On Thursday, former European champions Ajax, Chelsea, and FCSB all advanced in their respective lesser European competitions. Ajax, with four European Cup titles to their name, progressed comfortably in the Europa League. They defeated Poland's Jagiellonia 3-0, thanks to goals from Kian Fitz-Jim, Kenneth Taylor, and Brian Brobbey, adding to their 4-1 victory in the first leg to win 7-1 on aggregate.
Romanian club FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest and winners of the 1986 European Cup, narrowly advanced by securing a 1-0 home victory over Austria's LASK. Darius Olaru's added-time goal ensured a 2-1 aggregate win for FCSB, overcoming a challenging tie.
In Istanbul, Ciro Immobile continued his impressive form with two goals for Besiktas, helping them secure a dominant 5-1 win over Switzerland’s Lugano. Besiktas advanced with an 8-4 aggregate victory in the Europa League. Chelsea, competing in the third-tier Conference League, managed to progress despite a 2-1 loss to Servette. Christophe Nkunku's early penalty and a goal from Jeremy Guillemenot helped Chelsea secure a 3-2 aggregate win.
In other notable results, Fiorentina overcame a challenging match against Puskas Akademia, winning 5-4 on penalties despite finishing with nine men after two red cards. The Welsh team New Saints progressed to the Conference League group stage after a 0-0 draw with Panevezys, having a 3-0 aggregate lead. Northern Ireland's Larne also advanced, thanks to a hat-trick of penalties from Andrew Ryan in a 3-1 victory over Red Imps, despite playing with ten men.
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