Fenerbahce have secured their place in the Champions League league phase after defeating Lyon 2-1 in France, completing a dramatic victory that was overshadowed by ugly scenes at the Groupama Stadium.
The Turkish side entered the second leg with the tie level at 1-1 following the first leg draw in Istanbul a week earlier. They, however, produced a strong performance in the return fixture to take control of the contest.
Vedat Muriqi and English defender Archie Brown scored for Fenerbahce as the visitors established a 2-0 advantage in the first half.
Lyon struggled to respond before the break, but the French side returned from half-time with renewed determination and eventually pulled a goal back through Belgian winger Malick Fofana.
The hosts continued to search for an equalizer and thought they had found it on more than one occasion. However, goals from Lois Openda and Kail Boudache were ruled out for offside, allowing the visitors to preserve their advantage.
Fenerbahce held firm during the closing stages to secure a 2-1 victory on the night and progress to the Champions League league phase. The result was followed by heated scenes involving players and coaching staff after the final whistle.
Fenerbahce midfielder Matteo Guendouzi appeared to provoke the home supporters while celebrating the victory. The celebrations quickly became tense, with Guendouzi subsequently attacked by Lyon fans.
Players and members of both coaching teams became involved in clashes on and around the pitch as the visiting side’s celebrations descended into disorder.
Despite the controversy surrounding the final moments, Fenerbahce completed an important victory and booked their place among Europe’s elite clubs for the upcoming league phase.
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Elsewhere in the Champions League qualifying playoffs, AEK Athens produced one of the night’s most convincing performances, defeating Levski Sofia 4-0 to advance.
Hungarian forward Barnabas Varga scored twice for the Greek side, while former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic also found the net.
Romanian midfielder Razvan Marin completed the scoring from the penalty spot as AEK Athens progressed following a goalless first leg in Bulgaria.
In Norway, Viking Stavanger overturned an early deficit to defeat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 and progress 5-3 on aggregate.
Dinamo took the lead through Albania international Arber Hoxha, but Viking responded quickly when Zlatko Tripic converted a penalty just eight minutes later.
The Norwegian side then took control early in the second half, with Edvin Austbo and Tobias Moi scoring within two minutes of each other to complete the comeback.
The victory sends Viking Stavanger into the Champions League league phase for the first time in the club’s history.
Slovan Bratislava also secured their place in the competition after defeating Slovenian side Celje 2-1 after extra time. Andraz Sporar gave Slovan an early advantage before Svit Seslar restored parity for Celje from the penalty spot.
The decisive moment came in extra time when Panama international Cristian Martinez scored to give the Slovak champions a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Slovan are now set for their second Champions League league-phase appearance in three seasons. Their previous campaign came two years ago, when they struggled through the competition but finished above Young Boys on goal difference.
