Three clubs on Tuesday booked their places in this season’s UEFA Champions League group phase after coming through their play-off second-leg fixtures.
The clubs are Pafos, Bodø/Glimt and Kairat Almaty.
Naija News reports that the Cypriot side Pafos secured qualification after holding Crvena Zvezda to a 1-1 draw, which gave them a 3-2 aggregate victory.
On the other hand, Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt lost 2-1 away to Sturm Graz but comfortably progressed on a 6-2 aggregate win, having done the damage in the first leg.
Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty produced one of the shocks of the play-offs by eliminating Celtic.
After both legs ended in a goalless draw, Kairat triumphed 3-2 on penalties to reach the league phase.
Champions League Play-off Fixtures For Wednesday
The final play-off ties continue on Wednesday with four high-profile clashes:
- Qarabağ vs Ferencváros
- Basel vs Copenhagen
- Fenerbahçe vs Benfica
- Club Brugge vs Rangers
The winners will join Tuesday’s qualifiers in the newly expanded Champions League league phase.
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has criticised Newcastle United’s approach in his side’s 3-2 Premier League victory at St James’ Park, saying he was “not too sure” he had just watched a football match.
Naija News reports that Liverpool secured the points through 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who came off the bench to score a 100th-minute winner on a night filled with fouls, stoppages, and controversy.
Opta statistics show the ball was in play for just 40.8% of the game, the lowest figure recorded in the Premier League since February 2010.
“I’m not too sure if I saw a football match,” Slot told Sky Sports. “It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws. It didn’t have a lot to do with tactics. But I liked a lot how we stood strong.”
Liverpool went ahead in the first half before Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon was sent off for a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk.
Despite being reduced to ten men, the Magpies fought back from 2-0 down to level the score at 2-2, creating a tense finale.
Slot admitted Newcastle’s style made the contest difficult to manage.
The match produced 32 fouls, the highest tally in a Premier League game this season. Gordon, who was dismissed shortly before half-time, apologised afterwards.
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