The thrill of the UEFA Conference League was on full display on Thursday, as eight teams booked their places in the last 16 of the competition. Here is one stat from each of the return legs in the competition.

3 - The season seems to be getting better and better for Paphos. Partaking in their maiden European campaign, they got the better of fellow Cypriot side Omonoia Nicosia 2-1 at home, progressing 3-2 on aggregate. The 11-year-old club, created through a merger, have now become the third Cypriot team to reach the round of 16 of a UEFA club competition. They are also the second side from their country to have done this in the Conference League after AEK Larnaca did so two years ago.

6 - Borac Banja Luka are also in the last 16 of the competition, as they held Olimpija Ljubljana to a 0-0 draw in Slovenia, progressing 1-0 on aggregate. The Bosnian side are the first from their nation to reach this stage of a UEFA club competition under the modern group phase. They have now kept six clean sheets in Europe this term (qualifiers included), and were the only side in the knockout playoffs to have not conceded in that round. Borac have kept as many as they had in their other nine continental campaigns combined. 

16 - FC Kobenhavn have finally gotten the better of a German team. The Danish regulars got past FC Heidenheim 3-1 in Germany, after extra time, to move on 4-3 across the two legs. It will be their second time in the Conference League round of 16, three years on from their last appearance. That win was Kobenhavn's first versus Bundesliga opposition in Europe, at the 16th time of asking.

9 - Real Betis fell 1-0 at home to Gent in their return leg, but fortunately for Los Verdiblancos, they are through 3-1 on aggregate. Unlike last campaign, the Spanish club were able to successfully negotiate the UECL knockout round playoffs. However, they are now nine UEFA club competition knockout round home games without a win, losing seven of them. Betis' last home victory in a European knockout round came 19 years ago in a 2-0 over AZ in 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32.

2 - Having lost the first leg at home, Molde had their backs against the wall in the return leg against Shamrock Rovers. Despite requiring a penalty shootout - as both matches ended 1-0 in favour of the visiting team - the Norwegians converted all five spot kicks to prevail 5-4 in the shootout. That allows Molde to advance to the Conference League round of 16 for the second season in a row. They are one of two teams to have done this in each of the last two terms.

5 - Panathinaikos battled back to avoid a shock humiliation at the hands of Iceland's Vikingur Reykjavik, scoring in the 95th minute to win 2-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. The broken-hearted Icelandic side exit Europe with their heads held high, but they did fail to win their last five away games in Europe, losing four of them. As was the case on Thursday, the Pepsi Deild runners-up from last term also failed to score in four of those five away clashes. 

7 - Jagiellonia Bialystok earned a 3-1 victory over TSC Backa Topola for the second straight week, allowing the Poles progression to the round of 16. It leaves Poland as the only country left in the UECL with multiple teams remaining in the competition. As for Jagiellonia themselves, not only were they the only one to win both legs of their UECL knockout playoffs tie, but Thursday's win was their seventh in Europe this term. In their five previous continental journeys, they had six successes combined.

22 - Celje, who are struggling in their domestic league, pulled off a 2-0 victory at APOEL Nicosia. The defending Slovenian champions went through 4-2 overall. In making the last 16, Slovenia became the 22nd different nation to be represented at that stage of the competition, a mere two hours after Bosnia became the 21st different country (via Borac). It is also a first for Slovenian football in the modern era that a side have gone that far in Europe.