Champions League play-off first legs round-up: Salzburg and Sparta Praha shine, Young Boys edge Galatasaray

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-offs continued on Wednesday with Salzburg and Sparta Praha taking control of their ties against Dynamo Kyiv and and Malmö respectively, while Young Boys left it late to overcome Galatasaray.

GNK Dinamo and Lille were the big winners on Tuesday, when Crvena zvezda halved Bodø/Glimt's advantage to leave their tie tantalisingly poised.

UEFA.com rounds up all the action.

Wednesday 21 August

Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Salzburg

Salzburg put themselves in pole position to reach the league phase thanks to goals from Dorgeles Nene and Maurits Kjærgaard. Nene opened the scoring when he raced onto Moussa Kounfolo Yeo's through ball to clip a shot past Georgiy Bushchan.

Yeo was also involved in the Austrian side's second when Oleksandr Karavaiev pulled him down for a penalty that Kjærgaard coolly finished. Dynamo struggled to find a way through a Salzburg defence that was well-marshalled by Kamil Piątkowski.

Key stat: Kjærgaard has now scored five goals in three Champions League qualifying matches.

Second leg, 27/08: Salzburg vs Dynamo Kyiv

Malmö 0-2 Sparta Praha

Malmö maintained plenty of possession but Sparta's more direct approach paid dividends in Sweden. There was a slice of luck involved in the opener, with Veljko Birmančević fizzing a ball towards Lukáš Haraslín that bounced in off home defender Jens Stryger.

The hosts were much improved for periods in the second half but Sparta overcame the pressure to regain control. Having contributed to his side's solidity, Matěj Ryneš extended their lead a minute from time with a pinpoint strike that found the bottom corner.

Key stat: Ryneš's goal was his first in European competition.

Second leg, 27/08: Sparta Praha vs Malmö

Midtjylland 1-1 Slovan Bratislava

It is all to play for in this tie after Midtjylland found a late equaliser in Herning. In the first half, the Danish side hit the post twice through Darío Osorio and were denied by Dominik Takáč's smart saves.

Slovan took the lead just before the hour after Cesar Blackman finished off Tigran Barseghyan's back-heeled pass. The hosts hit the woodwork again through Djú Franculino before Edward Chilufya equalised. In the final minutes, Takáč denied Midtjylland a winner by deflecting away Aral Simsir's effort.

Key stat: The Danish side have extended their unbeaten home record in Europe to six games (W4 D2).

Second leg, 28/08: Slovan Bratislava vs Midtjylland

Young Boys 3-2 Galatasaray

Filip Ugrinic's late penalty gave Young Boys victory after the visitors looked to have saved a draw. Two Joël Monteiro goals book-ended the first half and the hosts might even have gone 3-0 up but Ebrima Colley hit the post.

The away side came back through substitute Michy Batshuayi, who scored with his first touch then struck again six minutes later. But Abdülkerim Bardakcı's handball in the box six minutes from time led to his dismissal and Ugrinic converted the spot kick to swing the game in favour of the Swiss team.

Key stat: Galatasaray have now lost their last four European away games, having been unbeaten in the previous ten.

Second leg, 27/08: Galatasaray vs Young Boys

Tuesday 20 August

Lille 2-0 Slavia Praha

Lille built a solid first-leg advantage with a deserved victory at their temporary Stade du Hainaut home in Valenciennes. They largely dominated the first half but missed several chances with Tomáš Chorý's drive almost making them pay.

It was Canada striker Jonathan David, however, who finally put Lille ahead after the restart before he turned provider for Edon Zhegorva to score a glorious second in the closing stages.

Key stat: Lille retain their perfect record against Slavia in three matches against them, having previously won 3-1 and 5-1 in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League.

Second leg, 28/08: Slavia Praha vs Lille

Bodø/Glimt 2-1 Crvena zvezda

Bodø/Glimt take a slender lead into the second leg of their play-off tie after substitute Ognjen Mimović's first ever senior goal pulled one back for Crvena zvezda to leave the tie delicately poised.

Odin Bjørtuft's brave header in off the underside of the bar put Kjetil Knutsen's men in front seven minutes into the second half before Isak Dybvik Määttä curled in a brilliant second just after the hour to put the Norwegian champions on course to reach the competition proper for the first time, but Mimović's strike has set up an intriguing return in Belgrade.

Key stat: Bodø/Glimt have won eight of their last ten home European home matches – including three this season, scoring ten goals.

Second leg, 28/08: Crvena zvezda vs Bodø/Glimt

GNK Dinamo 3-0 Qarabağ 

Sandro Kulenović's late double helped GNK Dinamo clinch an ultimately commanding victory in the Croatian capital. After Martin Baturina struck the crossbar, Marko Pjaca gave the hosts the lead at the second attempt close to the half-hour.

Qarabağ subsequently rallied, going close through Patrick Andrade and Juninho shortly before the break. Yassine Benzia then hit the woodwork after the interval before Kulenović struck twice in six minutes to secure the win.

Key stat: Dinamo are now unbeaten in all five meetings with Azerbaijani opposition.

Second leg, 28/08: Qarabağ vs GNK Dinamo