Robbie Keane is one round away from leading Hungarian champions Ferencvaros back to the Champions League group/league phase for the first time since 2020.
Keane's side dispatched Ludogorets 3-0 in last night's second leg in Budapest, a brace of goals from Barnabas Varga and a late strike from defender Gabor Szalai sending them through 3-0 on aggregate.
Republic of Ireland international Callum O'Dowda, signed by Keane in the off-season, played the full 90 minutes on the left side of midfield.
They now face off against Shelbourne's conquerors Qarabag in next week's play-off round, with the winners progressing to the league phase of the Champions League.
It is the first time the Hungarian champions have progressed as far as the play-off round since the 2021-22 campaign, when they were beaten by Swiss outfit Young Boys.
Their last appearance in the Champions League group phase was in the 2020-21 season, when they finished bottom of their group, having amassed just one point.
Keane took over as Ferencvaros manager in the first week of January 2025, with the club second in the Hungarian championship. He subsequently guided the Budapest club to a seventh successive Hungarian title.
It was a second successive league title for Keane as a manager, the Dubliner having led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli title in 2023-24 during a short but controversial stint with the club.
