{
  "id": 758923,
  "title": "Ex-Celtic pair O’Dea and Oko-Flex move within touching distance of Champions League",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/ex-celtic-pair-odea-and-oko-flex-move-within-touching-distance-of",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-13T11:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ex-celtic-pair-o-dea-110500944.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nOko-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.\n\nOther 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.",
  "summary": "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...",
  "key_points": [
    "Darren O’Dea and Armstrong Oko-Flex advance to Champions League play-off round.",
    "Darren O’Dea helped Slovan Bratislava defeat Mjallby in third qualifying round.",
    "Oko-Flex crucial in Levski Sofia’s 2-0 aggregate win over Kairat Almaty."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Is Champions League luring big names to Turkish football?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/is-champions-league-luring-big-names-to-turkish-football",
        "published": "2026-08-13T10:46:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}