Slovakian champions M_K Zilina reached the UEFA Champions League group-stage for the  first time, beating Sparta Prague 1-0 thanks to a spectacular  bicycle kick from Gambian Momodou Ceesay to complete a 3-0  aggregate win on Thursday.

Ceesay had scored in _ilina's 2-0 win in Prague last week and he struck early in the decider to ensure his side became the third from Slovakia to reach the group stage, emulating MFK Ko_ice in 1997/98 and Artmedia Petr_alka eight years later. They were now looking forward to discovering their opposition on Thursday, while Sparta will again compete in the UEFA Europa League.

Sparta made five changes from the first leg, two of which were enforced as Erich Brabec and Tomá_ _epka had joined Marek Mat_jovsk_ on the banned list, while Libor Sionko and top scorer Wilfried Bony were back from suspension and defender Ji_í Kladrubsk_ started despite two broken fingers. The visitors were put under pressure from the start, however, and despite Sionko enjoying the first real chance – which he shot just wide on 17 minutes – _ilina went straight up the other end and scored. It was a spectacular finish: Emil Rilke's cross from the right was teed up by Ceesay on the edge of the box and he produced a superb bicycle kick to score in his third straight UEFA Champions League game.

The Gambian striker was then only denied by a saving tackle a couple of minutes later, before Bony had an effort blocked in the _ilina box. The Slovakian champions were soon threatening again, though, Tomá_ Oravec coming close to adding another but firing over. Sparta were handed a lifeline on 53 minutes when Mário Pe_alka brought down Bony in the box, but Kladrubsk_'s penalty was turned around the post at full stretch by Martin Dúbravka.

Ceesay and Tomá_ Majtán nearly registered as _ilina soon returned to the offensive, while Bony broke through only to drag his shot wide. He and his Sparta colleagues never let their heads drop, however their three-goal deficit always looked beyond them.