Sharjah24: Eintracht Frankfurt, the German team, has qualified directly for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League by defeating Hungarian guests Ferencvárosi TC with a score of 2-0 in the seventh round of the group stage.
Goals from Can Özun and Hugo Ekitike in the 49th and 59th minutes secured the victory, bringing Frankfurt's total points to 16, placing them second in the group alongside Lazio and Athletic Bilbao, who is in third place on goal difference.
Ferencvárosi remains at 9 points in 22nd place, continuing their struggle to secure a spot in the playoff round, which will consist of two legs.
In the same timeframe, Lazio secured the top position in the group after defeating Spanish side Real Sociedad 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Goals from Mario Gila, Mattia Zaccagni, and Valentín Castellanos in the 5th, 32nd, and 34th minutes were complemented by Andrei Parekh's lone goal for Sociedad in the 82nd minute. Lazio now has 19 points, remaining unbeaten ahead of their final match against Braga.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United narrowly defeated Scottish guests Rangers 2-1, moving closer to direct qualification for the Round of 16. United took the lead with an own goal from Rangers' goalkeeper Jack Butland in the 52nd minute. Rangers equalized through Cyril Dessers in the 88th minute due to a mistake by United’s Harry Maguire, but Bruno Fernandes scored the winning goal for United in the 92nd minute after a precise assist from Lisandro Martínez.
Manchester United now has 15 points, rising to fourth place and needing just one more point in their final match, while Rangers dropped to 13th with 11 points.
The top eight teams in the standings qualify directly for the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will enter a playoff round with home and away matches to finalize the Round of 16 lineup.
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