Lazio tops Europa League standings
Lazio finished top of the Europa League standings despite losing 1-0 at Braga on matchday eight, with the Portuguese club eliminated on goal difference despite its victory.
Ricardo Horta's low finish in the sixth minute was the only goal of the game, with Carlos Carvahal's men needing to win and hope other results went their way.
Lazio was already all but guaranteed to top the pile, and Athletic Club's 3-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen was not enough to overhaul the Biancocelesti.
Braga, meanwhile, was left cursing goal difference as it finished 25th. As it turned out, one more goal would have been enough to pip Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce to a play-off place.
The Istanbul giant led 2-1 at Midtjylland through strikes from Youssef En-Nesyri and Edin Dzeko, but Valdemar Byskov equalised for the Danish side with four minutes to play.
It could not force a winner, though, so Fenerbahce will face Bodo/Glimt or Anderlecht – who finished ninth and 10th respectively – in the play-offs.
Mourinho's former club Porto also avoided an embarrassing exit despite starting matchday eight outside the play-off places.
Nico's 58th-minute strike was enough to see it past already-eliminated Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade, earning an 18th-placed finish.
Hoffenheim and Besiktas were two high-profile casualties, with the former seeing its likely elimination confirmed by results elsewhere despite a thrilling 4-3 win at Anderlecht.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Besiktas would have made the play-offs with a win, but it was beaten 1-0 at Twente as Daan Rots hit a 76th-minute winner.
Further up the standings, Olympiacos joined Rangers in gatecrashing the top eight as it trounced Qarabag 3-0 in Piraeus, Ayoub El Kaabi grabbing a brace and being joined on the scoresheet by Giulian Biancone.
Slip-ups from Anderlecht and Bodo/Glimt – which drew 1-1 with Nice – allowed the Greek giant to finish seventh, joining Lazio, Athletic, Manchester United, Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon and Rangers in skipping the play-offs.
