Rostov hammers Ajax to reach Champions League group stage for 1st time

FC Rostov's meteoric rise knows no bounds.

On Wednesday, in the second leg of the tie between Rostov and Ajax in the Champions League's play-offs, the Russian club defeated the Dutch side 4-1 to claim a 5-2 victory on aggregate and advance to the tournament's group stage for the first time in its 86-year history.

For an idea of where Rostov's accomplishment ranks, consider that the club narrowly escaped relegation last year but qualified for the Champions League the following season by finishing second in the Russian Premier League. If that sounds like an emulation of Leicester City, that's because the two sides share a similar story.

But, unlike Leicester, Rostov's accomplishment came against a backdrop of financial strife.

Rostov is owned by the government of Rostov Oblast, a regional government, meaning the club is suffering from Russia's recession as well as the conflict in Ukraine. As The Associated Press explained in April, its employees threatened to strike last year but the side continued to operate under sponsorship income generated by Ivan Savvidi, a tobacco tycoon.

"No one has set any targets at all for the team," Kurban Berdyev, Rostov's manager, said earlier this year. "We go from game to game. Knowing our financial problems, how could you set any serious targets?"

The future is suddenly looking bright, however. Not only is Rostov earning a new stadium by virtue of Russia hosting the 2018 World Cup, but qualification for the Champions League's group stage provides another source of income, even if the club is the lowest-ranked team in Friday's group-stage draw.