0 Olympique Marseille
Brighton and Marseille faced off against each other for the honor of who wins group B, with Both teams having booked a spot in the knockout rounds.
The encounter was designed as a winner-takes-all battle, with the host coming close with Joao Pedro Fierce's strike, and Gennaro Gattuso's men's threat came from Jonathan Claus as the first half ended goalless.
Brighton recorded a slim victory over Olympique Marseille, with Joao Pedro scoring late to hand the home side the win.
The Seagulls progressed into the next round as Group leaders, with 13 points from 6 games, drawing 1 and losing 1.
Olympiacos 5-2 TSC Backa Topola
Olympiacos walloped TSC Backa Topola in emphatic fashion, with Ayoub El Kaabi and Daniel Podence putting the Greek side in an advantageous position.
Podence scored a brace in the encounter, while Panagiotis Retsos made it 4 for the home team just with the restart of action in the second 45.
Ifet Dakovac also netted for Topola in the 48th minute, with Aleksander Cirkovic halving the deficit in the 61st minute before Youssef El Arabi finished the job for Olympiacos.
Rakow Czestochowa 0-4 Atalanta
Rakow Czestochowa also lost embarrassingly on the home turf in Poland, with Atalanta having a brilliant Europa League night.
Luis Muriel scored for Atalanta in the 14th minute, before Giovanni Bonfanti increased the Bergamo-based side's lead in the 26th minute.
Muriel secured his brace in the 72nd minute, while 2 minutes into additional time in the second 45, Charles De Ketelaere put the icing on the cake for the Italian side.
Ajax 3-1 AEK Athens
Chuba Akpom's brace and Kenneth Taylor's excellent goal propelled Ajax to a great victory over AEK Athens.
AEK Athens's consolation came in the 11th minute of proceedings, with Levi Garcia initially canceling out Chuba Akpom's opener.
West Ham United 2-0 Freiburg
A spirited performance from the Hammers culminated in an amazing victory for David Moyes' men.
Former Ajax men Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez scored in the 14th and 42nd minute to hand the English side a delightful victory in front of their supporters.
Results from all matches played on Thursday, December 14, 2023, in the UEFA Europa League:
Roma 3-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
Bayern Leverkusen 5-1 Molde
LASK 1-2 Toulouse
Panathinaikos 1-2 Maccabi Haifa
Rennes 2-3 Villarreal
Royal Union SG 2-1 Liverpool
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Olympiacos 5-2 TSC Backa Topola
Ajax 3-1 Athens
Real Betis 2-3 Rangers
Qarabag 2-1 Hacken
Slavia Prague 4-0 Servette
Union St. Gilloise 2-1 Liverpool
Aris Limassol 1-3 Sparta Prague
Brighton 1-0 Olympique Marseille
Rakow Czestochowa 0-4 Atalanta
Real Betis 2-3 Rangers
Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Sturm Graz
West Ham United 2-0 Freiburg
Teams that qualified for the knockout round playoffs due to finishing 2nd in their groups:
*Freiburg
*Olympique Marseille
*Sparta Prague
*Sporting Lisbon
*Toulouse
*Rennes
*Roma
*Qarabag
The aformentioned teams will be paired with teams that finished third in the Champions League group stage. The winners of the two-legged affair will qualify for the Europa League round of 16.
Teams that qualified for the round of 16 due to finishing 1st in their groups:
*West Ham United
*Brighton and Hove Albion
*Rangers
*Atalanta
*Liverpool
*Villarreal
*Slavia Prague
*Bayern Leverkusen