While Union Saint-Gilloise and Bodø/Glimt played out a thrilling 3-3 draw, Sparta Prague defeated Olympique Lyonnais. Marko Arnautović suffered an unexpected defeat with Red Star Belgrade.
Saint-Gilloise let late lead slip against Bodø/Glimt
After a cautious opening in Ostend, the evening’s highest-scoring match burst into life. Patrick Berg gave Bodø/Glimt the lead after just under 20 minutes with a directly converted free kick. The Belgian response was swift: Austria international Raul Florucz levelled from a loose ball following a corner.
Only a few minutes later, the Norwegians were back in front. Ole Blomberg converted the resulting penalty after Kevin Mac Allister had committed a foul. Before the break, Florucz restored parity with his second goal of the evening. The three-cap Austria international met Guilherme’s cross with an impressive volley to make it 2-2.
For a long time, it looked as though there would be no further goals. In the 88th minute, substitute Promise David gave the hosts a 3-2 lead. The final word, however, belonged to the visitors: Odin Bjørtuft headed home from a free kick in stoppage time to make it 3-3. The tie therefore remains wide open, although Bodø/Glimt are likely to be favourites when they host the second leg.
Sparta punish Tolisso’s penalty miss
Sparta Prague claimed a 2-1 home victory over Olympique Lyonnais. The Czech side were the more dangerous team early on and thought they had taken the lead through Jonatan Braut Brunes. The goal was ruled out, however, due to an offside position involving John Mercado.
Shortly before half-time, Lyon went ahead when Sparta defender Martin Suchomel inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. The hosts had another goal disallowed after the interval before Matěj Ryneš scored a deserved equaliser following an assist from Andy Irving.
The decisive spell followed immediately afterwards. Corentin Tolisso missed a penalty and with it the opportunity to restore Lyon’s lead. Only moments later, Mercado converted a pass from Ryneš to make it 2-1. Lyon increased the pressure during the closing stages, but Sparta held on to their advantage. It was the Prague club’s first European victory over French opposition in 19 years.
Slovan Bratislava strike in stoppage time
Slovan Bratislava secured an important 2-1 away victory over Swedish champions Mjällby AIF. The Slovak side had still been trailing 1-0 after around an hour.
Slovan had already created the better opportunities before the break. An effort from Mykola Kukharevych was cleared close to the line, while Lamin Yirajang later missed from close range. Despite Slovan’s superior chances, Mjällby took the lead when Elliot Stroud converted a penalty in the 61st minute.
Slovan coach Yaya Touré’s substitutions paid off. Substitute Suleiman Camara equalised with a deflected shot before the visitors launched the decisive counterattack in stoppage time. Camara picked out fellow substitute Manasse Kianga with a perfectly timed square pass, and Kianga completed the turnaround to make it 2-1.
Arnautović spurns big chance to level
Hapoel Be’er Sheva produced one of the evening’s surprises with a 1-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade. The match was played at the Haladás Stadium in the Hungarian city of Szombathely. Zahi Ahmed scored the only goal in the 38th minute.
Red Star coach Dejan Stanković made three changes at half-time, including the introduction of Marko Arnautović in place of Vasilije Kostov. After around an hour, Hapoel’s Matan Baltaxa was shown a red card, leaving the Serbian side with a numerical advantage for the final half-hour.
Arnautović had a major opportunity to equalise shortly afterwards. Following a cross from fellow Austrian Muhammed Cham, the forward headed over the crossbar from close range. Hapoel goalkeeper Ofir Marciano prevented an equaliser with several saves and preserved his side’s narrow advantage.
The result was certainly unexpected, as Red Star had eliminated Larne FC with a 9-0 aggregate victory in the previous round. After the match, Stanković criticised his team’s lack of composure, poor positioning and decision-making.
Celje left needing a comeback
In the other matches, NK Celje suffered a surprising 2-1 away defeat against Ararat-Armenia. The Slovenian side had repeatedly made their mark in European competition over the previous two seasons. They reached the Conference League quarter-finals in 2024/25 before advancing to the round of 16 again one year later.
Dinamo Zagreb all but settled their tie with a 5-0 home victory over Kauno Žalgiris and should be able to rest several regular starters in the second leg. Levski Sofia defeated Kairat Almaty 1-0, while Olympiacos and NEC Nijmegen played out a goalless draw.
