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.

The new 36-team Champions League format threw up some surprises and you might not have expected these teams to have qualified for the knockouts in years gone by.

Lille gatecrashed the top eight of the Champions League standings and booked an unexpected place in the last 16 when they hammered hapless Feyenoord 6-1 at home on Wednesday on the last night of the group competition.