Fenerbahce secured their return to the Champions League on Wednesday, stunning Lyon with a decisive victory in France. Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Istanbul, the Turkish side established a commanding 2-0 lead during the first half of the return fixture. Although Lyon’s Malick Fofana provided a second-half spark, the hosts saw efforts from Lois Openda and Kail Boudache disallowed for offside, allowing Fenerbahce to hold firm and qualify for the league phase.
Elsewhere, AEK Athens comfortably moved into the next stage after a 4-0 thrashing of Levski Sofia. Barnabas Varga netted a brace, while former Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic and Razvan Marin—who converted a penalty—rounded out the scoring. The result secured the Greeks’ progression following a scoreless draw in the first leg held in Bulgaria.
In Norway, Viking Stavanger overturned an early deficit to defeat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1, sealing a 5-3 aggregate victory and their first-ever appearance in the Champions League group phase. Arber Hoxha initially put Dinamo ahead, but Zlatko Tripic leveled from the penalty spot shortly after. Viking then secured the win with two goals in two minutes early in the second half from Edvin Austbo and Tobias Moi. The report also notes that the Turks opened up a 2-0 lead on the night in the first half in southeastern France, with the teams locked at 1-1 from the first leg in Istanbul a week ago.
