Malmö FF’s dream of the Champions League was extinguished in practice already at home in Skåne.
Sparta Prague also won the second leg with 2–0 and advances to the fine room of club football with 4–0 overall.
Malmö can console themselves with games in the Europa League.
It’s a big disappointment, says striker Isaac Kiese Thelin.
Malmö FF has played in the Champions League three times since 2014, but it will not be a fourth time.
The Skåne lost twice again with 0-2 against Sparta Prague and MFF must now instead focus on games in the Europa League for the fourth time since 2018. A place that gives the club at least 98 million kroner in revenue. A place in the Champions League would have yielded at least SEK 212 million.
It’s tough in games like this. It doesn’t take much. We have to score on our chances, says Isaac Kiese Thelin to Viaplay.
Two missed penalties
When Malmö last reached the Champions League – in 2021 – the new Serbian acquisition Veljko Birmancevic was the tip of the iceberg for the Skåne in the last qualifying stage.
Now the Serbian could have decided for his Sparta Prague after just over a quarter of an hour. Then the home team was awarded a penalty after the French referee Clément Turpin considered that the 19-year-old MFF centre-back Nils Zetterström had brought down Asger Sørensen on a corner.
Birmancevic stepped forward, but the 26-year-old shot the ball high over Johan Dahlin’s goal.
Ten minutes later, Malmö had the chance to create real nerves in the second leg. Then the away team received a penalty after Anders Christiansen fell over after a push in the back. The team captain himself took care of the penalty kick, but his Danish compatriot Peter Vindahl in the Prague goal answered for a fine save.
We’re still in the game because they miss, then we’re unlucky. They make a good save on our penalty, says Kiese Thelin.
Took the lead on penalties
On the whole, it was mostly Prague that created something offensively in the first half. A bit into the second act, Malmö was able to establish some pressure, but it was uneventful in the decisive situations.
Instead, Prague was able to kill the tension in the 80th minute. MFF’s Gabriel Busanello brought down Ángelo Preciado in the penalty area and this time the roughly 18,000 spectators in the stands got to see a penalty go into the goal through Lukás Haraslín.
Just three minutes later, Albion Rrahmani made it 2-0 and Sparta Prague won the doubleheader 4-0 on aggregate.
The draw for the Europa League takes place on Friday.
Facts: New format in the tournaments
The old four-team groups with double-headers against only three teams will be scrapped in UEFA’s three club tournaments Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from this season.
Instead, a form of basic series is created with 36 teams where a club meets eight different opponents, four games are played at home and four away. In the Conference League, however, the teams play only six games each in the regular season.
After the end of the series, the top eight teams go directly to the round of 16. Teams 9–24 meet in a playoff over a double meet to reach the round of 16. For the teams that place themselves in place 25–36, it is the playoffs.
The knock-out matches up to and including the semi-finals are decided just as now with a double encounter (home, away) – the final is decided over a single match.
Facts: Malmö FF’s European Games since 2011
2024–2025: Ready for league play in the Europa League.
2022–2023: Europa League group stage. Last in the group.
2021–2022: Champions League group stage. Last in the group.
2019–2020: Europa League round of 16, knocked out by Wolfsburg (1–5 on aggregate). One in the group.
2018–19: Europa League round of 16, eliminated by Chelsea (1–5 on aggregate). Second in the group.
2015–2016: Champions League group stage. Last in the group.
2014–2015: Champions League group stage. Last in the group.
2011–2012: Europa League group stage. Last in the group.