The Champions League ties are nicely poised after eight results on 4 August, with GNK Dinamo producing the clearest statement of the night.
Dinamo beat Kauno Žalgiris 5-0, the biggest scoreline across both paths. Elsewhere, most of the champions-path games were decided by a single goal, while the league path produced two draws and a narrow Sparta Praha win over Lyon.
The return legs take place on 11 August. Every tie still has a major prize attached: winners go through to the Champions League play-offs.
Dinamo take control in the champions path
GNK Dinamo hold the strongest position after their 5-0 victory over Kauno Žalgiris. It was the standout result from the five champions-path matches played on Tuesday and gives Dinamo a substantial lead ahead of the second leg.
Slovan Bratislava also take an advantage into the return match after winning 2-1 at Mjällby. That scoreline leaves the tie open, but Slovan have the edge after the first 90 minutes.
Ararat-Armenia matched that 2-1 margin against Celje. Like the Mjällby-Slovan meeting, it is a one-goal contest heading into 11 August, so there is no room for either side to relax.
Levski Sofia beat Kairat Almaty 1-0, while Hapoel Beer-Sheva recorded the same score against Crvena Zvezda. Those are the smallest possible first-leg leads, making both returns especially important. A single goal can change the picture quickly in either tie.
The full champions-path results were:
- Mjällby 1-2 Slovan Bratislava
- Ararat-Armenia 2-1 Celje
- Levski Sofia 1-0 Kairat Almaty
- Hapoel Beer-Sheva 1-0 Crvena Zvezda
- GNK Dinamo 5-0 Kauno Žalgiris
Six goals in Brussels, no winner yet
The league path brought three games and a very different set of scorelines.
Union SG and Bodø/Glimt drew 3-3, the highest-scoring league-path match and the joint most open contest of the evening. With the scores level after six goals, the return leg on 11 August will decide everything.
Olympiacos and N.E.C. finished 0-0. That means their second leg begins with neither team holding an advantage from the first meeting.
Sparta Praha beat Lyon 2-1, giving Sparta a one-goal lead. It is useful, but far from decisive, and Lyon remain close enough to turn the tie around in the return.
The league-path results were:
- Olympiacos 0-0 N.E.C.
- Union SG 3-3 Bodø/Glimt
- Sparta Praha 2-1 Lyon
What is at stake on 11 August?
The winners of all these ties advance to the Champions League play-offs, so the second legs carry a huge reward.
There is also an important difference for the teams that do not make it through. Champions-path losers move into the Europa League play-offs. League-path losers, meanwhile, enter the Europa League league phase.
That makes Dinamo’s five-goal lead the headline advantage, but the rest of the schedule is much tighter. Four champions-path ties are separated by just one goal, Sparta Praha lead Lyon by one, and two league-path ties are completely level.
The programme continues on 5 August, when Aarhus face Sabah and Fenerbahçe meet Sturm Graz. Then, on 11 August, the eight ties already underway will reach their decisive second-leg stage.