Champions League Play-Offs Head to the Arctic Circle — Norwegian Vikings Eye Another European Run

The second round of Champions League play-off fixtures went ahead midweek, with a mix of comfortable favourites and much tighter ties on show.

Let's have a look at Wednesday's action. Unlike the previous round of fixtures, when all three matches finished level, Wednesday threw up a real mixed bag: two home wins (one comprehensive, one narrow), a draw, and an away win. While Tuesday's ties are all still up for grabs, it looks like two of Wednesday's four pairings have already more or less settled their outcome.

Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) — Celje (Slovenia) — 1-1

Goals: Čepčeký 15' — Avdili 41'

Slovan were fancied here. They've the stronger squad on paper and plenty of Champions League pedigree behind them. Celje, on the other hand, had never so much as sniffed involvement in this competition before.

In the previous round Celje edged past Ararat-Armenia by the skin of their teeth — beaten away from home, then unable to find a breakthrough for long spells back at their own ground. It took a substitute to change the game: a name familiar to plenty of European football followers, Benjamin Verbič. It was only his second outing since rejoining his boyhood club (where he started out as a youngster), but his class was enough to unpick the Armenian back line. Celje scored in the 83rd and 85th minutes, Verbič grabbing the winner himself, and he even headed a goal-bound effort off the line late on to preserve the result.

Verbič was again introduced from the bench in this one, though he didn't produce anything as decisive this time — his side, however, looked well up to the task regardless. Celje started brightly, didn't wobble after going behind, and levelled matters before the break through a superb curling effort from Avdili, playing out at left-back. They then dug in through the second half, absorbing pressure from the hosts while still carrying a threat of their own on the break.

Slovan, unsurprisingly, had the better of possession and chances — more shots, more attempts on goal — but could only hit the target twice from 14 efforts, while the visitors managed four from eight.

Worth a mention: Slovan appointed Yaya Touré as manager over the summer — his first crack at management on his own, without a co-manager alongside him.

Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel) — Sabah (Azerbaijan) — 2-1

Goals: East 43' — Zlatanović 79' — Simić 6'

This tie guarantees a debutant at the group stage of this season's Champions League. Neither Hapoel nor Sabah — newly-crowned champions of Azerbaijan for the first time ever — has played at this level before. Truth be told, on this evidence, whichever side goes through will likely be among the makeweights at the top table. More was expected of the Azerbaijani champions in particular, especially given that, much like clubs from certain other countries at present, the Israeli side can't host matches on home soil — this one was staged at Rapid Bucharest's ground.

On that basis alone, I'd have made Sabah favourites, and the visitors backed that up early, scoring inside the first ten minutes. But it proved to be one of those games where an early goal did more harm than good — Sabah's play took on a nervy, over-cautious edge from there. Hapoel took full control, playing at a higher tempo and with far more cutting edge, and thoroughly deserved not just to level things up but to nick the win as well.

These were the weakest ties on paper in this round of qualifying, yet ironically they're the ones still generating genuine intrigue — more than some of the supposedly juicier match-ups elsewhere.

Celtic (Scotland) — LASK (Austria) — 3-0

Goals: Nygren 26' — Duran 38', 67'

The scoreline suggests a comfortable, one-sided night for the Hoops. Not quite the case! Shots: 17-20. On target: 7-8. xG: 0.87 to 1.75 — the underlying numbers actually favoured the Austrians.

Since Martin O'Neill took charge, Finn international Sinisalo has established himself as Celtic's first-choice keeper, and he repaid that faith again here with eight saves on the night.

His opposite number, Jungwirth, could only manage four saves from seven. Credit where it's due, though — it wasn't really the goalkeeping that let LASK down but their defending, particularly at clearances and second balls. Celtic's first two goals both came from pounced-upon rebounds after failed Austrian clearances. It looks like LASK's wait for a first-ever Champions League group-stage appearance goes on.

NEC Nijmegen — Bodø/Glimt — 1-3

Goals: Bischoff 85' — Fet 25' — Helmersen 44' (pen) — Alisami 50'

Same story again... Shots: 22-8. On target: 6-4. xG: 2.14 to 1.62 — all in the home side's favour on paper. And yet, the result tells a different tale.

Nijmegen, who'd never previously played even in this competition's qualifying rounds, had made a real impression against Olympiacos in the prior round. I'd go as far as calling the Dutch runners-up' win there fully deserved. They strengthened well over the summer too, bringing in promising talent like Storm and Bischoff from Danish youth football, plus experienced heads such as Tadić and Mora, along with a handful of other lesser-known additions.

But once again it was Spanish goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz who let the side down. He'd been superb against Olympiacos, but since then — across four competitive matches (two league, two Champions League) — he's saved just four shots out of eleven, one per game. On that kind of form he was never likely to keep out a very strong Norwegian side who are currently flying and, as ever, excellent value in Europe.

Since lifting the domestic cup on 9 May, Bodø/Glimt have played 16 competitive matches, winning 14 and drawing just two — against Rosenborg in the league and against Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise in the third qualifying round of this competition. That's some record. So I'd back them with real confidence to be playing Champions League football up in the Arctic Circle this season! It'll be worth keeping an eye on how the fixture list treats them too, given that under the revamped format, Champions League matches are now played right through into January.