Spurs 3-0 Paços de Ferreira (agg: 3-1), AZ 2-1 Celtic (agg: 2-3) – as it happened
Harry Kane received a standing ovation after scoring twice to put Spurs through to the group stage of the Europa Conference League
9.50pm BST
That’s all for our bumper Euro clockwatch. I’ll leave you with Paul Doyle’s report on Harry Kane’s successful return - goodnight!
Related: Harry Kane double clinches win for Tottenham over Paços de Ferreira
9.38pm BST
The final scores in our featured games
Europa League play-offs
9.36pm BST
Spurs cruise into the group stage of the Europa Conference League. Two clinical finishes from Harry Kane in the first half put them in control of the tie, and an own goal sealed it. It was a comfortable night for Spurs, who also hit the woodwork three or four times.
9.34pm BST
Shamrock Rovers dominated all the main statistics bar one, the most important of all.
9.33pm BST
A bad night for Aberdeen, who were well beaten by Qarabag.
9.32pm BST
You can’t really call this a consolation goal, can you.
9.25pm BST
“That first Kane goal was pretty amusing,” writes J.R in Illinois. “Not the part where he kicked the ball into the net, the bit before that. After Winks slid in and won the ball an opposing player charged towards him like a madman and Ben Davies just calmly took a little teentsy step in front of the dude and just shunted him right into the ground. I’ve re-watched it several times and laughed each time. Highly recommended.”
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@PremierSportsTV pic.twitter.com/o8bpgK5yVn
9.24pm BST
The draw for the group stages of the Europa League and Europa Conference League take place tomorrow lunchtime.
9.23pm BST
Related: Champions League 2021-22 draw: group stage analysis and predictions
9.20pm BST
78 min: Tottenham 3-0 Pacos de Ferreira (agg: 3-1) The substitute Steven Bergwijn has just slapped a shot against the post for Spurs, who have scored three and might have had six.
9.16pm BST
The latest/final scores in our featured games
Europa League play-offs
9.15pm BST
72 min: Tottenham 3-0 Pacos de Ferreira Harry Kane, who scored twice in the first half, leaves the field to a very warm ovation.
9.13pm BST
Giovani Lo Celso’s free-kick is headed into his own net by Douglas Tanque, and that should be enough for Spurs to move into the group stages of the new Europa Conference League.
9.12pm BST
Not even the boys of 83 could save this one.
9.10pm BST
Tottenham 2-0 Pacos de Ferreira (agg: 2-1) Bryan Gil has missed a good chance to make it safe for Spurs, dragging a left-footed shot just wide of the far post.
9.09pm BST
Celtic are through! Kyogo Furuhashi’s early goal, which put Celtic 3-0 up on aggregate, was ultimately decisive. Alkmaar came back to lead 2-1 on the night, and Celtic had to work so hard to repel them for the last hour. They managed it, just.
9.05pm BST
90 min: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Celtic Four minutes of added time in Alkmaar, where Celtic are hanging on desperately.
9.05pm BST
The latest/final scores in our featured games
Europa League play-offs
9.01pm BST
86 min: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Cetic (agg: 2-3) It’s been a fraught night in Alkmaar, but Celtic are tantalisingly close to a Europa League place.
9.00pm BST
It looks like Shamrock Rovers are also heading out of the Europa Conference League.
8.54pm BST
79 min: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Celtic (agg: 2-3) What a chance for Alkmaar! The 17-year-old Ernest Poku has missed a glorious chance, slicing the ball wide from six yards.
8.53pm BST
St Johnstone’s European run is over. They were well beaten in the end and finished with nine men after losing their heads a little in the second half. It’ll sting tonight, and for the next few days, but in time this match will become nothing more than a postscript to a fairytale.
8.47pm BST
73 min: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Celtic (agg: 2-3) Bruno Martins Indi has missed a good chance to bring the tie level, heading just wide from a corner.
8.44pm BST
Marko Raguz sends Clark the wrong way, a very confident penalty, and LASK are heading into the Europa Conference League group stages. For all the anger at McDiarmid Park - and there’s a helluva lot of it - LASK have been much the better team in the second half.
8.43pm BST
St Johnstone 0-1 LASK It has gone horribly wrong for St Johnstone. Shaun Rooney has been penalised for pulling back the goalscorer Balic in the area - and he was given a second yellow card, which means St Johnstone are down to nine men.
8.41pm BST
A reminder of the earlier Champions League draw, which was a treat for those who are partial to hype and narratives.
Related: Champions League: Manchester City draw PSG, Liverpool land in tough group
8.38pm BST
AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Celtic (agg: 2-3) Just past the hour mark in Alkmaar, where Celtic were hanging on a little bit but have calmed the game down with some good possession in the last few minutes. The abolition of the away goals rule makes such a difference to this tie. Last season, a team in Celtic’s would have had a two-goal cushion; this year Alkmaar need only one goal to take the tie to extra-time.
8.34pm BST
St Johnstone 0-1 LASK (agg: 0-1) St Johnstone are down to 10 men! David Wotherspoon, who has only just come on as sub, has been sent off for flattening Florian Flecker with an elbow to the face. The crowd aren’t happy but it was a clear red-card offence - he crunched him right in the kisser with the point of his elbow.
8.33pm BST
Half-times: Aberdeen 0-2 Qarabag (agg: 0-3), Shamrock Rovers 0-0 Flora (agg: 2-4), Harry Kane 2-0 Pacos de Ferreira (agg: 2-1)
8.31pm BST
A huge blow to St Johnstone! Husein Balic, on as a substitute, has put LASK ahead with a superb finish. He took one touch to shift the ball away from Shaun Rooney, 10 yards from goal, and then lashed the ball into the roof of the net. Zander Clark had no chance.
8.29pm BST
How we took the lead in the tie...
@PremierSportsTV pic.twitter.com/4Qpx2vLWyM
8.27pm BST
69 min: St Johnstone 0-0 LASK Middleton’s snapshot is beaten away by Alexander Schlager! It was close enough to him for it to be a comfortable save, though Middleton caught it very well from the edge of the area.
8.24pm BST
St Johnstone 0-0 LASK Saying which, St Johnstone almost take the lead after a scramble in the LASK penalty box. Glenn Middleton, on loan from Rangers, had a couple of shots blocked. The first, in particular, looked like a crucial bit of defending.
8.22pm BST
The latest scores in our featured games
Europa League play-offs
8.22pm BST
St Johnstone 0-0 LASK (agg: 1-1) Still goalless but it’s looking a bit worrying for St Johnstone, who have been under the pump since half-time. Husein Balic, one of the LASK substitutes, has just swished a volley over the bar.
8.20pm BST
Harry Kane gets his second, finishing confidently from close range after Pacos de Ferreira were punished for trying to play the ball out from the back.
8.18pm BST
Tottenham 1-0 Pacos de Ferreira (agg: 1-1) Bryan Gil has hit the post for Spurs with a deflected shot. They have been much the better team, and it feels like a second goal is in the post.
8.15pm BST
St Johnstone 0-0 LASK (agg: 1-1) It’s getting very tense at McDiarmid Park, where Zander Clark has just made a fine save from Hyun-Seok Hong’s snapshot. Fifty-seven minutes gone.
8.10pm BST
Here’s Harry Kane’s goal, scored with the minimum of fuss.
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@PremierSportsTV pic.twitter.com/o8bpgK5yVn
8.09pm BST
“I never tire of seeing that final angle of Essien’s screamer,” says Simon McMahon, referring to some chit chat earlier this evening. “Or the classic, imperial phase Mourinho celebration. He’s planning something already for when Roma beat Tottenham in the final of the UEFA Conference League, isn’t he?”
He’s up to something; has been for the last six years. I’ve no idea what it is, but he’s definitely up to something.
8.06pm BST
Half time: AZ Alkmaar 2-1 Celtic (agg: 2-3)
Kyogo Furuhashi gave Celtic the perfect start, putting them 3-0 ahead on aggregate, but mistakes from Joe Hart and then Carl Starfelt have made things very interesting in Alkmaar - a bit too interesting for Celtic’s taste.
8.04pm BST
Kady, who made the goal for Jaime Romero last week, has put Qarabag 3-0 up on aggregate against Aberdeen, whose Europa Conference League dreams are dying a death.
7.58pm BST
The latest/final scores in our featured games
Europa League play-offs
7.57pm BST
Tural Bayramov has put Aberdeen in a bit of bother at Pittodrie.
7.55pm BST
Nine minutes. Harry Kane has put Spurs ahead on the night, and level on aggregate, with an expert finish from Bryan Gil’s precise cutback. The reaction from both Kane and the Spurs fans suggests all is well with their relationship.
7.53pm BST
Jose Mourinho’s Roma have cruised into the next round of the Europa Conference League. They beat Trabzonspor 3-0 at home to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory. Tammy Abraham started but wasn’t among the goals. They were scored by Bryan Cristante, Nicolo Zaniolo - his first since his return from long-term injury - and Stephan El Shaarawy.
7.50pm BST
Half time: St Johnstone 0-0 LASK (agg: 1-1) A fast, furious half ends goalless. There’s no away goals rule any more, so as things stand it’s going to extra time.
7.47pm BST
Tottenham 0-0 Pacos de Ferreira Harry Kane almost scores after 15 seconds! He was put through by a lovely long pass from Cristian Romero but, after killing the ball immaculately on the run, he lifted a shot over the keeper and just over the bar.
7.46pm BST
Things are getting very tight in Alkmaar, where an own goal from Carl Starfelt has put Alkmaar ahead on the night.
7.37pm BST
Full time: Lincoln Red Imps 3-1 Riga (agg: 3-2) History is made! Lincoln Red Imps become the first Gibraltarian side to reach the group stage of a European competition. Kian Ronan sealed a famous victory in added time after Roy Chipolina, their 38-year-old captain, had put them ahead on aggregate in extra-time. Outstanding stuff.
The master of headers... @RoyC14 pic.twitter.com/hzYWX4m4c5
7.31pm BST
St Johnstone 0-0 LASK (agg: 1-1) Still goalless after 27 minutes at McDiarmid Park, though Jason Kerr came close to giving St Johnstone the lead with a header from a corner that flashed just wide.
7.28pm BST
Europa Conference League There’s a cracking story unfolding in Gibraltar, where Lincoln Red Imps have gone 2-1 up (3-2 on aggregate) against the Latvian champions Riga. They are four minutes away from reaching the group stgaes of a European competition for the first time.
7.23pm BST
Quite a start in Alkmaar. Kyogo Furuhashi put Celtic 3-0 up on aggregate with an early goal, but Zakaria Aboukhlal equalised three minutes later after a howler from Joe Hart.
6.56pm BST
Harry Kane starts for the first time this season, and will wear the captain’s armband. The official Uefa site has Spurs playing 4-3-3, but a few of you have pointed out that it could be a 3-4-3 with Doherty and Sessegnon as wing-backs.
Tottenham (possible 4-3-3) Gollini; Doherty, Romero, Dier, Davies; Lo Celso, Winks, Sessegnon; Lucas Moura, Kane, Gil.
6.46pm BST
Shamrock Rovers (3-5-2) Mannus; O’Brien, Lopes, Hoare; Finn, Watts, Mandroiu, O’Neill, Scales; Burke, Greene.
Flora (4-3-3) Igonen; Lilander, Seppik, Kuusk, Kallaste; Soomets, Vassiljev, Miller; Zenjov, Sappinen, Ojamaa.
6.44pm BST
Aberdeen (4-3-3) Lewis; Ramsay, Gallagher, Ross McCrorie, Mackenzie; Jenks, Brown, Ferguson; Ojo, Ramirez, Hayes.
Qarabag (4-2-3-1) Magomedaliyev; Bayramov, Medvedev, Medina, Huseynov; Garayev, Ibrahimli; Romero, Kady, Ibrahimli; Sheydaev.
6.39pm BST
St Johnstone (3-5-2) Clark; Rooney, Kerr, McCart; Brown, McCann, M Davidson, Middleton, Booth; O’Halloran, Kane.
LASK (3-4-3) A Schlager; Wiesinger, Andrade, Filipovic; Flecker, Hong, Michorl, Renner; Golginger, Schmidt, Karamoko.
6.31pm BST
A tough draw for Manchester City and Liverpool; less so for Chelsea and Manchester United.
Related: Champions League: Manchester City draw PSG, Liverpool land in tough group
6.25pm BST
I’m going to take a peedie break before the evening games begin. See you in half an hour or so!
6.24pm BST
AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3) Verhulst; Sugawara, Letschert, Martins Indi, Witry; Midtsjo, De Wit, Koopmeiners; Aboukhlal, Pavlidis, Karlsson.
Celtic (4-3-3) Hart; Ralston, Starfelt, Welsh, Taylor; Rogic, McGregor, Turnbull; Abada, Furuhashi, Christie.
6.24pm BST
Here’s more on that Champions League draw
Related: Champions League: Manchester City draw PSG, Liverpool land in tough group
6.24pm BST
Alexia Putellas of Barcelona and Jorginho of Chelsea. I’m slightly confused, as N’Golo Kante was the midfield of the year, but never mind.
6.19pm BST
Time for the last award: the players of the season. And the winners are...
6.18pm BST
In a surprising development, the coaches of the season are Lluis Cortes and Thomas Tuchel.
6.17pm BST
Oh, and Manchester City are playing PSG again, this time with Messi and possibly Ronaldo involved.
6.17pm BST
There’s no true Group of Death, though Liverpool’s is pretty rough. Still, you’d fancy all four English teams to go through. Manchester United might get a nasty surprise; I think the others will be fine.
6.14pm BST
Group D Internazionale, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sheriff Tiraspol.
6.14pm BST
Group E Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv.
6.13pm BST
Group H Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit and Malmo.
6.13pm BST
“Some friends and I used to have a lively pub debate over which player would make the best team if there were 10 of them in all outfield positions,” says Matt Dony. “The strength to defend, the skill to play on the wing, the composure to play in the centre, finishing ability, etc. Essien was always towards the top of my list. He could do everything. I just hated that he played for Chelsea.”
I honestly read that first sentence as ‘I used to have some friends’, and was intrigued to see how you’d managed to get five lines out of of such a sad opening.
6.12pm BST
Group A Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge.
6.11pm BST
Group G Lille, Sevilla, Salzburg and VFL Wolfsburg.
6.10pm BST
Group B Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto and AC Milan.
I say!
6.09pm BST
Group C Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Besiktas.
6.08pm BST
Group F Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta and Young Boys.
6.07pm BST
“It’s just nice to see Michael Essien again,” says Niall Mullen. “What an absolute player he was.”
6.05pm BST
The forwards of the season are Jenni Hermoso (Barcelona) and Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund).
6.05pm BST
The team to avoid in Pot 4 are probably AC Milan. They could still be drawn against Manchester City or Liverpool, among others.
6.04pm BST
6.03pm BST
Porto join Atletico and Liverpool in Group B, which means Ajax go into Group C with Sporting and Dortmund.
6.03pm BST
FC Salzburg go into Group G, aka the Group of Life, with Lille and Seville.
6.02pm BST
Atalanta’s swashbucklers join Villarreal and Manchester United in an intriguing Group F
6.01pm BST
RB Leipzig join Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in an eye-catching Group A.
5.59pm BST
Next up are Zenit They are in Group H with Chelsea and Juventus.
5.58pm BST
Benfica join Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the inappropriately named Group E.
5.58pm BST
Rangers are through to the Europa League group stage after a match that we’ll be talking about for minutes.
5.57pm BST
The first team out of Pot 3 are... Shakhtar Donetsk, who join Internazionale and Real Madrid in Group D. What is this, 2020-21?
5.55pm BST
The midfielders of the season are N’Golo Kante of Chelsea and Alexia Putellas of Barcelona, who played that delightful pass for the third goal in the Champions League final.
5.52pm BST
Sevilla go into Group G with Lille, which means Manchester United meet their Europa League final conquerors Villarreal in Group F.
5.51pm BST
Barcelona are in Group E with Bayern Munich, who belted them 8-2 last year.
5.50pm BST
Juventus go into Group H and will play Chelsea.
5.49pm BST
Paris Saint-Germain are in with Manchester City!
5.48pm BST
Liverpool are in Group B with their old friends Atletico Madrid.
5.47pm BST
Real Madrid will meet Internazionale in Group D.
5.46pm BST
Borussia Dortmund join Sporting in Group C.
5.45pm BST
Branislav Ivanovic and another Chelsea hero, Michael Essien, are ready to draw the teams from Pot 2...
5.43pm BST
The Uefa defenders of the season are Irene Paredes of Paris Saint-Germain and Ruben Dias of Manchester City.
5.41pm BST
The teams from Pot 1 are being drawn by Chelsea hero and headlock specialist Branislav Ivanovic. And here they are:
Group A Manchester City
5.37pm BST
Alashkert 0-0 Rangers (agg: 0-1) Alashkert’s ten men ahve 13 minutes to score the goal that would take this tie to extra time.
5.34pm BST
The groups are divided into two colours: red for groups A-D, blue for groups E-H. It’s largely for TV reasons, and far too boring to explain. If you really want to know more, be my guest.
5.31pm BST
I take it all back: they are going to start the draw now. A reminder of the pots:
Pot 1 Chelsea, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Sporting CP, Lille.
5.30pm BST
The goalkeepers of the year are Edouard Mendy of Chelsea and Sandra Panos of Barcelona.
5.26pm BST
The Champions League draw is still hours away. They are slowly going through all the awards for last season’s men’s and women’s competitions, and why not.
5.23pm BST
Alashkert 0-0 Rangers (agg: 0-1) It’s still goalless in Armenia, with 27 minutes remaining. As things stand, Rangers are going through with a whimper.
5.16pm BST
Here’s more on the breaking news that Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy has been charged with four counts of rape between October 2020 and August 2021
Related: Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy charged with four counts of rape
5.14pm BST
The Uefa President’s Award - which recognises “outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities” - is shared by nine people who helped save the live of Christian Eriksen on that traumatic afternoon in Copenhagen.
Morten Boesen, Morten Skjoldager, Mogens Kreutzfeldt, Frederik Flensted, Anders Boesen, Peder Ersgaard, Jens Kleinefeld, Valentin Velikov and Simon Kjaer: thank you.
5.01pm BST
The usual rules apply - teams from the same country cannot be drawn together, and the draw has blatantly been fixed to favour that lot. It gives me a decent amount of pleasure to report that, despite those restrictions, there’s still plenty of scope for a group of death or two.
Pot 1 Chelsea, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Sporting CP, Lille.
4.59pm BST
Half time: Alashkert 0-0 Rangers (agg: 0-1) It hasn’t been a classic, but Rangers are on course for the group stages. They’re a goal up on aggregate and now a man up after James was sent off for deliberately dangling his leg so that it hit the sliding goalkeeper Ross McCrorie in the head. It was a pretty scandalous challenge.
4.57pm BST
Manchester City have suspended Benjamin Mendy after he was charged by police earlier today
Club statement.
4.48pm BST
A bit of transfer news, not entirely unrelated to today’s Champions League draw
Related: Manchester City open talks over signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus
4.42pm BST
Alashkert 0-0 Rangers (agg: 0-1) It’s still goalless in Armenia, but Rangers have been on top and now they are playing against ten men. The Brazilian James has been sent off for Alashkert, having received a second yellow card for a dangerous challenge on the Rangers keeper Ross McCrorie. It probably should have been a straight red, not that it matters.
4.30pm BST
Hello and welcome to a bumper European clockwatch. There’s all sorts going on tonight: the Champions League draw, the Europa League play-offs, the Europa Conference League play-offs and, if you’d like more salt in your stew, Nick Knowles’ Big House Clearout on Channel 5 at 8pm.
Most of the matches involving British and Irish clubs kick off after the Champions League draw, which starts (sic) at 5pm BST, but Covid-hit Rangers are under way in Armenia. After half an hour, it’s 0-0. You’re welcome. If it stays like this, Rangers will go through to the group stage.
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