30/08/17: A Memorable Champions League Adventure - almost through to the Group Stage!

Since Malta's coefficients had dropped over the previous season, this year saw me enter the Champions League at the First Qualifying Phase, pitting me against Luxembourg's champions Jeunesse d'Esch-Altezze. Confident that this might be our first ever victory against international opposition, I fielded a defensive formation in the away leg, keeping the score 0-0. The return leg was the first ever game in the new stadium. And what a befitting way to open the venue, for the Knights overcame all my initial expectations by completing a 6-0 rout over their opponents.

However, I did not expect continued success, being drawn against Croatia's Dinamo in the Second Qualifying Phase. In the first leg, which was played at the Mdina Knights Stadium, we managed an incredible 2-1 victory, albeit Dinamo had 2 men sent off in the 57th minute, whilst leading 0-1. 

Thus, reasoning that I had won due to numerical advantage, I didn't hold much hope away from home, especially since they had an invaluable away goal. However, as fate would have it, not only did I manage not to succumb to a thrashing, but managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw after extra time, finishing the match with 8 men!

This was already an incredible achievement, and all the further I progressed meant more and more windfall when I was finally eliminated. The Third Qualifying Phase pitted the Knights against the Georgians Dinamo Tbilisi, another though match to endure.


After winning the first leg 2-1 in Tbilisi, I started to doubt whether this was all down to luck, or whether my team was really at such a high standard. Such a precious lead, with 2 away goals was then followed by another 2-1 victory at the Mdina Knights Stadium, meaning I had progressed to the Playoff, where the victor would eventually play in the Champions League Group stages.

Although I was so close to playing in the Group Stages, I certainly did not expect to progress against such formidable opposition as Austria Wien, and although we put up a tremendous fight, we could do nothing to stop them from progressing, losing 2-1 away from home, and then 0-1 at home.

This is certainly unbelievable progress, and has certainly shown me that my goal of winning the Champions League is certainly possible, and maybe not so far along in the future as I had previously anticipated.


Moreover, financially, it was even more rewarding; winning a total of £2,000,000 in prize money and almost £1,000,000 in gate receipts and match-day income. Hopefully this will be a huge catalyst in the increase of both Mdina Knights' and the Maltese Premier League's reputations, and enable us to buy ever better players.

Update - I did not notice before, but progressing so far has landed me in the Europa League Group stages! More prize money and more gate receipts :D