Real Madrid 7-0 Barcelona… wait—only Champions League qualifying draws headline Wednesday’s European football
Champions League
Wednesday’s Champions League action delivered a trio of draws across three qualifying ties, with no side managing to steal a decisive first-leg advantage heading into the return fixtures.
The pick of the evening came in Zagreb, where Dinamo Zagreb and Viking played out an entertaining 2-2 stalemate. Both clubs will feel they left something on the table, but the scoreline at least suggests an open, attacking contest and sets up a genuinely unpredictable second leg for the Norwegian visitors. Viking, rarely seen at this stage of European competition, will be encouraged that they avoided defeat on the road.
In Istanbul, Fenerbahçe and Lyon could not be separated either, finishing 1-1 in what shapes up as a highly competitive tie between two clubs with serious European pedigree. Fenerbahçe will have fancied their chances of establishing home advantage, but Lyon’s away goal means the Turkish giants now face the pressure of needing a result in France. The second leg promises to be keenly contested.
The most cautious affair of the night came in Sofia, where Levski Sofia and AEK Athens played out a goalless draw. For Levski, a home blank is not the platform they would have wanted — AEK, with their greater recent European experience, arrive at the second leg with a clean sheet and momentum on their side. It remains a tie very much in the balance, but the Greek side will feel they are marginally better placed going into the return.
All three second legs are now eagerly anticipated, with six goals shared across 270 minutes of football — a night that rewarded patience but left plenty of drama still to come.
Covers daily football news for MatchdayValue — results, standings, and the stories shaping the top five European leagues and the continental competitions.
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