This is how the 7 playoff duels of the Young Boys went

With a 3-2 win from the home game, YB goes into the return match against Galatasaray on Tuesday. A starting position that is not unfamiliar to the Bernese. A look back at the Champions League playoffs so far.

2010: No chance in London

Opponent: Tottenham; First leg: 3:2

Already in the first playoff 14 years ago against Tottenham, YB travels to the away game with a 3:2 win. At White Hart Lane in London, however, the Bernese team’s hopes are quickly dashed when Peter Crouch scores with a header in the 5th minute.

The English two-meter striker will score two more goals before the end. YB, with Christoph Spycher and David Degen in the starting line-up and Vladimir Petkovic as coach, has no chance in the 0-4 defeat and clearly misses out on following the Basel team, who were successful 24 hours earlier, into the Champions League.

2016: Embarrassing in Gladbach

Opponent: Borussia Mönchengladbach; First leg: 1:3

YB fans travel to Mönchengladbach for the 2016 playoff second leg with significantly less hope than six years previously. The Germans, who have Yann Sommer in goal and Nico Elvedi in defence, are playing with confidence thanks to their 3-1 win in Bern’s Wankdorf and put on a gala performance in Borussia Park. Thanks in part to three goals from ex-FCZ striker Raffael, the home team dismantles the Bernese team led by coach Adi Hüter and wins 6-1.

2017: Disappointed in Moscow

Opponent: CSKA Moscow; First leg: 0:1

All good things come in threes? Unfortunately not. After the bitter 0-1 home defeat due to a late own goal by Kasim Adams, YB wants to secure their first participation in the group stage of the Champions League with an away effort against CSKA Moscow.

In the Russian capital, however, there is no sign of the dominant performance from last week. In the first half, the Bernese did not have a single shot on goal, while CSKA took the lead shortly before half-time. After just over an hour, the Russians deservedly increased their lead to 2-0 and effortlessly held on to their lead until the end.

2018: Euphoric in Zagreb

Opponent: Dinamo Zagreb; First leg: 1:1

For the first time, the Young Boys are taking part in the Champions League qualification as Swiss champions. But the playoff duel seems to be following the familiar pattern again. Thanks to an early goal by former GC player Izet Hajrovic, Dinamo led 1-0 for a long time in the second leg in front of their home crowd.

Meanwhile, YB, coached by new coach Gerardo Seoane, hardly poses any goal threat and also loses Miralem Sulejmani to injury in the 55th minute. There is little sign of a Bernese success until Roger Assalé, who came on for Sulejmani, wins a penalty that Guillaume Hoarau converts. Just two minutes later, Hoarau rises up after a corner and makes it 2-1, making Bernese happy. Qualification for the Champions League has finally been achieved, in which YB will face Manchester United, Juventus Turin and Valencia.

2019: Ineffective in Belgrade

Opponent: Red Star Belgrade; First leg: 2:2

In Belgrade, the away rule, which was abolished two years later, proved to be YB’s undoing. The 1:1 equaliser in the 82nd minute through an own goal by the Serbs was not enough after the 2:2 draw in the first leg. Bitter for the Bernese, who had clearly had more chances, especially in the first leg at home in Wankdorf. In the Serbian capital, the attacking trio of Roger Assalé, Jean-Pierre Nsame and Moumi Ngamaleu found no way to beat the Canadian national goalkeeper Milan Borjan.

2021: Courageous in Budapest

Opponent: Ferencvaros; First leg: 3:2

For the second time since 2010, YB goes into the playoff second leg with a 3:2 lead. In Budapest, it’s a back and forth game against Ferencvaros. The Hungarians quickly find an answer to the early lead by Cédric Zesiger and turn the game around by the 27th minute. In the second half, it’s Christian Fassnacht who scores the 2:2 and puts YB on track.

Shortly afterwards, the home team was playing with a man down after a yellow-red card and could not get back into the game despite a saved penalty. Felix Mambimbi scored in injury time to make it 3-2 and YB celebrated their second entry into the group stage of the Champions League. There, the Bernese, coached by David Wagner, will face Manchester United again as well as Villarreal and Atalanta Bergamo.

2023: Happy in Bern

Opponent: Maccabi Haifa; First leg: 0:0

After six return matches on foreign soil, the decision in the 2023 playoff will be made for the first time in the Wankdorf. The starting position against Maccabi Haifa is good with the goalless draw from the first leg, and this time YB can also count on the necessary luck with coach Raphael Wicky.

With a double strike within five minutes, Berne took a 2-0 lead, while the Israelis failed twice to hit the goal post. The same story in the second half: YB increased their lead to 3-0, Haifa hit the post a third time. Thanks to the necessary efficiency, Berne reached the Champions League for the third time and played against Manchester City, RB Leipzig and Red Star Belgrade.

Conclusion

Since 2010, the Young Boys have played seven duels for a place in the European premier class. They were successful three times and not four times. However, the trend is upwards. The Bernese have a lot of experience with return matches on foreign soil. After initial uncertainty, they recently appeared with the confidence of a serial champion. YB has been unbeaten at home and away in the Champions League playoffs since 2018. If that remains the case in Istanbul, the Bernese will advance to the group or league phase of the Champions League for the fourth time on Tuesday. (abu/sda)