2024/25 Conference League best league phase games: Which was your favourite?

The inaugural league phase of the UEFA Conference League has now concluded, and there were certainly a number of eye-catching encounters as the new format captured the imagination.

UEFA.com picks out six of the best matches so far in the 2024/25 tournament. Which was your favourite? Take a look at our picks and have your say!

Matchday 1: Cercle Brugge 6-2 St. Gallen

Togolese forward Kevin Denkey had a Conference League debut to remember, netting a hat-trick and providing two assists to power Cercle Brugge to a 6-2 win over St. Gallen. The 23-year-old converted two tidy finishes and a confident penalty as the Belgian club stormed into a 4-0 lead, before a pair of ingenious goals from defender Gary Magnée cancelled out the visitors' rebuttals and sealed an emphatic win for the Belgian side.

Denkey, who joined Cercle Brugge in 2021, was the top scorer in Belgian First League last season. The forward has credited coach Miron Muslic's belief for his goalscoring form in recent seasons: "So much faith moves mountains."

Matchday 2: Víkingur R. 3-1 Cercle Brugge

Víkingur Reykjavík came from a goal down to defeat Cercle Brugge and become the first Icelandic team to win a league or group phase game in a men's European competition. Their Belgian opponents seemed to have picked up where they left off on Matchday 1, taking the lead through Kazeem Olaigbe, but the hosts overcame this early setback, as well as a missed penalty, to secure a historic win.

Ari Sigurpálsson curled in the equaliser barely a minute after Olaigbe’s opener, but Víkingur missed a golden chance to take a lead into half-time – Danijel Djan Djuric only finding the crossbar with his added time penalty. The 21-year-old midfielder bounced back in the second half, finishing confidently at the back post before Gunnar Vatnhamar’s header sealed the win. "We played out of their press and created chances, so we never doubted that another chance was going to come," said midfielder Gísli Gottskálk Thórdarson.

Matchday 3: Real Betis 2-1 Celje

Betis earned their first win of the Conference League season in dramatic fashion, a stoppage time Juanmi finish edging them past Slovenian side Celje in Seville. Centre-back Natan headed the hosts in front in the 75th minute, but Celje’s Spanish defender Juanjo Nieto answered with an impressive acrobatic finish six minutes later.

Having only taken one point from their previous two games, Betis seemed destined for further disappointment until Juanmi burst through in the fourth minute of added time, beating Lovro Štubljar with an audacious chipped finish. “We are at a level where if you drop your intensity a little, any team can hurt you,” said the 31-year-old former Spanish international. “We’re seeing it every game.”

Matchday 4: Fiorentina 3-2 Pafos

Fiorentina withstood late Pafos pressure to earn a tight win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, bouncing back from disappointment against APOEL to steal the show on Matchday 4. Christian Kouamé bundled the hosts into a first half lead and might have had a second after the break, but David Goldar diverted Riccardo Sottil’s whipped cross into his own net before it could reach the Ivory Coast international.

Jairo restored hope for the visitors in the 68th minute with an artful flick beyond Pietro Terracciano, but Lucas Martínez Quarta’s header relieved the pressure minutes later. Jajá’s 87th minute finish ensured a nervy conclusion, but the Italian side held firm. “This was a team victory,” said coach Raffaele Palladino. “We showed excellent team spirit against a well-organised side.”

Matchday 5: Legia Warszawa 1-2 Lugano

Legia had won their first four league phase games without conceding, and looked to be on their way to making it five in a row when Ryoya Morishita headed the hosts in front after team-mate Marc Gual's shot cannoned back off the bar. Lugano, though, were not beaten; Mattia Bottani had them level with a header from a corner before the interval and Albian Hajdari struck in the second half to earn a shock win (and passage to the knockout phase of the competition).

Legia had a man sent off late in the game and Lugano coach Mattia Croci-Torti was left in awe of his side's performance in Poland, as they bossed possession and created more chances than their hosts. "The very positive thing is the personality with which we play in these stadiums," said Croci-Torti. "In football there are many things – technique, tactics. But to win in these stadiums you need a strong mentality, without fear, and that is what we saw."

Matchday 6: Molde 4-3 Mladá Boleslav

Molde confirmed their knockout phase play-off place in dramatic fashion, Halldor Stenevik’s added time finish the final word in a game of twists and turns. Mladá Boleslav took an early lead through Marek Suchý, but found themselves trailing at the break after Frederik Ihler’s equaliser and Tomáš Král’s own goal.

The visitors roared back to lead in the second half, Vasil Kušej levelling the scores in the 59th minute before Patrik Vydra’s thunderous long-range strike found the top corner minutes later. Markus Kaasa then struck back to set up a grandstand finish before Stenevik showed composure at the back post to seal a crucial victory. “It’s great to see the joy in the locker room afterwards,” said interim coach Trond Strande. “You can see how much it means to them.”