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The first leg of the Champions League playoffs, crucial for securing a spot in the group stage of Europe’s most prestigious club competition, concluded last night. Seven matches were played between Tuesday and Wednesday, with some rather surprising results.
Dinamo Zagreb secured a home victory, defeating Qarabag 3-0, with one of the goals scored by Marko Pjaca, who has previously played in Italy for Juventus, Fiorentina, Genoa, Empoli, and Torino.
Lille also claimed a home win, beating Slavia Prague 2-0, thanks to goals from Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova.
Bodo/Glimt won their match as well, after taking a two-goal lead against Red Star Belgrade, though they conceded a goal from Mimovic 15 minutes before the end.
A surprising result came from Bern, where Young Boys defeated Galatasaray 3-2. The Swiss team took a two-goal lead with a brace from Joel Monteiro; the Turkish side equalized with two goals from Batshuayi in the 66th and 72nd minutes, but succumbed in the 86th minute to a penalty converted by Ugrinic.
Midtylland and Slovan Bratislava drew 1-1, while there were away victories for Sparta Prague and Salzburg. The Czech team won 2-0 at Malmo, and the Austrian side defeated Dinamo Kyiv by the same scoreline at the neutral Arena Lublin.
Next week, the return legs will determine the final teams that will qualify for the 2024/2025 Champions League. The eliminated teams will enter the group stage of the Europa League.
