With surprises and favorites in the round of 16, the first phase of the Conference League is coming to an end; Check it out

The Conference League championship phase ended this Thursday (18) and defined the direction of the teams. On the field, favorites like Crystal Palace and Fiorentina were present in the round of 16, but Strasbourg surprised and finished the stage undefeated.

The French club took the lead after beating Iceland’s Breidablik 3-1 at La Meinau Stadium. On the pitch, Nanasi opened the scoring at the start of the first half, but Gunnlaugsson equalized before the break. At the end of the second half, Godo went wide and Enciso gave the final numbers to the match.

The Alsatians closed the first phase with 16 points, two more than Raków Częstochowa, second in the competition. In six matches, the team led by Englishman Liam Rosenior scored 11 goals and conceded only five.

Also finishing in the G-8 was Shakhtar Donetsk, who finished sixth with 13 points. Same score as Mainz 05, from Germany.

Palace and Fiorentina advance to the round of 16.

On the other hand, Crystal Palace, current champions and favorites for the FA Cup, ended up being excluded from the G-8 after two stumbles at home. This time, the Eagles drew 2-2 against the Kups of Finland. Uche opened the scoring, but Cissé and Parzyszek turned things around at the start of the second half. In the end, Devenny appears free in the area and equalizes.

Fiorentina, two-time runners-up in the competition, were also excluded after their 1-0 defeat to Swiss side Lausanne. On the field, Kana-Biyik scored the decisive goal of the match.

The Conference League knockout matches will be played between February 19 and 26. The winners qualify for the round of 16, which will be played from March 12 to 19.