Benfica qualify for Champions League group stage as Haifa are late winners

Benfica qualified for the Champions League group stage with a 5-0 aggregate loss to Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday, while Maccabi Haifa and Viktoria Plzen also qualified.

All three teams will now look to Thursday's draw when they know who they will face in the group stage.

Last season's quarter-finalists Benfica built on an impressive 2-0 first-leg win over a rusty Kyiv side with first-half goals from Nicolas Otamendi, Rafa Silva and David Neres, essentially killing the half-time tie at the Estadio da Luz.

Meanwhile, Haifa scored late to earn a 5-4 crushing victory over Red Star Belgrade in Serbia to reach their first Champions League group stage since the 2009-10 season .

A 90th-minute own goal from Red Star striker Milan Pavkov was enough to move the Israeli side, which had trailed 2-0 on the night after winning the first leg 3-2 .

Haifa will be joined in Thursday's draw by Plzen, who also advanced after coming from behind to beat Qarabag 2-1 on aggregate.

A first-half goal from Filip Ozobic gave the Azerbaijani side the lead after a goalless first leg, but Jan Kopic and Jan Kliment scored after the break to turn the tide and put their side through the group stage of the competition. for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.