On the first leg match on between Valencia and Monaco on the current Champions League playoff appearances was finished after 3-1 goals winning by Valencia at home.
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Skenderbeu’s hopes of becoming the first Albanian club to reach the group stages came to an end in Zagreb as they were beaten 4-1 on Tuesday despite opponents Dinamo playing nearly the entire second half with a man less.
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Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid qualified via their league positions last season, while Sevilla secured a spot as Europa League winners.
Malmo join Valencia in the group stage, the Swedish side overturning a 3-2 first-leg deficit to progress 4-3 on aggregate with a 2-0 triumph at the Swedbank Stadion. However, the visitors drew level three minutes later 20-year-old Louis Schaub refusing to be denied as he rifled home his second attempt for his third goal of the competition.
Captain Markus Rosenberg headed in a 23rd-minute opener for the hosts before Celtic’s Nir Bitton had a 42nd-minute controversially had a goal disallowed despite Malmo defender Kari Arnason appearing to handle the ball.
Monaco was also sent packing, as the team that made the Round of 16 in the Champions League last season fell to Valencia on aggregate.
Former Manchester City forward Alvaro Negredo put Valencia in the driving seat with a deft fourth-minute chip but the Spaniards were forced to hang on after Andrea Raggi and Elderson revived Monaco’s hopes in the principality. But a Dedryck Boyata own goal in the second half saw Malmo qualify with an outright aggregate win.
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Shakhtar Donetsk drew 2-2 with Rapid Vienna to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Even so there was still time for Pyatov to pull off a remarkable point blank block to Philipp Prosenik’s close range shot with the game five minutes into time-added on and ensured the Austrian side’s absence from the group stage was extended to ten years.
