The second day of the Champions League qualifications had several very intense games. Eventually, the winners of four out of five meetings were the guests, with only Romanian champions Cluj saving the honor of the hosts.
Probably the most intense match of the night was in Istanbul where Basakshehir faced Olympiacos. The Greek team won the game with 0-1, after a thrilling contest in which we saw the hosts missing a penalty in stoppage time, and getting a red card.
The hostility between the Turks and the Greeks goes way back, and every time their teams face in any sport, the tension hits the ceiling. The home team had 4 yellow cards in the opening 45 minutes, due to the rough and reckless performance of its players.
Greeks shocked the spectators at Fatih Terim Stadium in the 53rd minute, when Masouras broke the lock of the rival and scored the winning goal. But the drama started later. At first, Irfan Kahveci received a second yellow card, ten minutes before the end, while Edin Visca missed a penalty in the second minute of injury time.
The Portuguese powerhouse Porto got a minimal win on the road against Krasnodar, 0-1, and practically secured the advance to the next stage. Having in mind how the Russians play abroad, they will most likely end their Champions League quest here.
To make it even more painful for the hosts, they allowed a goal in the 89th minute, when Sergio Oliveira took a perfect free-kick and stunned the home team fans and players.
The surprise of the night was in Basel. The home team and a massive favorite against LASK Linz suffered a defeat against the Austrians, 1-2. Something definitely isn’t right in Basel’s game, and the visitors use that. Following a goalless draw in the first half, they scored twice before Luca Zuffi saved some chances of the Swiss team before the rematch.
A similar situation had been seen in Slovenia, where Maribor lost against Rosenborg, 1-3. There weren’t any goals in the opening 45 minutes, and the hosts who were the favorites completely fell apart in the second half. Alexander Soderlund, the forward of the Norwegian team was unstoppable, and he scored two goals in the space of 14 minutes.
Maribor then hit back through Tavares, but their hopes of a miracle were sealed one minute after when Jensen netted the third goal for the visiting team, slamming the doors of the UCL for the Slovenian champions.
In the end, the only match which didn’t end with the victory of the visiting team was between CFR Cluj and Celtic, 1-1. Both goals had been seen in the first half, with the Romanian champion reaching the lead first. However, the Scottish titan avoided a loss and got a solid result before the rematch in Glasgow.
All the rematches will be played next Tuesday because on Wednesday we have a UEFA Super Cup game between the Champions League winners Liverpool and the Europa League champions Chelsea.
The game will take place in Istanbul.
