Lille has qualified for the Champions League group stage, even after a 2-1 loss at Slavia Prague in the second leg of their playoff on Wednesday. The victory, on aggregate, was 3-2. Lille was able to secure their spot in the Champions League after holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg. However, in the second leg, Lille fell behind early in the match when midfielder Christos Zafeiris scored for Slavia in the fifth minute. Lille’s Edon Zhegrova managed to equalize in the second half, but substitute Ivan Schranz put Slavia back in front in the 84th minute. This was Lille’s first qualification for the Champions League since the 2021-22 season, where they reached the last 16.
Other teams securing their place in the Champions League group stage include:
*
Red Star Belgrade:
The 1991 European champions defeated Norway’s Bodo/Glimt 2-0, overcoming a 2-1 first-leg deficit. Bruno Duarte scored from the penalty spot to level the tie before captain Uros Spajic secured the win with a header in the 58th minute.*
Slovan Bratislava:
The Slovak champions edged past Denmark’s Midtjylland with a 3-2 victory. Slovan Bratislava was able to secure a place in the group stage after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the second leg, both teams scored goals in the first half, with Marko Tolic and Aral Simsir scoring for their respective teams. However, Franculino Dju put Midtjylland ahead in the 50th minute. Tolic then scored his second goal of the match in the 82nd minute, and Tigran Barseghyan secured the win for Bratislava four minutes later. This is Bratislava’s first appearance in the Champions League since the 1992-93 season.*
Dinamo Zagreb:
The Croatian champions overcame Azerbaijan’s Qarabag 2-0 in the second leg, giving them a 5-0 aggregate win. Marko Pjaca opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, and Matheus Silva scored an own goal in the second half. Dinamo Zagreb had won the first leg 3-0.The 2024-25 Champions League group-stage draw will take place on Thursday, with the games starting on September 17th.
