Scottish champions Celtic were defeated by LASK, while Sabah knocked out Hapoel Beer-Sheva with a late goal in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. Bodo/Glimt returned for a second season after successfully advancing through their qualifying playoff against NEC Nijmegen. Sabah, a club formed eight years ago, denied Israeli Premier League champions Hapoel Beer-Sheva in extra time after a last-minute goal in regulation time leveled the aggregate score.
LASK appeared to be on the verge of elimination after trailing 4-0 on aggregate to Celtic, who had won the first leg by three goals in Glasgow. Despite this, LASK managed to score three goals in the final minutes of the match, forcing extra time. During extra time, LASK scored a fifth goal, resulting in a 5-1 victory for the night and a 5-4 win on aggregate, leading to Celtic's drop into the Europa League.
On Wednesday, four more playoff second-leg games will determine the final entries in the 36-team main phase of the tournament, with the draw scheduled for Thursday in Monaco. Bodo/Glimt's previous victories against Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan have established them as experienced competitors in the Champions League.
In their match, NEC lost 3-0, suffering on the artificial turf of Glimt's Aspmyra Stadium, with an aggregate score of 6-1. NEC's hopes for a comeback were dashed early when goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Sabah football club, created in September 2017, will debut in the Champions League's main competition after their dramatic qualifying playoff win. They were seconds away from elimination against Hapoel Beer-Sheva, who won the first leg 2-1, when substitute Tellur Mutallimov scored in stoppage time to force extra time. Sabah's Gabon striker Orphe Mbina scored in the 101st minute, and Joy-Lance Mickels added another goal in the 115th minute, resulting in a 5-2 victory in the second leg and a 6-4 win on aggregate.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva ended the match with nine players after leading 4-2 on aggregate in the 61st minute, when right-back Guy Mizrahi scored. Defender Djibril Diop and midfielder Eliel Peretz received second yellow cards in extra time. No Israeli team has participated in the main Champions League since November 2022, when Maccabi Haifa finished last in their group.