When Lille lost its opening Champions League match in September, only a few bold gamblers would have bet on the Ligue 1 side to qualify for the last 16 of European club soccer’s elite tournament.

Feyenoord finished 19th with 13 points, and they will face either Milan or PSV in the play-offs later this month

Dozens of Feyenoord fans banned from travelling to Lille for the final Champions League group game between the two clubs have been turned away or arrested at the border, according to French authorities.

But the northern France side defied all the odds and concluded the league phase campaign of the competition with a 6-1 thrashing of Feyenoord on Wednesday. It was the first time Lille scored more than three goals in the Champions League.