Lent.az
Following the results of the first leg of the Champions League play-off round, the first three debutants of the updated tournament have been determined.
According to Lent.az, citing foreign media, for the first time, the clubs "Kairat" from Kazakhstan, "Pafos" from Cyprus, and "Bodo/Glimt" from Norway have reached the main stage of the Champions League.
Historical achievements of the three clubs
Three matches of the final stage of selection took place on the evening of August 26. Kazakhstan's "Kairat" defeated Scotland's "Celtic" in a penalty shootout. The main and extra time of both matches ended in a 0:0 draw, and the Kazakhs were stronger in the penalty shootout (3:2).
This is the first time for "Kairat" to reach the main stage of the most prestigious European cups, and the second time for Kazakhstan after "Astana" in 2015.
Cyprus's "Pafos" defeated Serbia's "Crvena Zvezda" on aggregate (3:2). After winning away (2:1), the Cypriots drew at home (1:1).
Norwegian representative "Bodo/Glimt" lost to Austrian representative "Sturm" in the return match (1:2) but advanced to the next stage. The Norwegian club was more comfortable after the first match, which they won 5:0.
Who else will debut
In addition to these three teams, Belgium's "Union Saint-Gilloise" will also debut in the main stage of the Champions League this season, becoming the national champion for the first time in 90 years and securing a direct spot in the tournament.
Schedule of matches on August 27
Today, August 27, there will be four more play-off matches, but all participants in these confrontations have previously played in the Champions League:
* 20:45 "Qarabag" (Azerbaijan) - "Ferencváros" (Hungary)
* 23:00 "Benfica" (Portugal) - "Fenerbahçe" (Turkey)
* 23:00 "Copenhagen" (Denmark) - "Basel" (Switzerland)
* 23:00 "Club Brugge" (Belgium) - "Rangers" (Scotland)
