Beşiktaş Loses but Advances; Dusan Vlahovic Has His Eyes Set on Juventus (and Milan)

Dusan Vlahovic and Vincenzo Italiano advance to the Europa League. Besiktas, riding the momentum of its 3-0 victory in the first leg, secured a spot in the main draw despite a 1-0 loss on the road against the Lithuanian team Kauno Zalgiris. Renan’s goal in the 64th minute decided the match.

Vlahovic started the game and remained on the field until the 64th minute, coming off just as the home team scored. The loss, however, does not jeopardize Besiktas’s European campaign; thanks to their decisive first-leg victory, they can celebrate advancing to the main phase of the competition.

The former Juventus player thus joins the other players who could face the Bianconeri in the main draw. Among them are Michele Di Gregorio, with Bournemouth, and Lois Openda, who played a key role for Lyon during the chaotic night at Parc OL, which ended with a brawl in the closing minutes. They, too, are waiting to find out their European draw. The Europa League draw is scheduled for Friday, August 28, at 1:00 p.m. and will determine the matchups for the main phase.

Among the other playoff results, Benfica defeated Aarhus 3-1 on the road, repeating the same 3-1 victory they achieved in the first leg. Nicosia, meanwhile, overturned a 1-0 deficit against Truidense, winning 4-2 at home to secure qualification. Viktoria Plzen also pulled off a feat, needing extra time to complete their comeback against Red Star. After losing 3-0 in the first leg, the Czech side won 5-1 and secured their spot in the main draw. Rounding out the list of teams that qualified through the playoffs are Ararat Armenia, Jagiellonia, Salzburg, Lech Poznan, OFI Crete, Anderlecht, and Ferencváros.