On Wednesday, in the decisive qualifying match, “Celje” lost 1:2 after extra time to Bratislava’s “Slovan” team.
Read more Juventus started their pre-season friendly cycle with a win
A week ago, the first match in the Slovak capital ended in a 1:1 draw.
Now “Celje” will continue its fight in the main stage of the Europa League.
In the 18th minute, the visitors took the lead after a precise shot by Andraž Šporar, and the Slovenians had to equalize. Svito Seslar did so with a penalty in the 34th minute.
No one managed to score more during regular time, and during extra time, a rough mistake by the hosts in the middle of the field ended with a quick “Slovan” attack and a winning goal by Panama’s representative Cristiano Martinez.
A. Tutyškinas and P. Širvys played in the starting lineup. Pijus was cautioned in the 16th minute and substituted in the 73rd.
A. Tutyškinas played the entire match and received a yellow card in the 83rd minute.
A. Kučys started the match on the bench and entered the field in the 80th minute.
Towards the end of regular time, A. Kučys had a wonderful opportunity to become the hero of the match, but after receiving a pass from the right wing during a quick attack, he failed to properly hit the ball from a couple of meters away.
So far, only nine Lithuanians have played in the main stage of the modern Champions League – Andrius Skerla, Aurelijus Skarbalius, Dainius Gleveckas, Deividas Šemberas, Marius Stankevičius, Edgaras Jankauskas, Giedrius Arlauskis, Gintaras Staučė, and Raimondas Žutautas.
This year, Valdas Dambrauskas, who coaches Baku “Sabah”, became the first Lithuanian coach to reach the most prestigious tournament.
Read more Having started their attacking machine, Šiauliai secured their first victory
Kauno Žalgiris’ tormentor, Zagreb’s “Dinamo”, did not reach the main stage of the Champions League.
The Croats lost 1:3 away to Stavanger’s “Viking”, and a week ago, the first meeting between these teams ended in a 2:2 draw.
AEK Athens also advanced to the main stage, crushing Sofia’s “Levski” 4:0 at home. The first match in Bulgaria ended goalless.
Istanbul’s “Fenerbahçe” also grabbed a lucky ticket, winning 2:1 away against Lyon’s “Olympique”. The first clash in Turkey ended 1:1.
All Champions League main stage participants: “Paris Saint Germain”, Munich “Bayern”, Madrid “Real”, “Liverpool”, Milan “Inter”, “Manchester City”, London “Arsenal”, “Barcelona”, Madrid “Atletico”, Dortmund “Borussia”, “Roma”, Lisbon “Sporting”, Birmingham “Aston Villa”, “Porto”, “Manchester United”, “Brugge”, Seville “Real Betis”, Eindhoven PSV, Rotterdam “Feyenoord”, “Lille”, “Bodo/Glimt”, “Napoli”, “RB Leipzig”, “Villarreal”, Donetsk “Shakhtar”, Istanbul “Galatasaray”, Prague “Slavia”, “Stuttgart”, Linz LASK, “Como”, “Lens”, Baku “Sabah”, Istanbul “Fenerbahçe”, Athens AEK, Stavanger “Viking” and Bratislava “Slovan”.
Read more Mourinho effect: «Real» after Mbappe’s «hat trick» rose to the top
