Union saint-gilloise battles bodo glimt to a draw, norway clash awaits in champions league quest
Union Saint-Gilloise shared the spoils in a high-scoring 3-3 stalemate with Norwegian vice-champions Bodo/Glimt during the first leg of their Champions League qualifying third round tie, played Tuesday evening in Ostend.
The scoring began with Berg netting a free-kick for Bodo/Glimt in the 20th minute, only for Florucz to quickly respond for Union in the 25th. Blomberg then restored Bodo/Glimt’s lead from the penalty spot in the 29th minute. However, Florucz once again found the equalizer just before halftime, scoring in the 45th minute plus five minutes of added time. David put the Unionists ahead late in the game, finding the net in the 88th minute. Yet, a new set-piece proved costly for Union, as Bjortuft leveled the score for Bodo/Glimt in the 90th minute plus one minute of injury time.
The decisive return leg is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, at 18:00, and will be played on Bodo’s synthetic pitch in Norway. The victor of this challenging encounter will advance to the playoff round, where they will face the winner of the third preliminary round clash between Greek vice-champions Olympiacos Le Pirée and NEC Nimègue, who finished third in the Dutch Eredivisie. That match also ended in a 0-0 draw. The team that triumphs in the playoff will earn a spot in the Champions League league phase, a stage already secured by Belgian champions Club Bruges.
Should Union Saint-Gilloise be unsuccessful in this third Champions League qualifying round against the current leaders of the Norwegian championship, they will automatically be re-routed to the Europa League league phase. The Brussels-based club has faced elimination at this same third preliminary round stage twice before, first in 2022 against Glasgow Rangers, and again in 2024 when they were defeated by Slavia Prague.
