Champions League
August 27, 2009
German soccer club VfB Stuttgart got there by means of a lackluster 0-0 draw at home to Timisoara, whom they had beaten 2-0 in Romania last week.
The result means Stuttgart join Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich in this season's Champions League group stage.
The most tense second leg of the playoffs, however, was played out in Florence, where Fiorentina edged out Sporting Lisbon on the away-goals rule.
Fiorentina battled to a 1-1 draw, courtesy of a vital goal from19-year-old Montenegro striker Stevan Jovetic and go through 3-3 on aggregate, after they drew 2-2 in Lisbon last Tuesday.
"This is the most important goal of my career so far," said Jovetic.
Joao Moutinho had put Sporting ahead in the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the 35th minute with an elegant free-kick. But Fiorentina came out for the second half with a sense of purpose and determination, and the vital equalizer came nine minutes after the interval.
Jovetic got the ball outside the penalty area, calmly cut inside and made it 1-1 with a precise near-post drive.
Sporting pushed forward desperately late in the match but failed to get the goal they needed.
"This was a very tense tie, and we would have gone through if we had been a little sharper in both penalty areas," said Paulo Bento, Sporting's coach.
Sporting now go into the new Europa League, together with FC Copenhagen, who lost 3-1 in to Nicosia, going out 3-2 on aggregate.
Elsewhere on Wednesday
Chrysis Michael was APOEL's hero. He scored two first-half goals, after Kamil Kosowski had given the hosts an early lead.
The London side Arsenal beat Celtic 3-1 in a tie billed in some media as the battle of Britain and cruised into the group stage 5-1 on aggregate.
The final place in the group stage went to Greek giants Olympiakos, who beat unfancied Moldovan side Sheriff 1-0 and thus go through on a 3-0 aggregate.
On Tuesday, Olympique Lyon, Maccabi Haifa, Debrecen, FC Zurich and Atletico Madrid progressed to the group stage, at the expense of Anderlecht, Salzburg, Levski Sofia, Ventspils and Panathinaikos respectively.
av/jk/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Chuck Penfold