Yaya Touré makes history as first African manager in UCL league phase

Vanguard News | 27-08-2026 11:16am |

Yaya Touré, former Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder, has become the first African manager to lead a club into the UEFA Champions League group stage. His Slovakian side, Slovan Bratislava, defeated Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of their qualifying tie, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory. Cristian Martínez scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute, after Andraž Šporar had opened the scoring and Celje equalized through a penalty. Touré's achievement surpasses that of Nigerian coach Ndubuisi Egbo, who reached the qualifying rounds but not the group stage.

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