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Three clubs secured their places in the knockout stage after the third round of matches in the UEFA Cup group stage on Thursday. "Newcastle", "Schalke", and "Dnipro" teams have already crossed the six-point barrier and can now relax in the remaining matches.
In Group A, leaders "Schalke" easily defeated "Ferencvaros" and are comfortably ahead with 7 points, leaving fourth-placed "Basel" unexpectedly losing at home to Scottish team "Hearts".
In Group B, the hosts provided surprises as both "Steaua" and "Standard" won with the same score of 2-1 against "Besiktas" and "Parma" respectively. Currently, "Steaua" leads the group, with all other teams on 3 points.
Ukrainian side "Dnipro" continues their winning streak with a narrow victory over "Austria", securing their third win out of three matches. After a disappointing first round, "Brugge" managed to defeat their neighbors "Utrecht".
In Group D, favorites secured away victories - "Newcastle" thrashed "Sochaux" 4-0, while "Sporting" did the same to Tbilisi's "Dinamo".
In Group E, "Middlesbrough" suffered their first loss away to "Villarreal". "Lazio" complicated their chances by failing to beat "Partizan" at home.
In Group F, "Rangers" and "Alkmaar" are leading with their second victories, defeating "GAK" and "Amica" respectively.
In Group G, leader "Stuttgart" unexpectedly lost to "Heerenveen", allowing "Benfica" to move to the top after defeating "Dinamo Zagreb".
An intriguing match between "Zenit" and "Sevilla" in Group H ended in a draw, with "Lille" now leading the group after a crucial away win against "AEK".
Group A
"Schalke" 2 - 0 "Ferencvaros"
"Basel" 1 - 2 "Hearts"
Group B
"Steaua" 2 - 1 "Besiktas"
"Standard" 2 - 1 "Parma"
Group C
"Dnipro" 1 - 0 "Austria"
"Brugge" 1 - 0 "Utrecht"
Group D
"Sochaux" 0 - 4 "Newcastle"
"Dinamo Tbilisi" 0 - 4 "Sporting"
Group E
"Villarreal" 2 - 0 "Middlesbrough"
"Lazio" 2 - 2 "Partizan"
Group F
"Rangers" 3 - 0 "GAK"
"Amica" 1 - 3 "Alkmaar"
Group G
"Benfica" 2 - 0 "Dinamo Zagreb"
"Heerenveen" 1 - 0 "Stuttgart"
Group H
"Zenit" 1 - 1 "Sevilla"
"AEK" 1 - 2 "Lille"
