Fenerbahce Returns to the Champions League, Playoff Surprises Unfold
The Turkish giant secured an impressive 2:1 victory in Lyon, Norway's Viking celebrated a surprising 3:1 win over Dinamo Zagreb, AEK Athens advanced after a 4:0 victory against Levski Sofia, and Christian Martinez propelled Slovan Bratislava to the next stage.
The Champions League qualifying stage concluded this Thursday, determining the final participants for the league phase. In the headline match, Fenerbahce defeated Lyon 2:1 in France, completing an impressive 3:2 aggregate score and returning to the pinnacle of European football for the first time since the 2008/09 season. Vedat Muriqi (24) and Archie Brown (28) scored early, while Malick Fofana narrowed the gap with a brilliant goal (61). Subsequently, two goals for Lyon were disallowed due to offside—first by Lois Openda (64) and then by Kael Budash (71).
For AEK Athens, the path was much smoother: following a 0:0 draw against Levski Sofia in Bulgaria, the Greek champions returned home to deliver an impressive 4:0 victory. Luka Jovic (7) and Barnabas Varga (12, 29) scored in the first half, with Razvan Marin (55) adding another in the second, ensuring the club's first qualification for the most prestigious tournament since 2018/19.
A surprise emerged from Norway's Viking, which qualified for the Champions League for the first time in its history after a 3:1 home victory over Dinamo Zagreb (3:5 on aggregate). Arber Hoxha opened the scoring (10) before Zlatko Tipic (18), Edvin Austbo (48), and Tobias Moi (50) turned the game around.
Slovan Bratislava secured a dramatic 2:1 win over Celje in extra time, advancing after a 1:1 draw in the first leg. The hero of the night was former Ironi Kiryat Shmona player Christian Martinez, who scored the winning goal in the 100th minute.
