Papa Daniel’s side NK Celje’s Champions League dream came to an end on Tuesday night as Slovan Bratislava secured a 2–1 extra-time victory, winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate to book their place in the UEFA Champions League main draw, Trybal News reports.
Slovan took the lead against the run of play when Kenan Bajrić’s long pass was expertly controlled by Andraž Šporar, who lifted the ball over the advancing Zan-Luk Leban to give the visitors a 1–0 lead.
Celje responded positively and continued to pose a threat going forward. Their pressure eventually paid off six minutes before half-time when they were awarded a penalty following a VAR review. Svit Sešlar stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, bringing Celje level on the night and restoring parity at 2–2 on aggregate.
The Slovenian side continued to push after the break and came close to taking the lead when Yaya Dukuly’s effort from 25 yards beat the goalkeeper but struck the post. Celje remained the more threatening side for long periods, but could not find the decisive goal in normal time.
Slovan eventually delivered the decisive blow in the 100th minute. After regaining possession in midfield, Nino Marcelli found Cristian Martínez, who lifted the ball over Leban and into the far corner to put Slovan 2–1 ahead and restore their aggregate advantage.
Celje were unable to find a response during the remainder of extra time, bringing their Champions League qualification campaign to an end. Slovan advance to the Champions League main draw, while Celje will now settle for a place in the UEFA Europa League.
Despite the disappointing result, Papa Daniel put in a composed and efficient performance in the Celje midfield. The midfielder was heavily involved in possession, completing 59 of his 60 passes for an impressive 98% accuracy, while recording 69 touches throughout the match.
Daniel also completed both of his attempted dribbles, registered one key pass and contributed two defensive actions, highlighting his efficiency both with and without the ball in a high-pressure European fixture.
With Celje’s Champions League journey now over, Papa Daniel and his teammates will turn their attention to the Europa League and another opportunity to compete on the European stage.
