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The Union Saint-Gilloise fought back to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw against Norwegian champions Bodo Glimt in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round, played on Tuesday night at Ostend’s ground.
From early setback to last-minute drama
The Belgians faced an immediate challenge when Berg opened the scoring from a free kick in the 20th minute. However, Florucz responded swiftly, equalizing just five minutes later. The visitors quickly regained the lead through Blomberg’s penalty in the 29th minute. Florucz struck again just before halftime, restoring parity at 2-2.
In a thrilling second half, David Hubert put the Union ahead for the first time in the 88th minute. But Bodo Glimt’s Bjortuft instantly leveled the score in stoppage time, ensuring the match concluded with a share of the spoils.
All to play for in the return fixture
The decisive second leg will take place next Tuesday, August 11, at 6:00 PM local time on Bodo Glimt’s synthetic turf in Norway. The winner of this high-stakes encounter will advance to the playoff round, where they will face the victor of the Greece-Netherlands clash between Olympiacos and NEC Nijmegen.
The playoff winner will secure a spot in the group stage, alongside Club Bruges, who have already qualified as Belgian league champions.
What’s at stake for Union Saint-Gilloise?
Should the Union fail to progress past this stage, they will drop into the Europa League group phase. Their recent Champions League campaigns have seen early exits, with defeats against Glasgow Rangers in 2022 and Slavia Prague in 2024.
