LASK secured a historic place in the Champions League league phase after completing a remarkable comeback against Celtic. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, the Austrian side faced a 4-0 aggregate deficit midway through the first half when Callum McGregor extended Celtic’s lead. However, momentum shifted when Moses Usor scored just before halftime, sparking a collapse from the Scottish visitors.
The hosts mounted a fierce response with goals from Robert Ljubicic, Samuel Adeniran, and a stoppage-time strike from Florian Flecker to force extra time. Adeniran eventually netted the decisive goal 11 minutes from the end of the extra period. Although he missed a chance to complete his hat-trick when his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, LASK held on to reach the group stage for the first time.
In Baku, Azerbaijan’s Sabah achieved their own milestone by reaching the group stage for the first time after a thrilling victory over Hapoel Beer-Sheva. Entering the match with a 2-1 first-leg deficit, Sabah fell further behind on their home pitch, trailing 1-0 and 2-1 on the night. Tellur Mutallimov’s injury-time equalizer forced extra time, where goals from Orphe Mbina and Joy-Lance Mickels sealed a 5-2 win and a 6-4 aggregate triumph. The match saw Hapoel finish with nine men following red cards for Djibril Diop and Eliel Peretz.
Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt continued their impressive European form by cruising into the group stage for the second consecutive year. The Norwegian side secured a 3-0 victory on the night against NEC Nijmegen, completing a 6-1 aggregate win. The Dutch visitors were hampered early when goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz was dismissed just three minutes into the match.
Bodo/Glimt’s victory was cemented by goals from Fredrik Andre Bjorkan and Sondre Auklend, alongside an own goal from Deveron Fonville. The Norwegian club, which reached the last 16 last season after notable victories over Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan, remains a formidable force in the competition. The report also notes that but Nigerian midfielder Moses Usor gave LASK hope just before the break and Celtic started to capitulate. The report also notes that last year’s surprise package, Bodo/Glimt, cruised into the group stage for the second year running with a 2-0 victory over 10-man NEC Nijmegen, who had goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz dismissed after just three minutes.
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