International football contest
The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League was the fiftieth season of Europe ‘s secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 12th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the final, played at the Stadion Miejski in Gdańsk, Poland, 11–10 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra clock, winning the competition for the first time in club history. [ 2 ] Villarreal therefore automatically qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage and earned the right to play in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup. The stadium was in the first place appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final, but this was moved ascribable to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in 2020. [ 3 ]
As the championship holders of the Europa League, Sevilla qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, although they had already qualified before the final through their league performance. They were ineffective to defend their style as they advanced to the Champions League smasher stagecoach, and were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 .
Association team allotment [edit ]
A total of 213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association : [ 4 ]
- Associations 1–50 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
- Associations 51–55 each had two teams qualify (starting from this season, with association 51 losing one spot and association 55 gaining one spot).[5]
- Liechtenstein had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league).
- Moreover, 55 teams eliminated from the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League (default number was 57, but two fewer teams competed in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League).
Association rate [edit ]
For the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA state coefficients, which took into score their performance in european competitions from 2014–15 to 2018–19. [ 6 ] apart from the allotment based on the nation coefficients, associations could have extra teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below :
- ( UCL ) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
distribution [edit ]
The following was the access list for this temper. [ 7 ]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round (16 teams) |
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| First qualifying round (94 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round | Champions Path (20 teams) |
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| Main Path (72 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round | Champions Path (18 teams) |
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| Main Path (52 teams) |
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| Play-off round | Champions Path (16 teams) |
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| Main Path (26 teams) |
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| Group stage (48 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (32 teams) |
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Changes were made to the default access tilt since the Champions League claim holders, Bayern Munich, and the Europa League title holders, Sevilla, which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stagecoach, already qualified for the Champions League group degree via their domestic leagues, meaning there were fewer teams transferred from the Champions League due to changes in the Champions League access list. however, as a consequence of agenda delays to both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 european seasons ascribable to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 european season started before the stopping point of the 2019–20 european season. therefore, the changes to the access number that should have been made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualify rounds had been played and/or their draws had been made. UEFA used “ adaptive re-balancing ” to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined, and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the style holders were determined would not be impacted ( Regulations Article 3.07 ) [ 4 ] The play along changes were made :
- Since the Champions League title holder berth in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage was vacated, only five losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), instead of the original six, were transferred to the Europa League play-off round (Champions Path). In this case, two losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by draw, received a bye to the play-off round (Champions Path) instead of entering the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
- At the time when the draws for the preliminary round and first qualifying round were held on 9 and 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage would be vacated as four of the quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen, Copenhagen and Basel, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. Therefore, these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 18–21 and 25–27 August 2020, were not changed even though after the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, which were played on 10–11 August 2020, it was confirmed all four semi-finalists, Sevilla, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, only three losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (League Path), instead of the original four, were transferred to the Europa League group stage, and “adaptive re-balancing” started from the second qualifying round (Main Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
- The cup winners of association 13 (Czech Republic), Sparta Prague, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round (Main Path).
- The second-placed team of association 18 (Cyprus), Anorthosis (which qualified for the cup winner berth), and the cup winners of association 19 (Serbia), Vojvodina, entered the third qualifying round (Main Path) instead of the second qualifying round (Main Path).
redistribution rules [edit ]
A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method acting. When a set was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the pursue rules :
- When the domestic cup winners (considered as the “highest-placed” qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one “place”.
- When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one “place” if possible.
- For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for either the League Cup or end-of-season European competition play-offs winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the “lowest-placed” qualifier. If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions.
Teams [edit ]
In early April 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until far notice. [ 8 ] UEFA besides sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for european competitions. [ 9 ] After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020, UEFA powerfully recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions, although in some special cases where it was not possible, UEFA developed guidelines concerning engagement in its baseball club competitions in case of a delete league or cup. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020, UEFA announced that if a domestic rival was prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accord with conditions related to public health or economic problems, the national associations concerned were required to select their active teams for the 2020–21 UEFA golf club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019–20 domestic competitions, and UEFA reserved the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deemed the termination of the competitions not legitimate, or the survival procedure not objective, guileless and non-discriminatory, or the team was perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly. A suspend domestic rival could besides be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would hush facilitate qualification on sporting merit. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] All leagues were initially to communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intended to restart their competitions, [ 14 ] but this deadline was by and by extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations had to enter their teams by 3 August 2020. [ 3 ] If a cup was abandoned or not completed by the UEFA registration deadline, the Europa League places were distributed by league positions only. The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round :
- CW: Cup winners
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position of the previous season
- LC: League Cup winners
- RW: Regular season winners
- PW: End-of-season Europa League play-offs winners
- UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
- GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
- CH/LP PO: Losers from the play-off round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- PR: Losers from the preliminary round (F: final; SF: semi-finals)
- Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[15]
The second passing round, third qualifying cycle and play-off round were divided into Champions Path ( CH ) and Main Path ( MP ) .
Notes
schedule [edit ]
The schedule of the competition was as follows ( all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland ). [ 41 ] The tournament would in the first place have started in June 2020, but was delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. [ 42 ] The fresh agenda was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020. [ 43 ] All qualifying matches, including the play-off round, were played as single stage matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw. [ 3 ] [ 44 ] The group phase draw was primitively to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon. [ 45 ] eminence : Matches could besides be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays alternatively of the regular Thursdays ascribable to scheduling conflicts .
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | |
| First qualifying round | 10 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 | ||
| Second qualifying round | 31 August 2020 | 17 September 2020 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 1 September 2020 | 24 September 2020 | ||
| Play-off | Play-off round | 18 September 2020 | 1 October 2020 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 2 October 2020 | 22 October 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 29 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 3 December 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Stadion Miejski, Gdańsk | |||
The original schedule of the contest, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows ( all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated differently ) .
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 June 2020 | 25 June 2020 | 2 July 2020 |
| First qualifying round | 16 June 2020 | 9 July 2020 | 16 July 2020 | |
| Second qualifying round | 17 June 2020 | 23 July 2020 | 30 July 2020 | |
| Third qualifying round | 20 July 2020 | 6 August 2020 | 13 August 2020 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 3 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2020 (Monaco) |
17 September 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 22 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville | |||
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic [edit ]
due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the follow particular rules were applicable to the competition : [ 46 ] [ 47 ]
- If there were travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented the away team from entering the home team’s country or returning to their own country, the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team’s country that allowed the match to take place.
- If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place, they were considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place, both teams were disqualified.
- If a team had players and/or officials tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they were considered to have forfeited the match.
On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage ahead, with a sixth allowed in extra time. however, each team was alone given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches, with a fourth opportunity in extra prison term, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. consequently, a utmost of twelve players could be listed on the ersatz bench. [ 48 ] All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors. [ 44 ] Following the partial come back of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage ahead could be played at 30 % capacity if allowed by the local authorities. [ 49 ] Video assistant referees were not introduced for the group stage as planned ( now to start in 2021–22 ), but were however used in the knockout phase .
preliminary orotund [edit ]
The draw for the preliminary cycle was held on 9 August 2020, 13:00 CEST. [ 50 ] The matches were played on 18, 20 and 21 August 2020. The peer between Lincoln Red Imps and Prishtina on 18 August was postponed due to the whole Prishtina team being put into quarantine after eight players had tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus. The game was rescheduled to 22nd August, with Prishtina using UEFA regulations to sign on emergency lend players from rival Kosovar Superleague clubs Feronikel, Llapi, Trepca ’89, Flamurtar, Ballkani, Drenica and Vushtrria in ordain to fulfil the fastness. [ 51 ] however the rearrange repair besides had to be cancelled after 7 more players tested positivist for coronavirus, and Lincoln Red Imps were awarded a technical 3–0 winnings by UEFA .
Qualifying rounds [edit ]
first qualifying turn [edit ]
The trace for the beginning modification orotund was held on 10 August 2020, 13:00 CEST. [ 57 ] Most matches were played on 25, 26 and 27 August 2020, however two matches were postponed to 9 and 10 September 2020 .
second qualify cycle [edit ]
The describe for the second modify round was held on 31 August 2020, 13:00 CEST. [ 16 ] The matches were played on 16, 17 and 18 September 2020 .
Notes
- ^[58] Bala Town were drawn as the home team in the original draw, but the tie was switched to a home match of Standard Liège due to the inability of Bala Town to secure a suitable venue.
third qualifying round [edit ]
The withdraw for the third stipulate round was held on 1 September 2020, 13:00 CEST. [ 59 ] The matches were played on 23 and 24 September 2020 .
Play-off round [edit ]
The draw for the play-off round was held on 18 September 2020, 14:00 CEST. [ 60 ] The matches were played on 1 October 2020 .
Group stage [edit ]
A total of 48 teams played in the group phase : 18 teams which entered in this phase, the 21 winners of the play-off round ( eight from Champions Path, thirteen from Main Path ), the six losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League play-off round ( four from Champions Path, two from League Path ), and the three League Path losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third gear qualifying round. The draw for the group phase was held on 2 October 2020, 13:00 CEST. [ 61 ] The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the limitation that teams from the same affiliation could not be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients. [ 62 ] In each group, teams played against each early home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runner-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group phase. Antwerp, Granada, Leicester City, Omonia and Sivasspor made their debut appearances in the group stage. Furthermore, Granada qualified for any european rival for the first time in the club ‘s history .
Antwerp
Gent
Standard
Feyenoord
AZ
PSV 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Yellow: Group D; localization of Benelux teams of thegroup stage. scandalmongering : Group D ; Red : Group E ; Cyan : Group F ; turquoise : Group J ; leap Green : Group K ; orange : Group L .
| Tiebreakers |
|---|
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Articles 16.01):[4]
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Group A [edit ]
- a b tete-a-tete points : CFR Cluj 4, CSKA Sofia 1 .
Group B [edit ]
Group C [edit ]
Group D [edit ]
Group E [edit ]
Group F [edit ]
Group G [edit ]
- a b neck and neck points : Leicester City 4, Braga 1 .
Group H [edit ]
Group I [edit ]
- ^ The Villarreal volt Qarabağ match was awarded as a walkover to Villarreal after being cancelled as several players of the Qarabağ police squad tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2
Group J [edit ]
Group K [edit ]
Group L [edit ]
Knockout phase [edit ]
In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away footing, except for the one-match final examination. The mechanism of the draw for each circle was as follows :
- In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
- In the draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the “home” team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).
bracket [edit ]
Round of 32 [edit ]
The attract for the rung of 32 was held on 14 December 2020, 13:00 CET. [ 63 ] The beginning legs were played on 18 February, and the second legs were played on 24 and 25 February 2021 .
Round of 16 [edit ]
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 26 February 2021, 13:00 CET. [ 64 ] The inaugural legs were played on 11 March, and the second legs were played on 18 March 2021 .
Notes
- ^[65][66] order of legs between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb were reversed after original draw, in order to avoid a scheduling battle with the Arsenal v Olympiacos moment leg in the same city on 18 March, as Arsenal were the domestic cup winners and given higher priority over Tottenham Hotspur .
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 19 March 2021, 13:00 CET. [ 67 ] The first legs were played on 8 April, and the second gear legs were played on 15 April 2021 .
The draw for the semi-finals was held on 19 March 2021, 13:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw. [ 67 ] The first legs were played on 29 April, and the second base legs were played on 6 May 2021 .
concluding [edit ]
The final was played on 26 May 2021 at the Stadion Miejski in Gdańsk. A draw was held on 19 March 2021, after the quarter-final and semi-final attract, to determine the “ base ” team for administrative purposes. [ 67 ]
Statistics [edit ]
Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off polish .
top goalscorers [edit ]
top assists [edit ]
Squad of the season [edit ]
The UEFA technical sketch group selected the follow 23 players as the police squad of the tournament. [ 71 ]
player of the season [edit ]
Votes were cast by coaches of the 48 teams in the group stage, in concert with 55 journalists selected by the european Sports Media ( ESM ) group, representing each of UEFA ‘s member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams. Jury members selected their top three players, with the first base receive five points, the second gear three and the third base one. The short list of the top three players was announced on 13 August 2021. [ 72 ] The award achiever was announced during the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stage disembowel in Turkey on 27 August 2021 .
See besides [edit ]
Notes [edit ]
- ^[52] On 22 August, the match could not be played due to eight players from Prishtina testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole second team being put into quarantine by the Gibraltarian authorities.[53][54] Lincoln Red Imps were subsequently awarded a technical 3–0 victory by UEFA according to the regulations related to COVID-19.[55][56] The Lincoln Red Imps v Prishtina match, originally scheduled to be played on 18 August 2020, was postponed to 22 August 2020 due to respective members from Prishtina ‘s deputation testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole team being put into quarantine by the Gibraltarian authorities.On 22 August, the match could not be played due to eight players from Prishtina testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole second team being put into quarantine by the Gibraltarian authorities.Lincoln Red Imps were subsequently awarded a technical 3–0 victory by UEFA according to the regulations related to COVID-19 .
References [edit ]
Read more: Cha Bum-kun – Wikipedia