time European champion Ajax reached the Champions League playoff round on away goals after being held 3-3 at PAOK Thessaloniki Wednesday, while Celtic was eliminated by FC Braga despite winning its second leg. Held 1-1 in Amsterdam last week, Ajax scored three times in seven minutes at the start of the second half but conceded a late equalizer in Greece. “This was a very tough night, in a very tough atmosphere,” Ajax coach Martin Jol said. “We lost control of the game at various stages, but we got the three goals and PAOK had to chase for a goal and give us space – that was fortunate for us.” Celtic, which trailed 3-0 to Braga after the first leg, fell behind and went out despite scoring two second-half goals to win the second leg 2-1 in the third round of qualifying. Zenit St. Petersburg joined Braga in Friday's draw for the playoff after the 2008 UEFA Cup winners beat Unirea Urziceni 1-0. FC Copenhagen also advanced by beating BATE 3-2 after another scoreless first leg, while the same aggregate result took Young Boys through after winning 1-0 at Fenerbahce on Wednesday. Dynamo Kiev advanced with a 6-1 aggregate victory over Ghent, Zilina ousted Litex Lovech 4-2, Basel beat Debrecen 5-1 over the two legs, Sparta Prague produced another 1-0 win over Lech Poznan, and Rosenborg beat AIK 3-0 after winning 1-0 last week. In Greece, Ajax fell behind in the 16th minute when Adelino Vieirinha netted with a glancing header from Olivier Sorlin's free kick. But Luis Suarez exploited PAOK's defensive collapse early in the second half. Uruguay's World Cup star leveled in the 48th, chesting down the ball and shaking three defenders to beat PAOK goalkeeper Dario Kresic. Two minutes later, Suarez set up Siem de Jong to make it 2-1. Rasmus Lindgren added the third with a free kick in the 55th, but Dimitris Salpigidis reduced PAOK's deficit a minute later. Vladimir Ivic missed a penalty kick in the 77th, but made it 3-3 in stoppage time. In Glasgow, Celtic was left needing to score five goals to advance after slack defending from new defender Cha Du-ri allowed Paulo Cesar to gave Braga a 4-0 aggregate lead in the 20th. Gary Hooper, who was making his Celtic debut, and Efrain Juarez both scored for the 1967 European champions in the second half, but they will have to settle with a spot in the Europa League playoff round.
