There were no incidents Wednesday of fan violence reported from among the 61,000 spectators at the stadium in Izmir, where twice the normal security had been put in effect after the trouble that marred Galatasaray's first leg victory in Luxembourg.
The Turkish champions, who were banned from their home stadium for the second leg as punishment for the violence, now face a potentially volatile rematch with Manchester United in the league stage of the tournament Sept. 28.
Seven other teams also advanced to the Champions League, including surprise qualifier AEK Athens of Greece. AEK ended Glasgow Rangers' campaign at the first hurdle for the second year running, winning 1-0 on the road to complete a 3-0 aggregate victory.
Hakan Sukur scored a hat trick and Saffet Sancakli added a goal in Galatasaray's victory, in which all four goals came in the second half.
In the first Galatasaray-Beggen match, won by Galatasaray 5-1, both linesmen were hit by objects thrown by Turkish fans. As punishment, European governing body UEFA ordered the second leg played at least 300 kilometers from Galatasaray's home stadium in Istanbul.
Galatasaray will join Manchester United, IFK Goteborg and last year's runner-up, Barcelona, in Group A of the newly-revamped, 16-team Champions League. Last year, when Galatasaray knocked United out in the second round, the second leg in Istanbul was marred by some of the worst fan violence of the season.
More than 100 United fans were arrested, anti-United demonstrations took place in front of the British Embassy and United players claimed they were assaulted by police as they left the field.
Rangers, the sixth-time defending Scottish league champion, spent ?5 million ($7.5 million) on Frenchman Basile Boli and Denmark's Brian Laudrup in the off-season with hopes of European glory to follow.
But after losing the first leg 2-0 in Athens, Rangers threw everything it had at the AEK goal to try to make back the deficit. The Greek champions, however, counterattacked efficiently and had the better scoring chances.
A goal by Toni Savevski two minutes before halftime sealed the fate of Rangers, which lost to Levski Sofia of Bulgaria in the first round last year.
Elsewhere, IFK Goteborg overcame a 1-0 first-leg loss to Czech club Sparta Prague with a 2-0 home victory. Stefan Rehn netted the aggregate-deciding goal in the 63rd minute for the Swedish team.
Paris Saint-Germain, struggling in 15th place this season in the French league, continued a promising European start with a 2-1 victory at VAC Samsung of Hungary. PSG's Patrick M'Bouma scored two goals as the French champion advanced on a 5-1 aggregate.
Ukrainian champion Dynamo Kiev, which nearly knocked out eventual finalist Barcelona in the first round last year, advanced to that stage again with a 3-1 home win over Silkeborg of Denmark. The teams were scoreless in the first leg.
A 1-1 draw on the road was more than enough for Romania's Steaua Bucharest to advance against Servette of Switzerland. Steaua won the first leg 4-1.
Casino Salzburg of Austria beat Maccabi Haifa of Israel 3-1 at home to advance on a 5-2 aggregate, and Croatia's Hajduk. Split shut out Legia Warsaw 4-0 to complete a 5-0 victory over two legs.
In the Champions League lineup, Dynamo Kiev and Paris Saint-Germain will join Bayern Munich and Spartak Moscow in Group B, Steaua Bucharest and Hajduk Split will play in Group C with Benfica and Anderlecht, and Casino Salzburg and AEK Athens make up Group D with defending champion AC Milan and Ajax.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
