2011–12 UEFA Europa League

The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League was the third season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 41st edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.[1] It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and ended on 9 May 2012 with the final held at Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania.[2] As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, two extra officials – one on each goal line – were used in all matches of the competition from the group stage.[3]

2011–12 UEFA Europa League
Arena Națională in Bucharest hosted the final.
Tournament details
Dates30 June – 25 August 2011 (qualifying)
15 September 2011 – 9 May 2012 (competition proper)
Teams48+8 (competition proper)
161+33 (total) (from 53 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Atlético Madrid (2nd title)
Runners-upSpain Athletic Bilbao
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored585 (2.85 per match)
Top scorer(s)Radamel Falcao (Atlético Madrid)
12 goals
Teams by country in 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage

Atlético Madrid won the title, defeating Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in an all-Spanish final.[4] Porto were the defending champions, but they were beaten by Manchester City in the Round of 32.

Association team allocation

A total of 194 teams from 53 UEFA associations participated in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Associations are allocated places according to their 2010 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2005–06 to 2009–10.[5]

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League:[6]

  • Associations 1–6 each have three teams qualify
  • Associations 7–9 each have four teams qualify
  • Associations 10–51 each have three teams qualify, except Liechtenstein, which have one team qualify (as Liechtenstein only have a domestic cup and no domestic league)
  • Associations 52–53 each have two teams qualify
  • The top three associations of the 2010–11 UEFA Fair Play ranking each gain an additional berth
  • Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League

Association ranking

RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
1 England81.8563+1(FP)
+2(UCL)
2 Spain79.757+1(UCL)
3 Italy64.338+1(UCL)
4 Germany64.207
5 France53.740
6 Russia43.791+1(UCL)
7 Ukraine39.5504+1(UCL)
8 Romania39.491+1(UCL)
9 Portugal38.296+1(UCL)
10 Netherlands36.5463+2(UCL)
11 Turkey34.450+2(UCL)
12 Greece29.899+2(UCL)
13 Switzerland28.375+1(UCL)
14 Belgium27.900+1(UCL)
15 Denmark27.350+2(UCL)
16 Scotland25.791+1(UCL)
17 Bulgaria22.000+1(UCL)
18 Czech Republic21.975+1(UCL)
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
19 Austria19.5753+1(UCL)
20 Israel18.875+1(UCL)
21 Cyprus17.999
22 Norway17.400+1(FP)
+1(UCL)
23 Slovakia15.832+1(UCL)
24 Sweden14.191+1(FP)
+1(UCL)
25 Serbia14.000+1(UCL)
26 Poland12.541+1(UCL)
27 Croatia12.332
28 Belarus11.541
29 Republic of Ireland9.541+1(UCL)
30 Finland9.499+1(UCL)
31 Bosnia and Herzegovina8.749
32 Lithuania8.416+1(UCL)
33 Latvia8.248
34 Moldova7.290
35 Slovenia6.957+1(UCL)
36 Hungary6.750
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
37 Georgia5.7483+1(UCL)
38 Azerbaijan5.498
39 Iceland5.415
40 Macedonia5.332
41 Liechtenstein4.5001
42 Kazakhstan4.4993
43 Estonia4.374
44 Albania3.999
45 Armenia2.999
46 Wales2.581
47 Montenegro2.125
48 Faroe Islands1.832
49 Northern Ireland1.624
50 Luxembourg1.249
51 Andorra1.000
52 Malta0.9162
53 San Marino0.750
Notes
  • (FP): Additional fair play berth (Norway, England, Sweden)[7]
  • (UCL): Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League

Distribution

Since the winners of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, Porto, qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League through domestic performance, the title holder spot reserved for them in the group stage was vacated. As a result, the following changes to the default allocation system were made to compensate for the vacant title holder spot in the group stage:[8]

  • The domestic cup winners of associations 16 and 17 (Scotland and Bulgaria) were promoted from the third qualifying round to the play-off round.
  • The domestic cup winners of associations 28 and 29 (Belarus and Republic of Ireland) were promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The domestic cup winners of associations 52 and 53 (Malta and San Marino) and the domestic league runners-up of associations 33 and 34 (Latvia and Moldova) were promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(50 teams)
  • 18 domestic league runners-up from associations 35–53 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 29 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 22–51 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play rankings
Second qualifying round
(80 teams)
  • 24 domestic cup winners from associations 30–53
  • 16 domestic league runners-up from associations 19–34
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–21
  • 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 25 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(70 teams)
  • 12 domestic cup winners from associations 18–29
  • 3 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–18
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 40 winners from the second qualifying round
Play-off round
(76 teams)
  • 17 domestic cup winners from associations 1–17
  • 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 4–6
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3
  • 35 winners from the third qualifying round
  • 15 losers from the Champions League third qualifying round
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 38 winners from the play-off round
  • 10 losers from the Champions League play-off round
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from the group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from the group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage

Redistribution rules

A Europa League place is vacated when a team qualifies for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualifies for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place is vacated, it is redistributed within the national association by the following rules:[6]

  • When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifiers within the national association) also qualify for the Champions League, their Europa League place is vacated, and the remaining Europa League qualifiers are moved up one place, with the final place (with the earliest starting round) taken by the domestic cup runners-up, provided they do not already qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League. Otherwise, this place is taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
  • When the domestic cup winners also qualify for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position is vacated, and the Europa League qualifiers that finish lower in the league are moved up one place, with the final place taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
  • A place vacated by the League Cup winners is taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
  • A Fair Play place is taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table that has not yet qualified for the Champions League or the Europa League.

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[9][10]

  • TH: Title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • CR: Cup runners-up
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • Nth: League position
  • P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
  • FP: Fair play
  • UCL: Relegated from the Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
Round of 32
Manchester City (UCL GS) Trabzonspor (UCL GS)Note TUR Manchester United (UCL GS) Ajax (UCL GS)
Valencia (UCL GS) Olympiacos (UCL GS) PortoTH (UCL GS) Viktoria Plzeň (UCL GS)
Group stage
Zürich (UCL PO) Odense (UCL PO) Maccabi Haifa (UCL PO) Wisła Kraków (UCL PO)
Malmö FF (UCL PO) Rubin Kazan (UCL PO) Copenhagen (UCL PO) Twente (UCL PO)
Udinese (UCL PO) Sturm Graz (UCL PO)
Play-off round
Tottenham Hotspur (5th) Lokomotiv Moscow (5th) Anderlecht (3rd) Standard Liège (UCL Q3)
Birmingham City (LC) Metalist Kharkiv (3rd) Nordsjælland (CW) Slovan Bratislava (UCL Q3)
Sevilla (5th) Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (4th) Celtic (CW) Zestafoni (UCL Q3)
Athletic Bilbao (6th) Steaua București (CW) CSKA Sofia (CW) Litex Lovech (UCL Q3)
Lazio (5th) Rapid București (4th)Note ROU Ekranas (UCL Q3) Trabzonspor (UCL Q3)Note TUR
Roma (6th) Sporting CP (3rd) Shamrock Rovers (UCL Q3) Partizan (UCL Q3)
Schalke 04 (CW) Braga (4th) Panathinaikos (UCL Q3) Maribor (UCL Q3)
Hannover 96 (4th) PSV Eindhoven (3rd) Dynamo Kyiv (UCL Q3) HJK Helsinki (UCL Q3)
Paris Saint-Germain (4th) Beşiktaş (CW) Rangers (UCL Q3)
Sochaux (5th) AEK Athens (CW) Vaslui (UCL Q3)
Spartak Moscow (4th) Sion (CW) Rosenborg (UCL Q3)
Third qualifying round
Stoke City (CR) Vitória Guimarães (5th) Levski Sofia (2nd) Helsingborg (CW)
Atlético Madrid (7th) AZ (4th) Mladá Boleslav (CW) Red Star Belgrade (2nd)
Palermo (CR) Bursaspor (3rd) Sparta Prague (2nd) Legia Warsaw (CW)
Mainz 05 (5th) PAOK (3rd) Ried (CW) Hajduk Split (2nd)
Rennes (6th) Young Boys (3rd) Hapoel Tel Aviv (CW) Gomel (CW)
Alania Vladikavkaz (CR) Club Brugge (4th) Omonia (CW) Sligo Rovers (CW)
Karpaty Lviv (5th) Brøndby (3rd) Strømsgodset (CW)
Dinamo București (6th)Note ROU Heart of Midlothian (3rd) Senica (2nd)
Second qualifying round
Vorskla Poltava (6th) Maccabi Tel Aviv (3rd) Željezničar (CW) Vaduz (CW)
Gaz Metan Mediaș (7th)Note ROU Bnei Yehuda (4th) Sarajevo (2nd) Aktobe (2nd)Note KAZ
Nacional (6th) Anorthosis (3rd) Sūduva Marijampolė (2nd) Levadia Tallinn (2nd)
ADO Den Haag (P-W) AEK Larnaca (4th) Tauras Tauragė (4th)Note LTU Tirana (CW)
Gaziantepspor (4th) Vålerenga (2nd) Ventspils (CW) Mika (CW)
Olympiacos Volos (5th) Žilina (3rd) Liepājas Metalurgs (3rd) Llanelli (CW)
Thun (5th) Örebro (3rd) Iskra-Stal (CW) Rudar Pljevlja (CW)
Westerlo (CR) Vojvodina (3rd) Sheriff Tiraspol (2nd) EB/Streymur (CW)
Midtjylland (4th) Śląsk Wrocław (2nd) Domžale (CW) Crusaders (2nd)
Dundee United (4th) RNK Split (3rd) Kecskemét (CW) Differdange 03 (CW)
Lokomotiv Sofia (4th) Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2nd) Gagra (CW) Sant Julià (CW)
Jablonec (3rd) Bohemians (2nd) Khazar Lankaran (CW) Floriana (CW)
Red Bull Salzburg (2nd) TPS (CW) FH (CW) Juvenes/Dogana (CW)
Austria Wien (3rd) KuPS (2nd) Metalurg Skopje (CW)
First qualifying round
Tromsø (3rd) Koper (3rd) Shakhter Karagandy (CR)Note KAZ Glentoran (3rd)
Spartak Trnava (4th) Olimpija Ljubljana (4th) Narva Trans (3rd) Cliftonville (4th)
Elfsborg (4th) Paks (2nd) Nõmme Kalju (4th) Fola Esch (2nd)
Rad (4th) Ferencváros (3rd) Flamurtari (2nd) Käerjéng 97 (3rd)
Jagiellonia Białystok (4th) Dinamo Tbilisi (2nd) Vllaznia (3rd) Lusitanos (3rd)
Varaždin (CR) Metalurgi Rustavi (3rd) Banants (2nd) UE Santa Coloma (4th)
Minsk (3rd) Qarabağ (3rd) Ulisses (3rd) Birkirkara (3rd)
St Patrick's Athletic (5th)Note IRL AZAL Baku (4th) The New Saints (2nd) Tre Penne (2nd)
Honka (4th) ÍBV (3rd) Neath (P-W) Aalesund (FP)[11]
Široki Brijeg (4th) KR (4th) Budućnost Podgorica (2nd) Fulham (FP)[12]
Banga Gargždai (CR) Renova (3rd) Zeta (4th) Häcken (FP)[13]
Daugava Daugavpils (4th) Rabotnički (4th) NSÍ Runavík (3rd)
Milsami Orhei (3rd) Irtysh Pavlodar (3rd) ÍF Fuglafjørður (4th)
Notes

Round and draw dates

All draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland unless stated otherwise.[8]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round20 June 201130 June 20117 July 2011
Second qualifying round14 July 201121 July 2011
Third qualifying round15 July 201128 July 20114 August 2011
Play-offPlay-off round5 August 201118 August 201125 August 2011
Group stageMatchday 126 August 2011
(Monaco)
15 September 2011
Matchday 229 September 2011
Matchday 320 October 2011
Matchday 43 November 2011
Matchday 530 November – 1 December 2011
Matchday 614–15 December 2011
Knockout phaseRound of 3216 December 201116 February 201223 February 2012
Round of 168 March 201215 March 2012
Quarter-finals16 March 201229 March 20125 April 2012
Semi-finals19 April 201226 April 2012
Final9 May 2012 at Arena Națională, Bucharest

Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Qualifying rounds

In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2011 UEFA club coefficients,[21][22] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

First qualifying round

The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on 20 June 2011.[23] The first legs were played on 30 June, and the second legs were played on 7 July 2011.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
ÍF Fuglafjørður 2–81 KR1–31–5
Daugava Daugavpils 1–7 Tromsø0–51–2
Elfsborg 5–1 Fola Esch4–01–1
The New Saints 2–1 Cliftonville1–11–0
Honka 2–0 Nõmme Kalju0–02–0
Fulham 3–0 NSÍ Runavík3–00–0
ÍBV 1–2 St Patrick's Athletic1–00–2
Käerjéng 97 2–61 Häcken1–11–5
Aalesund 6–1 Neath4–12–0
Renova 3–3 (2–3 p) Glentoran2–11–2 (aet)
Koper 2–3 Shakhter Karagandy1–11–2
Banga Gargždai 0–7 Qarabağ0–40–3
UE Santa Coloma 0–51 Paks0–10–4
Narva Trans 1–71 Rabotnički1–40–3
Rad 9–1 Tre Penne6–03–1
Budućnost Podgorica 3–4 Flamurtari1–32–1
Ferencváros 5–01 Ulisses3–02–0
Jagiellonia Białystok 1–2 Irtysh Pavlodar1–00–2
AZAL Baku 2–31 Minsk1–11–2
Dinamo Tbilisi 5–1 Milsami Orhei2–03–1
Varaždin 6–1 Lusitanos5–11–0
Banants 1–2 Metalurgi Rustavi0–11–1
Birkirkara 1–2 Vllaznia0–11–1
Široki Brijeg 0–3 Olimpija Ljubljana0–00–3
Spartak Trnava 4–2 Zeta3–01–2
Notes
  • Note 1: Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Second qualifying round

The first legs were played on 14 July, and the second legs were played on 21 July 2011.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Metalurgi Rustavi 3–1 Irtysh Pavlodar1–12–0
Sūduva Marijampolė 1–4 Elfsborg1–10–3
Metalurg Skopje 2–3 Lokomotiv Sofia0–02–3
Sant Julià 0–4 Bnei Yehuda0–20–2
Željezničar 1–0 Sheriff Tiraspol1–00–0
KuPS 1–2 Gaz Metan Mediaș1–00–2
Minsk 2–5 Gaziantepspor1–11–4
Iskra-Stal 2–4 Varaždin1–11–3
Tauras Tauragė 2–5 ADO Den Haag2–30–2
Glentoran 0–5 Vorskla Poltava0–20–3
Juvenes/Dogana 0–4 Rabotnički0–10–3
Örebro 0–2 Sarajevo0–00–2
Crusaders 1–7 Fulham1–30–4
Llanelli 2–6 Dinamo Tbilisi2–10–5
Floriana 0–9 AEK Larnaca0–80–1
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2–4 Ventspils0–12–3
Flamurtari 1–7 Jablonec0–21–5
KR 3–2 Žilina3–00–2
Vålerenga 2–02 Mika1–01–0
Olimpija Ljubljana 3–1 Bohemians2–01–1
Domžale 2–5 RNK Split1–21–3
Differdange 03 1–0 Levadia Tallinn0–01–0
Tirana 1–3 Spartak Trnava0–01–3
Ferencváros 3–4 Aalesund2–11–3 (aet)
Liepājas Metalurgs 1–4 Red Bull Salzburg1–40–0
Rad 1–2 Olympiacos Volos0–11–1
The New Saints 3–8 Midtjylland1–32–5
Kecskemét 1–1 (a) Aktobe1–10–0
Häcken 3–0 Honka1–02–0
Anorthosis 3–22 Gagra3–00–2
Vaduz 3–3 (a) Vojvodina0–23–1
Rudar Pljevlja 0–5 Austria Wien0–30–2
Śląsk Wrocław 3–3 (a) Dundee United1–02–3
Shakhter Karagandy 2–3 St Patrick's Athletic2–10–2
EB/Streymur 1–1 (a) Qarabağ1–10–0
FH 1–3 Nacional1–10–2
Paks 4–1 Tromsø1–13–0
TPS 0–1 Westerlo0–10–0
Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–12 Khazar Lankaran3–10–0
Vllaznia 1–2 Thun0–01–2
Notes
  • Note 2: Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2011.[24] The first legs were played on 26 and 28 July, and the second legs were played on 4 August 2011.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Atlético Madrid 4–1 Strømsgodset2–12–0
Young Boys 5–1 Westerlo3–12–0
Ventspils 1–9 Red Star Belgrade1–20–7
Alania Vladikavkaz 2–2 (4–2 p) Aktobe1–11–1 (aet)
AEK Larnaca 5–2 Mladá Boleslav3–02–2
Željezničar 0–8 Maccabi Tel Aviv0–20–6
AZ 3–1 Jablonec2–01–1
Olimpija Ljubljana 3–4 Austria Wien1–12–3
Bursaspor 5–2 Gomel2–13–1
Aalesund 5–1 Elfsborg4–01–1
Gaziantepspor 0–1 Legia Warsaw0–10–0
Hapoel Tel Aviv 5–2 Vaduz4–01–2
Metalurgi Rustavi 2–7 Rennes2–50–2
Levski Sofia 3–3 (4–5 p) Spartak Trnava2–11–2 (aet)
Midtjylland 1–2 Vitória Guimarães0–01–2
Dinamo București 4–3 Varaždin2–22–1
Karpaty Lviv 5–1 St Patrick's Athletic2–03–1
Palermo 3–3 (a)3 Thun2–21–1
KR 1–6 Dinamo Tbilisi1–40–2
Omonia 3–1 ADO Den Haag3–00–1
Red Bull Salzburg 4–0 Senica1–03–0
Club Brugge 4–2 Qarabağ4–10–1
Differdange 03 0–64 Olympiacos Volos0–30–3
Mainz 05 2–2 (3–4 p) Gaz Metan Mediaș1–11–1 (aet)
Bnei Yehuda 1–3 Helsingborg1–00–3
Stoke City 2–0 Hajduk Split1–01–0
Anorthosis 2–3 Rabotnički0–22–1
Sparta Prague 7–03 Sarajevo5–02–0
Vorskla Poltava 2–0 Sligo Rovers0–02–0
Paks 2–5 Heart of Midlothian1–11–4
Śląsk Wrocław 0–0 (4–3 p)3 Lokomotiv Sofia0–00–0 (aet)
Nacional 4–2 Häcken3–01–2
Ried 4–4 (a) Brøndby2–02–4
Vålerenga 0–53 PAOK0–20–3
RNK Split 0–2 Fulham0–00–2
Notes
  • Note 3: Order of legs reversed after original draw.
  • Note 4: Greek club Olympiacos Volos, who had reached the play-off round, were excluded from the competition by UEFA on 11 August 2011 for their involvement in the Koriopolis match-fixing scandal.[25] UEFA decided to replace them in the play-off round with Differdange 03 from Luxembourg, who had lost to Olympiakos Volou in the previous round.[26]

Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2011.[27] The first legs were played on 18 August, and the second legs were played on 25 August 2011.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–2 Panathinaikos3–01–2
Atlético Madrid 6–0 Vitória de Guimarães2–04–0
Shamrock Rovers 3–2 Partizan1–12–1 (aet)
Metalist Kharkiv 4–0 Sochaux0–04–0
Beşiktaş 3–2 Alania Vladikavkaz3–00–2
Rosenborg 1–2 AEK Larnaca0–01–2
Vorskla Poltava 5–3 Dinamo București2–13–2
Bursaspor 3–4 Anderlecht1–22–2
Slovan Bratislava 2–15 Roma1–01–1
Differdange 03 0–6 Paris Saint-Germain0–40–2
Legia Warsaw 5–4 Spartak Moscow2–23–2
Ekranas 1–4 Hapoel Tel Aviv1–00–4
PAOK 3–1 Karpaty Lviv2–01–1
Athletic Bilbao w/o5, 6 Trabzonspor0–0Cancelled6
Heart of Midlothian 0–5 Tottenham Hotspur0–50–0
Maribor 3–2 Rangers2–11–1
Steaua București 3–1 CSKA Sofia2–01–1
Nordsjælland 1–2 Sporting CP0–01–2
Fulham 3–15 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk3–00–1
Lokomotiv Moscow 3–1 Spartak Trnava2–01–1
Celtic 6–05, 7 Sion3–073–07
Śląsk Wrocław 2–4 Rapid București1–31–1
Litex Lovech 1–3 Dynamo Kyiv1–20–1
Lazio 9–1 Rabotnički6–03–1
Nacional 0–3 Birmingham City0–00–3
Ried 0–5 PSV Eindhoven0–00–5
Thun 1–5 Stoke City0–11–4
Aalesund 2–7 AZ2–10–6
Vaslui 2–1 Sparta Prague2–00–1
Omonia 2–2 (a) Red Bull Salzburg2–10–1
Zestafoni 3–5 Club Brugge3–30–2
Hannover 96 3–2 Sevilla2–11–1
HJK Helsinki 3–6 Schalke 042–01–6
AEK Athens 2–15 Dinamo Tbilisi1–01–1 (aet)
Red Star Belgrade 1–6 Rennes1–20–4
Austria Wien 3–25 Gaz Metan Mediaș3–10–1
Braga 2–2 (a) Young Boys0–02–2
Standard Liège 4–1 Helsingborg1–03–1
Notes
  • Note 5: Order of legs reversed after original draw.
  • Note 6: As a result of match-fixing allegations, Turkish club Fenerbahçe were removed from the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League and were replaced with Trabzonspor on 24 August 2011. As a result, Trabzonspor's second leg against Athletic Bilbao was cancelled, and Athletic Bilbao qualified for the group stage.[20]
  • Note 7: Celtic lodged protests over the eligibility of a number of the Sion players who participated in the two legs of the play-off round, which Sion won 3–1 aggregate (first leg: 0–0; second leg: 3–1). The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body accepted the protests and decided to award both matches to Celtic by forfeit (3–0). As a consequence, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Europa League group stage.[28]

Group stage

Location of teams of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Red: Group A; Yellow: Group B; Green: Group C; Dark green: Group D;
Purple: Group E; Pink: Group F; Blue: Group G; Orange: Group H;
Brown: Group I; Deep pink: Group J; Cyan: Group K; Spring green: Group L.

The group stage features 48 teams, which were allocated into pots based on their 2011 UEFA club coefficients,[21][22] and then drawn into twelve groups of four. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. The draw was held on 26 August 2011 in Monaco.[29]

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays are 15 September, 29 September, 20 October, 3 November, 30 November – 1 December, and 14–15 December 2011. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the 8 third-placed teams from the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings (in descending order):[6]

  1. higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  2. superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
  3. higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  4. higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  5. If, after applying criteria 1) to 4) to several teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, the criteria 1) to 4) will be reapplied to determine the ranking of these teams;
  6. superior goal difference from all group matches played;
  7. higher number of goals scored from all group matches played;
  8. higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.

A total of 24 national associations are represented in this group stage (including Scotland after Celtic were reinstated into the Europa League over Sion), with England having the most teams, with four.[30] This was also the first time Irish side were represented in the group stage.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification PAOK RK TH SR
1 PAOK6330106+412Advance to knockout phase1–10–02–1
2 Rubin Kazan6321115+6112–21–04–1
3 Tottenham Hotspur631294+5101–21–03–1
4 Shamrock Rovers6006419−1501–30–30–4
Source: Soccerway

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SL HAN COP VP
1 Standard Liège642091+814Advance to knockout phase2–03–00–0
2 Hannover 96632197+2110–02–23–1
3 Copenhagen612359−450–11–21–0
4 Vorskla Poltava6024410−621–31–21–1
Source: Soccerway

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification PSV LW HTA RB
1 PSV Eindhoven6510135+816Advance to knockout phase1–03–32–1
2 Legia Warsaw630379−290–33–23–1
3 Hapoel Tel Aviv6213109+170–12–00–1
4 Rapid București6105512−731–30–11–3
Source: Soccerway

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SCP LAZ VAS ZÜR
1 Sporting CP640284+412Advance to knockout phase2–12–02–0
2 Lazio623175+292–02–21–0
3 Vaslui613258−361–00–02–2
4 Zürich612358−350–21–12–0
Source: Soccerway

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BEŞ SC DK MTA
1 Beşiktaş6402137+612Advance to knockout phase3–11–05–1
2 Stoke City6321107+3112–11–13–0
3 Dynamo Kyiv614177071–01–13–3
4 Maccabi Tel Aviv6024817−922–31–21–1
Source: Soccerway

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification AB RBS PSG SB
1 Athletic Bilbao6411118+313Advance to knockout phase2–22–02–1
2 Red Bull Salzburg6312118+3100–12–03–0
3 Paris Saint-Germain631287+1104–23–11–0
4 Slovan Bratislava6015411−711–22–30–0
Source: Soccerway

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MK AZ AW MFF
1 Metalist Kharkiv6420156+914Advance to knockout phase1–14–13–1
2 AZ6150107+381–12–24–1
3 Austria Wien62221011−181–22–22–0
4 Malmö FF6015415−1111–40–01–2
Source: Soccerway

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification CB BRA BC MAR
1 Club Brugge6321129+311Advance to knockout phase1–11–22–0
2 Braga6321126+6111–21–05–1
3 Birmingham City6312880102–21–31–0
4 Maribor6015615−913–41–11–2
Source: Soccerway

Group I

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification AM UDI CEL REN
1 Atlético Madrid6411114+713Advance to knockout phase4–02–03–1
2 Udinese623167−192–01–12–1
3 Celtic613267−160–11–13–1
4 Rennes6033510−531–10–01–1
Source: Soccerway

Group J

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SCH SB MHA AEK
1 Schalke 046420132+1114Advance to knockout phase2–13–10–0
2 Steaua București6222911−280–04–23–1
3 Maccabi Haifa62041012−260–35–01–0
4 AEK Larnaca6123411−750–51–12–1
Source: Soccerway

Group K

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification TWE WK FUL OB
1 Twente6411147+713Advance to knockout phase4–11–03–2
2 Wisła Kraków6303813−592–11–01–3
3 Fulham622296+381–14–12–2
4 Odense6114914−541–41–20–2
Source: Soccerway

Group L

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification AND LM AEK SG
1 Anderlecht6600185+1318Advance to knockout phase5–34–13–0
2 Lokomotiv Moscow64021411+3120–23–13–1
3 AEK Athens6105815−731–21–31–2
4 Sturm Graz6105514−930–21–21–3
Source: Soccerway

Knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The draw for the round of 32 and round of 16 was held on 16 December 2011.[31] The draws for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final (to determine the "home" team) were held on 16 March 2012.[32] Both draws were assisted by Romanian footballer Miodrag Belodedici, the ambassador for the 2012 final.

In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four better third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage (based on their match record in the group stage) are seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage are unseeded. A seeded team is drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other. In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association may be drawn with each other.

Bracket

Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                  
Lazio101
Atlético Madrid314
Atlético Madrid336
Beşiktaş101
Braga011
Beşiktaş202
Atlético Madrid224
Hannover 96112
Wisła Kraków101
Standard Liège (a)101
Standard Liège202
Hannover 96246
Hannover 96213
Club Brugge101
Atlético Madrid415
Valencia202
AZ112
Anderlecht000
AZ213
Udinese022
Udinese033
PAOK000
AZ202
Valencia145
Stoke City000
Valencia112
Valencia415
PSV Eindhoven213
Trabzonspor112
PSV Eindhoven246
Atlético Madrid3
Athletic Bilbao0
Legia Warsaw202
Sporting CP213
Sporting CP (a)123
Manchester City033
Porto101
Manchester City246
Sporting CP213
Metalist Kharkiv112
Red Bull Salzburg011
Metalist Kharkiv448
Metalist Kharkiv (a)022
Olympiacos112
Rubin Kazan000
Olympiacos112
Sporting CP213
Athletic Bilbao134
Steaua București000
Twente112
Twente112
Schalke 04044
Viktoria Plzeň112
Schalke 04 (a.e.t.)134
Schalke 04224
Athletic Bilbao426
Ajax022
Manchester United213
Manchester United213
Athletic Bilbao325
Lokomotiv Moscow202
Athletic Bilbao (a)112

Round of 32

The first legs were played on 14 and 16 February, and the second legs were played on 22 and 23 February 2012.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Porto 1–6 Manchester City1–20–4
Ajax 2–3 Manchester United0–22–1
Lokomotiv Moscow 2–2 (a) Athletic Bilbao2–10–1
Red Bull Salzburg 1–8 Metalist Kharkiv0–41–4
Stoke City 0–2 Valencia0–10–1
Rubin Kazan 0–2 Olympiacos0–10–1
AZ 2–0 Anderlecht1–01–0
Lazio 1–4 Atlético Madrid1–30–1
Steaua București 0–2 Twente0–10–1
Viktoria Plzeň 2–4 Schalke 041–11–3 (aet)
Wisła Kraków 1–1 (a) Standard Liège1–10–0
Braga 1–2 Beşiktaş0–21–0
Udinese 3–0 PAOK0–03–0
Trabzonspor 2–6 PSV Eindhoven1–21–4
Hannover 96 3–1 Club Brugge2–11–0
Legia Warsaw 2–3 Sporting CP2–20–1

Round of 16

The first legs were played on 8 March, and the second legs were played on 15 March 2012.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Metalist Kharkiv 2–2 (a) Olympiacos0–12–1
Sporting CP 3–3 (a) Manchester City1–02–3
Twente 2–4 Schalke 041–01–4
Standard Liège 2–6 Hannover 962–20–4
Valencia 5–3 PSV Eindhoven4–21–1
AZ 3–2 Udinese2–01–2
Atlético Madrid 6–1 Beşiktaş3–13–0
Manchester United 3–5 Athletic Bilbao2–31–2

Quarter-finals

The first legs were played on 29 March, and the second legs on 5 April 2012.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
AZ 2–5 Valencia2–10–4
Schalke 04 4–6 Athletic Bilbao2–42–2
Sporting CP 3–2 Metalist Kharkiv2–11–1
Atlético Madrid 4–2 Hannover 962–12–1

Semi-finals

The first legs were played on 19 April, and the second legs were played on 26 April 2012.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Atlético Madrid 5–2 Valencia4–21–0
Sporting CP 3–4 Athletic Bilbao2–11–3

Final

The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final was played on 9 May 2012 at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania.

Atlético Madrid 3–0 Athletic Bilbao
Falcao 7', 34'
Diego 85'
Report
Attendance: 52,347

Statistics

Excluding qualifying rounds and play-off round.

See also

References