Red Star Belgrade, European Cup Winners in 1991, secured their place in the group stages of this year’s competition alongside some other big names.
Zvezda overturned a first-leg deficit to defeat Norway’s Bodo/Glimt 2-0 at home, progressing with a 3-2 aggregate victory. Bruno Duarte’s penalty and Uros Spajic’s header secured the win for the Serbian side, which beat Marseille in Bari in the 1991 final.
Elsewhere, several other clubs booked their spots in the league-phase draw. Lille secured their place in the Champions League group stage despite a 2-1 defeat to Slavia Prague in the second leg of their playoff on Wednesday, progressing with a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, Les Dogues found themselves on the back foot early in Prague as Slavia’s Christos Zafeiris scored within the opening five minutes with a well-taken shot. Despite the early setback, Lille managed to hold on and eventually levelled the score in the second half through Edon Zhegrova. Slavia Prague regained the lead late in the game, with Ivan Schranz finding the net in the 84th minute, but it was not enough to overturn Lille’s aggregate lead.
This victory marks Lille’s return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2021-22 season when they reached the round of 16.
Slovan Bratislava also advanced after a thrilling 3-2 win over Denmark’s Midtjylland. Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, both teams traded goals in the second leg before Bratislava’s Tigran Barseghyan sealed the victory in the 86th minute, sending the Slovak champions to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 1992-93.
Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb completed a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate win over Qarabag with a 2-0 victory in the second leg. Marko Pjaca’s solo effort and an own goal from Matheus Silva secured Dinamo’s passage to the group stage.
Tuesday’s qualifiers included Switzerland’s Young Boys, Czech champions Sparta Prague, and Austria’s RB Salzburg, all of whom secured their spots in the prestigious competition.
The draw for the 2024-25 Champions League group stage will take place on Thursday. Matches are scheduled to begin on September 17.
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