Slovan secured their place in the next stage with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Slovenian side Celje after extra time on Wednesday night. The result gave the Slovak champions a 3-2 aggregate win in the play-off tie.
The achievement makes Touré the first African coach to guide a team into the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, marking a significant milestone in his relatively new managerial career.
Slovan had to withstand a tense contest before eventually getting the decisive result in extra time. Their aggregate victory means they will be among the 36 clubs involved in Thursday’s Champions League league-phase draw.
Touré took charge of Slovan Bratislava in July, signing a three-year contract in what represents his first senior managerial appointment. The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder has quickly made an impact, achieving a major European milestone only months into his coaching career.
His achievement also adds another chapter to the history of African coaches in the Champions League.
In 2020, Nigeria’s Ndubuisi Egbo became the first African coach to manage a club in the Champions League when he took charge of Albanian side KF Tirana. Egbo guided Tirana through the early qualifying rounds, but the club ultimately failed to reach the competition’s league phase.
Touré has now gone a step further, becoming the first African coach to successfully lead a team through the qualifying rounds and into the main phase of Europe’s premier club competition.
The milestone represents an impressive early achievement for the Ivorian, whose transition from an illustrious playing career to management is already beginning to attract attention on the European stage.