Bodo/Glimt are set for a second consecutive Champions League campaign after a dominant performance in their qualifying playoff. The Norwegian side comfortably dispatched NEC Nijmegen 3-0 on Tuesday at their Aspmyra Stadium, securing a 6-1 aggregate victory. The visitors’ hopes were effectively extinguished just three minutes into the match when goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz was sent off for handling the ball outside his penalty area.
While Bodo/Glimt are becoming familiar faces in European competition, Azerbaijan’s Sabah FC is preparing for a historic debut. Founded in September 2017, the club reached the Champions League main phase after a thrilling playoff victory, joining Italy’s Como as newcomers to the tournament.
Sabah’s path to qualification was far from straightforward. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, they were mere seconds away from elimination against Hapoel Beer-Sheva until substitute Tellur Mutallimov found the net in the final minute of stoppage time to force extra time. The momentum shifted entirely in the additional period, as Gabon striker Orphe Mbina headed home in the 101st minute, followed by a 115th-minute strike from Joy-Lance Mickels to seal a 5-2 win on the night and a 6-4 aggregate triumph.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva’s evening unraveled as they finished the match with only nine players. Despite leading 4-2 on aggregate in the 61st minute following a long-range goal from right-back Guy Mizrahi, the Israeli side could not hold on. During extra time, both defender Djibril Diop and midfielder Eliel Peretz were dismissed after receiving second yellow cards.
This result marks another year without Israeli representation in the Champions League group stage; the last team to qualify was Maccabi Haifa in November 2022. Israeli clubs have competed under the UEFA banner since 1994, following the nation’s expulsion from the Asian Football Confederation in 1973.
Elsewhere, LASK of Austria produced a stunning turnaround against Celtic. Despite trailing 4-0 on aggregate after the first half-hour of the second leg, LASK clawed their way back. Florian Flecker’s header forced extra time, and Samuel Adeniran scored a decisive fifth goal in the 109th minute. Although Adeniran later missed a penalty, LASK held on for a 5-1 victory on the night, winning the tie 5-4 on aggregate and relegating the Scottish champions to the Europa League.
The final spots in the 36-team main phase will be determined by four remaining playoff second-leg matches scheduled for Wednesday. The official draw for the tournament’s main stage is set to take place on Thursday in Monaco. The report also notes that still, LASK had already rained scoring chances on Celtic’s goal even before falling further behind, and somehow only retrieved three goals of the deficit when the clock passed 90 minutes. The report also notes that bodo/Glimt’s storied series of wins in January and February against Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan makes the Norwegian fishing town team seem like Champions League veterans compared with Sabah. The report also notes that on Tuesday, Dutch newcomers NEC lost 3-0 as the latest visitors to the Arctic Circle suffered on the artificial turf inside Glimt’s tiny Aspmyra Stadium. The report also notes that israeli teams participate in European competitions as the national football federation is a member of UEFA.
