A ROUND DECIDED BY FINE MARGINS
The UEFA Champions League second qualifying round concluded on 29 July 2026 with two ties settled by penalty shootouts and several results that overturned the balance created in the first legs.
Kairat Almaty beat Omonia 1-0, levelled the aggregate score at 1-1 and advanced 6-5 on penalties. Aarhus produced the night’s most striking comeback: a 4-1 away win over Lech Poznań made the aggregate score 5-5 before the Danish side progressed 4-3 in the shootout.
THE FAVOURITES WHO FINISHED THE JOB
Fenerbahçe drew 1-1 away to Górnik Zabrze and advanced 2-1 on aggregate. Sturm Graz followed a 4-0 first-leg victory with a 2-0 win over Hearts, completing a 6-0 aggregate result.
Crvena Zvezda recorded the round’s biggest margin, beating Larne 5-0 in Belgrade and 9-0 overall. Slovan Bratislava drew 1-1 with Iberia Tbilisi to progress 3-1, while Hapoel Beer-Sheva overturned its first-leg deficit with a 2-0 victory over Víkingur Reykjavík and a 3-2 aggregate win.
Kauno Žalgiris eliminated Klaksvík with a 1-0 victory. Levski Sofia protected its advantage after a 2-2 draw with Universitatea Craiova and advanced 3-2 on aggregate.
HOW THE THIRD ROUND LOOKS
The third qualifying round first legs will be played on 4 and 5 August. The champions path includes Hapoel Beer-Sheva against Crvena Zvezda, Levski Sofia against Kairat Almaty and Aarhus against Sabah.
In the league path, Fenerbahçe will meet Sturm Graz. The other ties are Olympiacos–N.E.C., Union SG–Bodø/Glimt and Sparta Praha–Lyon.
The return legs are scheduled for 11 August. Winners will move one step closer to the league phase, while defeated teams do not immediately leave European competition; their campaigns continue through the relevant UEFA Europa League route.
WHY IT MATTERS
The results demonstrated that a first-leg advantage is not enough without control in the return match. Aarhus recovered from a 4-1 defeat, while Kairat pushed its tie all the way to penalties. That places even greater emphasis on tactical discipline and two-leg management in the third round, not only individual quality.