Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

Culture

Ex-Celtic pair O’Dea and Oko-Flex move within touching distance of Champions League

Celtic supporters have had the Champions League play-off round circled in the calendar all summer, but several familiar Hoops faces have already been battling their way through the qualifiers.Two Dubl...

Ex-Celtic pair O’Dea and Oko-Flex move within touching distance of Champions League

Two Dublin-born former Celtic players, Darren O’Dea and Armstrong Oko-Flex, have advanced to the Champions League play-off round. Darren O’Dea, a former defender and current manager, joined Slovenian club Slovan Bratislava, where he helped them defeat Swedish champions Mjallby in the third qualifying round. They will face Slovenian champions Celje in the play-off round, a familiar opponent for Celtic fans due to their 2-1 Champions League victory over them two seasons ago.

Oko-Flex, a former Celtic youth player, played a crucial role in Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia's progression. They defeated Kazakh side Kairat Almaty 2-0 on aggregate after a 1-0 lead from the opening leg in Kazakhstan. Levski now faces AEK Athens in the play-off round.

Other Celtic-related news includes Bodo/Glimt's elimination of Union Saint-Gilloise 6-5 on aggregate in the play-off round, despite the absence of new Celtic striker Kasper Hogh. Additionally, Lech Poznan was eliminated by AGF after winning the first leg 4-1 away from home.

Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

This story

This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.

Read the original at sports.yahoo.com →

More in Culture

5 reasons Jesse Minter can win AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2026

Engineering a Ravens turnaround could put Baltimore's first-year head coach in the AP Coach of the Year conversation.

  • Jesse Minter's Baltimore Ravens aim to rebound from disappointing season.
  • AFC North division historically unpredictable, Baltimore could win it.
  • Lamar Jackson and Kyle Hamilton's performances could elevate team's status.

More from Thursday 13 August →