August 27, 2026
By Enitan Abdultawab
Manchester City and Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré has made history by becoming the first African coach to lead a club into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Touré achieved the feat on Wednesday after his Slovakian side, Slovan Bratislava, defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their final qualifying-round tie. The victory secured a 3-2 aggregate win and booked Slovan a place in the Champions League group stage.
Cristian Martínez sealed the result for Touré’s side when he scored in the 100th minute after Andraž Šporar had put Slovan ahead in the 18th minute. Celje levelled through Svit Šešlar from the penalty spot in the 34th minute but could not find another goal before Martínez struck in extra time.
