Football: Sparta into final qualification round for Champions League

Sparta Prague have reached the final qualification round for football’s lucrative Champions League. The Czech title-holders beat the Polish side Lech Poznan 1:0 away in the second leg on Wednesday, giving them a 2:0 win on aggregate. Marek Matejovsky and Libor Sionko were sent off during that game, meaning they will miss the next round, as will Bony Wilfried, who picked up a second yellow card. If Sparta fail to make it to the Champions League, they will automatically enter the continent’s second-tier international club competition, the Europa League.