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Mainz's Armindo Sieb (2nd L) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammates during the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Sigma Olomouc at Mewa Arena. Torsten Silz/dpa
Mainz became the first German team to reach the quarter-finals of the Conference League on Thursday along with twice runners-up Fiorentina and Crystal Palace, who needed extra time in Cyprus.
Mainz beat Czech side Sigma Olomouc 2-0 on the night and on aggregate to reach the last eight in Europe for the first time.
Palace rebounded from a goalless home draw against AEK Larnaca with a hard-fought 2-1 in 120 minutes from Ismaila Sarr's brace.
Fiorentina ousted Raków Częstochowa 4-2 from 2-1 victories home and away, with Cher Ndour and Marin Pongračić on target in Poland. Greek side AEK Athens could afford a 2-0 home defeat to oust Slovenia's Celje 4-2 from two games.
The other four last 16 return legs are later on Thursday.
Palace failed to score against Larnaca in the league stage and first leg knock-out game but finally came lucky in the 13th minute of their third meeting.
Adam Wharton won the ball in midfield and his deflected pass reached Sarr who rounded goalkeeper Zlatan Alomerović at the edge of the area to slot into an empty net.
Larnaca were level in the 63rd from Enric Saborit's header but Saborit was sent off 10 minutes later for a second bookable offence and Sarr saw Palace through in the ninth minute of extra time by netting at the near post. Larnaca also had Petros Ioannou dismissed late on.
In Mainz, the hosts got the breakthrough after the restart from Stefan Posch's glancing header. Olomouc had Peter Barath dismissed with 20 minutes left and Mainz capitalised in the form of a second from Armindo Sieb in the 83rd.
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Mainz's Stefan Posch (L) scores his side's first goal during the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Sigma Olomouc at Mewa Arena. Torsten Silz/dpa
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Mainz's Stefan Posch (R) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with teammates during the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 second leg soccer match between FSV Mainz 05 and Sigma Olomouc at Mewa Arena. Torsten Silz/dpa
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Czestochowa's Karol Struski (L) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with teammates during the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Rakow Czestochowa and ACF Fiorentina at the Arcelor Mittal Park. Michal Dubiel/LiveMedia-IPA/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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