Krasnodar, Midtjylland to Debut in Champions League, Salzburg Also Advance Through Qualifying

Krasnodar and Midtjylland will make their Champions League debuts after advancing through the qualifying playoffs on Wednesday. Russian club Krasnodar beat PAOK Thessaloniki 2-1 in the second leg in Greece to go through 4-2 on aggregate. Danish champion Midtjylland needed an 84th-minute penalty to finally take the lead against Slavia Prague, then added two more late goals in a 4-1 win. The teams played a goalless draw in the Czech Republic last week.

Salzburg completed its expected passage to Thursdays group-stage draw by beating Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-1, and advanced 5-2 on aggregate. Salzburg will play in the lucrative tournament for the second straight year under American coach Jesse Marsch. Zambia forward Patson Daka scored in each half for Salzburg on a prolific night for players from African nations.

Midtjylland trailed to a third-minute goal by Slavia’s Nigeria international Peter Olayinka, then leveled in the 65th through Sory Kaba of Guinea. Another Nigerian, Frank Onyeka, got Midtjylland’s third goal.

Midtjylland will go into the lowest-ranked seeding pot on Thursday. Salzburg and Krasnodar will be in the pot of third-seeded teams.