The dream of Champions League football slipped away for Olimpija Ljubljana and their Portuguese coach, Jorge Simão. They faced a tough challenge this Tuesday, losing 2-0 to Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan. This second-leg defeat meant Olimpija exited Europe’s top club competition in the very first qualifying round.
A week before, at their home stadium, Olimpija had only managed a 1-1 draw. This left them with a steep hill to climb on the road. Kairat wasted no time in the return match. A goal came just five minutes in from Jorginho, who is also Portuguese. His countryman, Luís Mata, set him up perfectly. Kairat added another goal in the 31st minute through Aleksandr Mrynskiy. Olimpija had two Portuguese players, Diga and Diogo Pinto, in their starting lineup, but it wasn’t enough.
Kairat Almaty now moves on to the second qualifying round of the Champions League. For Olimpija Ljubljana, their European journey will continue, but in a different competition. They will now compete in the qualifying rounds for the Conference League.
Olimpija wasn’t the only team with Portuguese connections facing a shift in European dreams. Differdange from Luxembourg, coached by Pedro Silva, also found themselves heading to the Conference League qualifiers. They lost 3-2 at home to Drita, which followed a 1-0 defeat in Kosovo.
Not all news was grim for teams with Portuguese influences. Captain Bernardo Lopes helped his Gibraltarian side, Lincoln Red Imps, secure a win. They beat Vikingur 1-0 at home. This victory, combined with their 3-2 win in the Faroe Islands, saw them advance to the next round of Champions League qualifiers.
The first preliminary round of the Champions League selects 14 teams to move forward. This round wraps up on Wednesday with two more matches. One of those games involves Ludogorets Razgrad from Bulgaria, coached by Rui Mota, who will visit Dinamo Minsk in Belarus. This marks the 71st edition of Europe’s main club competition.