French club Olympique Lyon on Wednesday advanced to the lucrative group stage of the Champions League after holding Rubin Kazan to a 1-1 draw in Russia in their return leg play-off match.
Bibras Natcho scored for the home side, while Bakary Kone found the equalizer for Lyon, who advanced 4-2 on aggregate, dpa reported.
Surprisingly Kazan, who needed to score at least two goals, sat back throughout most of the first half and did not push forward.
The game only game to life after the hour, when both sides were more probing in their attacks.
Lyon, who are one of only four clubs that have progressed out of the group phase every season since 2000/2001, created more chances and should have gone ahead in the 58th minute when Bafetimbi Gomis went around goalkeeper Sergey Ryzhikov.
Defender Vitali Kaleshin, however, managed to block the shot just before it crossed the line.
Michel Bastos had another chance shortly afterwards.
Igor Lebedenko put a header against the bar in the 68th minute for Kazan, shortly before his coach Kurban Berdyev brought on two attacking players in Obafemi Martins and Aleksei Medvedev.
The two nearly combined for the opening goal a few minutes after coming on when Martins chested the ball to Medvedev, whose shot forced goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to make a fantastic save.
The French international however was unable to stop Natcho's shot in the 77th minute after the Israeli international had been set up by Martins.
Any hope Rubin had of making it to the group phase was in effect killed off three minutes from the end though, when Kone scored with a header from a corner.
Four further play-off matches will be played later Wednesday.
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