Bodø/Glimt and Celtic win first legs of Champions League playoffs

Bodø/Glimt and Celtic have established significant advantages in their respective Champions League playoff ties following Wednesday's first-leg matches. Bodø/Glimt secured a 3-1 victory over NEC, while Celtic convincingly defeated LASK by a 3-0 scoreline.

In the match against NEC, Sondre Fet and Andreas Helmersen scored for Bodø/Glimt in the first half. Haitam Aleesami extended their lead in the second half before Clement Bischoff pulled one back for the Dutch team. Bodø/Glimt, who reached the Europa League round of 16 last season, will look to defend their lead on August 25.

Celtic's path to victory was paved by Benjamin Nygren, who opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Colombian forward Camilo Durán then scored twice, first in the 38th minute and again in the 67th minute, giving Celtic a commanding position ahead of their second leg next Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Hapoel Be’er Sheva edged out Sabah 2-1, with goals from Javon East and Igor Zlatanović, while Sabah's Veljko Simić had initially put them ahead. The return leg is also scheduled for August 25. In the final playoff match of the day, Slovan Bratislava and Celje played to a 1-1 draw, with Roman Čerepkai and Milot Avdyli scoring for their respective teams. Their second leg will take place on August 26.