Thursday 3 August 2017 21:25, UK
Ajax stayed on course to reach a Champions League play-off after earning a 1-1 draw at Nice in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie, while Celtic were held to a goalless stalemate at home by Rosenborg on Wednesday.
Italy striker Mario Balotelli fired Nice ahead with a close-range finish after a darting run by midfielder Jean Michael Seri in the 32nd minute.
But Ajax, last season's second-tier Europa League runners-up, levelled after poor defending allowed midfielder Donny van de Beek to sweep the ball home from 10 metres.
Dynamo Kiev were 3-1 home winners against Young Boys and Kazakh champions Astana beat visiting Legia Warsaw by the same score to keep alive their own hopes of reaching the lucrative group stage for the second time in three seasons.
Istanbul Basaksehir, making their first Champions League appearance, almost staged the shock of the night after fighting back from a two-goal deficit in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Club Bruges.
Croatian champions Rijeka, seeking their maiden group stage appearance, held on for a 1-1 draw at Salzburg after the home side's Korean forward Hee-Chan Hwang cancelled out a glancing header by Mario Gavranovic.
Elsewhere, Hapoel Beer Sheva beat Ludogorets 2-0 at home, Viitorul Constanta won 1-0 against APOEL Nicosia and Maribor defeated FH Hafnarfjordur 1-0.
