Gallery (1st Leg - 3rd Qualification UCL 2010-2011)

(1st Leg - 3rd Qualification
UEFA Champions League 2010-2011)
27 Jul 2010
Omonia Nicosia 1 - 1 Salzburg
Lovech 1 - 1 Žilina
Dynamo Kyiv 3 - 0 Gent
Unirea Urziceni 0 - 0 Zenit St. Petersburg
Sparta Praha 1 - 0 Lech Poznan
The New Saints 1 - 3 Anderlecht

28 Jul 2010
Aktobe 1 - 0 Hapoel Tel Aviv
BATE 0 - 0 København
Sheriff 1 - 1 Dinamo Zagreb
Debreceni VSC 0 - 2 Basel
Young Boys 2 - 2 Fenerbahce
AIK 0 - 1 Rosenborg
Partizan 3 - 0 HJK
Ajax 1 - 1 PAOK
Sporting Braga 3 - 0 Celtic

LuaLua makes Salzburg pay the penalty

AC Omonia 1-1 FC Salzburg
Lomana LuaLua's added-time penalty earned the Cypriot champions a share of the spoils ahead of next week's return in Austria.

Wellington denies Žilina victory

PFC Litex Lovech 1-1 MŠK Žilina
The visitors were prevented from taking a lead into next Wednesday's return in Slovakia by Wellington's close-range finish.

Dynamo spoil Gent debut

FC Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 KAA Gent
Andriy Shevchenko was on target as the Ukrainian side got the better of Gent in their first match in the UEFA Champions League.

Zenit fail to breach depleted Unirea

FC Unirea Urziceni 0-0 FC Zenit St. Petersburg
The hosts hung on with ten men for 54 minutes to earn a valuable draw and clean sheet ahead of Wednesday's return in Russia.

Brabec gives Sparta the edge

AC Sparta Praha 1-0 KKS Lech Poznań
Erich Brabec scored the only goal late on as the Czech champions eked out a first-leg advantage against their Polish counterparts.

TNS tamed by Anderlecht

The New Saints FC 1-3 RSC Anderlecht
Goals from Sacha Kljestan, Jonathan Legear and Matías Suárez have left the Welsh champions with plenty of work to do in the second leg.

BATE and FCK draw a blank

FC BATE Borisov 0-0 FC København
The teams will meet in Denmark next Wednesday with everything to play for following a goalless opener in Belarus.

Ten-man Dinamo held by Sheriff

FC Sheriff 1-1 NK Dinamo Zagreb
The visitors raced out of the blocks but ended with ten men and an away draw ahead of next week's return in Croatia.

Basel do enough to down Debrecen

Debreceni VSC 0-2 FC Basel 1893
Teenage substitute Granit Xhaka struck a potentially decisive blow by doubling Basel's lead in added time.

Costanzo thwarts ten-man Fenerbahçe

BSC Young Boys 2-2 Fenerbahçe SK
Moreno Costanzo scored a late penalty for the hosts, preventing ten-man Fenerbahçe from taking a lead into next week's decider.

Smakov hits the spot for Aktobe

FK Aktobe 1-0 Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC
Captain Samat Smakov scored the winner for the Kazakh champions midway through the second half from the penalty spot.

Henriksen edges Rosenborg ahead of AIK

AIK 0-1 Rosenborg BK
The Norwegian visitors hold sway over their Scandinavian counterparts thanks to 18-year-old Markus Henriksen's first-half goal.

Partizan leave HJK on the brink

FK Partizan 3-0 HJK Helsinki
Goals from Ivica Iliev, Saša Ilić and Cléo have given HJK a mammoth task ahead of next week's return.

Braga bow leaves Celtic reeling

SC Braga 3-0 Celtic FC
The Scottish side have a mountain to climb after goals from Alan, Elderson and Matheus ensured a memorable debut for Braga.

PAOK give Dermitzakis a night to remember

AFC Ajax 1-1 PAOK FC
Pavlos Dermitzakis's first match in charge of PAOK ended in a draw thanks to Vladimir Ivić's second-half equaliser.

Gallery (2nd Leg - 2nd Qualification UEL 2010-2011)

(2nd Leg - 2nd Qualification UEFA Europa League 2010-2011)

Cliftonville hail 'greatest night'

Published: Friday 23 July 2010, 10.54CET

Cliftonville FC manager Eddie Patterson said his players had "done the club proud" after knocking out HNK Cibalia to set up a third qualifying round tie with Bulgaria's PFC CSKA Sofia.

Rabotnicki and Teteks hit heights

Published: Friday 23 July 2010, 11.08CET

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has two clubs – FK Rabotnicki and FK Teteks – in the third qualifying round for the first time, with Liverpool FC awaiting the former team.

Győr, Budućnost Podgorica awarded default wins

Published: Thursday 22 July 2010, 14.44CET

The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body has handed 3-0 default victories to Győri ETO FC and FK Budućnost Podgorica in their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first-leg ties.

Győri ETO FC and FK Budućnost Podgorica have been awarded default victories in their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first-leg ties after their opponents fielded ineligible players last week.

Győr's 2-0 away win against FK Atyrau and Budućnost Podgorica's 2-1 away defeat by FK Bakı on 15 July have both been converted into 3-0 victories because their respective opponents from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan fielded a player who was suspended.

The players concerned, Atyrau defender Gradimir Crnogorac and Bakı midfielder Joël Dieudonné Epallé, have now been handed two-match suspensions by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, which awarded the default wins today. Both players will serve the first match of their bans when the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round ties conclude later today.

Bakı have also been fined €3,000 for the improper conduct of their supporters during the first leg on 15 July. An appeal may be lodged against the decisions of the Control and Disciplinary Body within three days of each club being notified of the grounds for the decisions.

Győr's home second leg against Atyrau in Hungary kicks off at 20.30CET, with Budućnost Podgorica's return match against Bakı in Montenegro beginning at 21.00.

Sant Julià and MYPA fixture rearranged

Published: Friday 23 July 2010, 10.53CET

The UEFA Europa League second qualifying round second-leg tie between UE Sant Julià and Myllykosken Pallo-47 that was abandoned due to adverse weather will be replayed tonight.

UE Sant Julià and Myllykosken Pallo-47 will replay their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round second-leg tie tonight at 18.30CET after last night's match was abandoned because of adverse weather conditions.

The game will take place at the Estadi Comunal in Andorra la Vella with the Finnish side looking to defend a 3-0 lead from the first leg.

Rovers and Rabotnicki join the fast set

Published: Thursday 22 July 2010, 23.51CET

Shamrock Rovers FC, FK Rabotnicki and OFK Beograd earned dates with European footballing royalty as the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round concluded on Thursday night.

Gallery (2nd Leg - 2nd Qualification UCL 2010-2011)

(2nd Leg - 2nd Qualification

UEFA Europa League 2010-2011)

The UEFA Europa League returns for a second season in 2010/11

20 Jul 2010

Panagiotis Lemonis's side secured a comfortable aggregate victory ©Getty Images

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 18.15CET

Omonia prove too strong for Renova

FK Renova 0-2 AC Omonia (agg: 0-5)
Two goals inside 25 minutes in Skopje helped the Cypriot club progress to a meeting with FC Salzburg.

Huub Stevens' side are through despite losing the second leg ©Getty Images

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 19.45CET

Salzburg progress despite HB slip

HB Tórshavn 1-0 FC Salzburg (agg: 1-5)
Símun Samuelsen's winner sparked joy in the HB camp but it was Salzburg who advanced to meet AC Omonia.

Jymmy França went close for Sheriff, but they still progressed despite losing ©Boris Kharchenko

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 19.45CET

Sheriff hold off determined Dinamo

KS Dinamo Tirana 1-0 FC Sheriff (agg: 2-3)
Despite losing, the Moldovan champions edged through to the third qualifying round for the second season in a row.

Matthew Williams (right) is congratulated after scoring TNS' second goal of the night ©UEFA

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 21.45CET

Clinical TNS set up Anderlecht date

The New Saints FC 4-0 Bohemian FC (agg: 4-1)
The Welsh champions overturned a first-leg deficit to ease through and book a third qualifying round tie against RSC Anderlecht.

Wilfried Niflore opened the scoring for Lovech ©Getty Images

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 22.15CET

Impressive Lovech too hot for Rudar

FK Rudar Pljevlja 0-4 PFC Litex Lovech (agg: 0-5)
Substitute Florin-Daniel Bratu scored twice as the Bulgarian champions triumphed in Montenegro.

Captain Igor Bišćan was sent off but his Dinamo side still progressed ©Getty Images

Published: Tuesday 20 July 2010, 22.00CET

Koper come close but Dinamo cling on

FC Koper 3-0 NK Dinamo Zagreb (agg: 4-5)
The Slovenian titleholders fell just short of a remarkable comeback and their ten-man visitors now face FC Sheriff in the third qualifying round.

21 Jul 2010

Kenny Pavey's dead-ball delivery was always a threat in Luxembourg ©Getty Images

Published: Wednesday 21 July 2010, 18.45CET

AIK through after Luxembourg stalemate

AS La Jeunesse d'Esch 0-0 AIK (agg: 0-1)
The Swedish champions' place in the third qualifying round was never really in doubt even if they were forced to rely on Pontus Engblom's first-leg effort.

Antti Muurinen's HJK side left it late to beat Ekranas ©Jussi Eskola

Published: Wednesday 21 July 2010, 19.44CET

HJK end Ekranas hopes at the death

HJK Helsinki 2-0 FK Ekranas (aet, agg: 2-1)
An own goal from Andrius Šidlauskas in the penultimate minute of extra time completed a second-leg turnaround for the Finnish champions.

Murat Tleshev (left) struck Aktobe's last-gasp equaliser ©Alexander Ivanov

Published: Wednesday 21 July 2010, 17.45CET

Olimpi fail to punish profligate Aktobe

FC Olimpi Rustavi 1-1 FK Aktobe (agg: 1-3)
The Kazakh side were unable to convert a hatful of chances and even trailed for an hour in Georgia before Murat Tleshev finally sealed progress.

T. Henry Caming New York Red Bulls on Transfer 2010/2011

The 32-year-old, who has just moved from Barcelona to MLS side New York Red Bulls, ends his international career on a sour note having failed to make a single start in a disastrous World Cup campaign.

But the former Arsenal star was a key member of the squad that won both the 1998 World Cup and the European championships in 2000.

In an international career that spanned 13 years, he scored 51 times making him France's all-time record goalscorer.

Henry released a brief statement, saying: "This is the end for me on the national team."

Gallery (1st Leg - 2nd Qualification UCL 2010-2011)

1st Leg - 2nd Qualification
UEFA Champions League 2010-2011

13 July 2010

Birkirkara are stars against Žilina

As if Birkirkara FC were not in cheery enough mood after their third Maltese title last season, on Tuesday night they produced one of the finest European results the Mediterranean island has known.

Wichniarek gives Lech the edge

FC İnter Bakı 0-1 KKS Lech Poznań
The Polish champions are in the ascendency going into next week's return courtesy of a solitary goal from debutant Artur Wichniarek.

Rezes rescues Debrecen from defeat

FC Levadia Tallinn 1-1 Debreceni VSC
László Rezes denied the home team victory with an added-time strike after Tarmo Neemelo had headed the Estonian outfit in front.

Sparta's Bony Wilfried (left) stretches the Metalurgs defence ©Roman Koksharov

Sparta surge ahead of Metalurgs

SK Liepājas Metalurgs 0-3 AC Sparta Praha
The Czech champions took a sizable step towards the third qualifying round with a resounding first-leg win away to their Latvian counterparts.

Joseph Zerafa basks in the moment of victory ©Domenic Aquilina

Vukanac strike delights Birkirkara

Birkirkara FC 1-0 MŠK Žilina
Nikola Vukanac's first-minute goal gave the Maltese champions a slender but valuable advantage to take to Slovakia next week.

The Bloomfield Stadium in Tel-Aviv ©Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC

Lala hits hat-trick in Hapoel stroll

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC 5-0 FK Željezničar
All the goals, including a hat-trick from Maaran Lala, came in the first half as the Israeli champions overwhelmed their Bosnian visitors.

Mario Mandžukić found the net twice in Dinamo's home win ©Getty Images

Dinamo get off to flying start

NK Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 FC Koper
The Croatian champions have one foot in the third qualifying round after coming from behind to open their campaign with an emphatic victory.

Killian Brennan celebrates opening the scoring for Bohemians ©sportsfile

Brennan bucks up Bohemians

Bohemian FC 1-0 The New Saints FC
A 66th-minute header from Killian Brennan secured a first-leg win for Bohemians, who have fallen at this stage in their last three attempts.

Ivelin Popov's early goal earned Litex a slender lead ©Meridian Match

Rudar limit Litex to one-goal lead

PFC Litex Lovech 1-0 FK Rudar Pljevlja
The Bulgarian titleholders had only Ivelin Popov's early goal to show for a dominant display against opponents who ended with ten men.

Michalis Konstantinou scored twice for Omonia ©Getty Images

Omonia off to fine start

AC Omonia 3-0 FK Renova
The visitors were a goal behind and down to ten men within seven minutes as Omonia secured a comfortable first-leg victory in Nicosia.

Stéphane Piron vies for possession with AIK's Walid Atta ©Getty Images

AIK fashion slender advantage

AIK 1-0 AS La Jeunesse d'Esch
A 57th-minute goal from teenager Pontus Engblom was enough for the Swedish side to overcome their opponents from Luxembourg.

Roman Wallner was one of five different scorers for Salzburg ©Bongarts

Five-star Salzburg sweep HB aside

FC Salzburg 5-0 HB Tórshavn
Huub Stevens's team overwhelmed their Faroese visitors, making next week's return all but a formality for the Austrian champions.


14 July 2010

David Jeffrey's Linfield team will travel to Norway with the tie all square ©sportsfile

Linfield and Rosenborg draw blank

Linfield FC 0-0 Rosenborg BK
Chances were at a premium as the Northern Irish side and the Norwegian league leaders played out a goalless draw in Belfast.

Cléo (right) scored Partizan's third ©AFP

Profligate Partizan survive Pyunik test

FK Partizan 3-1 FC Pyunik
Well-taken goals from Nemanja Tomić, Almani Moreira and Cléo earned the Serbian titleholders a home win but they could regret a defensive lapse.

Ramūnas Radavičius celebrates in style after scoring the only goal of the game ©Artūras Gimžauskas/sportas.info

Vladimir Volkov of Sheriff (left) up against Dinamo Tirana's Papa Diop ©Boris Kharchenko

Dinamo succumb to Sheriff advances

FC Sheriff 3-1 KS Dinamo Tirana
José Nadson's second-half strike, two minutes after the visitors were reduced to ten men, helped the Moldovan side establish a two-goal lead.

Samat Smakov makes it 1-0 from the penalty spot ©Alexander Ivanov

Skipper guides Aktobe through choppy waters

FK Aktobe 2-0 FC Olimpi Rustavi
A goal either side of half-time from captain Samat Smakov ensures the Kazakh titleholders hold sway ahead of next week's return in Georgia.

BATE's Artsiom Kantsavy tries his luck against FH ©Pressball

Birthday boy brings BATE joy

FC BATE Borisov 5-1 FH Hafnarfjördur
Pavel Nekhaychik started the party early as he marked his last day as a 21-year-old with a hat-trick as BATE opened up a commanding first-leg lead.

1st Leg - 2nd Qualification
UEFA Champions League 2010-2011

Birkirkara are stars against Žilina

As if Birkirkara FC were not in cheery enough mood after their third Maltese title last season, on Tuesday night they produced one of the finest European results the Mediterranean island has known.

A week ago at the Centenary Stadium, Birkirkara booked a second qualifying round place with a 4-3 victory over Andorra's FC Santa Coloma to complete a 7-3 aggregate win. Now they have given themselves every chance of becoming the first Maltese side to advance through more than one two-legged tie in the same competition after beating Slovakian champions MŠK Žilina 1-0 at the same venue. Nikola Vukanac's first-minute goal proved decisive and the defender believes success in next Wednesday's return game is possible.

"You have to believe in what you want to achieve," he told UEFA.com. "Believing is my philosophy. That is why I believe we can make it in the return match in Zilina. MSK Žilina are a more famous club than we are, but if we concentrate as we did last night I do not see why we cannot progress to the next round of this massive UEFA Champions League competition. Anything can happen in football."

Coach Paul Zammit, who on his previous appearance in this competition two years ago saw his Valletta FC team narrowly defeated in both first qualifying round matches against another Slovakian side, FC Artmedia Petržalka, explained how the Stripes had achieved their triumph. "I knew the strength of our opponents," he said, "but my philosophy has always been that it is useless to keep repeating that we Maltese come from a small country – you just have to pull yourself together in the most professional manner and see what you can achieve. My team showed all this against Žilina. It was a show of discipline and a massive collective effort. For this I thank all my players and must say how proud I am having them around."

Zammit's men managed to win despite the absence of sick defender Thomas Paris, unavailable forward Rowen Muscat and fellow striker Trevor Cilia, who fractured a wrist against Santa Coloma. Turning his attentions to the second leg, Zammit added: "Everyone knows the uphill task we now face in Zilina. It will be tough, but the belief I have seen in my players makes me confident of another good showing in Slovakia."

13 July 2010

Inter Baku 0 - 1 Lech Poznan

Match statistics

İnter Bakı		Lech
0	Goals scored	1
4	Attempts on target	5
5	Attempts wide	5
3	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
19	Fouls committed	12
1	Corners	5

Liepājas Metalurgs 0 - 3 Sparta Praha

Match statistics

Liepājas Metalurgs		Sparta Praha
0	Goals scored	3
4	Attempts on target	8
8	Attempts wide	12
2	Yellow cards	0
0	Red cards	0
20	Fouls committed	12
3	Corners	8

Levadia 1 - 1 Debreceni VSC

Match statistics

Levadia		Debrecen
1	Goals scored	1
5	Attempts on target	6
7	Attempts wide	3
1	Yellow cards	3
0	Red cards	0
14	Fouls committed	15
1	Corners	4

Salzburg 5 - 0 HB

Match statistics

Salzburg		HB
5	Goals scored	0
11	Attempts on target	2
15	Attempts wide	1
1	Yellow cards	0
0	Red cards	0
11	Fouls committed	6
9	Corners	0

Birkirkara 1 - 0 Žilina

Birkirkara		Žilina
1	Goals scored	0
3	Attempts on target	14
1	Attempts wide	12
5	Yellow cards	4
0	Red cards	0
8	Fouls committed	19
0	Corners	3

Omonia Nicosia 3 - 0 Renova

Match statistics

Omonia		Renova
3	Goals scored	0
10	Attempts on target	1
8	Attempts wide	1
1	Yellow cards	4
0	Red cards	1
14	Fouls committed	9
16	Corners	1

AIK 1 - 0 Jeunesse d'Esch

Match statistics

AIK		Jeunesse Esch
1	Goals scored	0
3	Attempts on target	0
4	Attempts wide	1
0	Yellow cards	1
0	Red cards	0
19	Fouls committed	10
4	Corners	3

Lovech 1 - 0 Rudar

Match statistics

Litex		Rudar
1	Goals scored	0
11	Attempts on target	2
8	Attempts wide	2
0	Yellow cards	5
0	Red cards	1
10	Fouls committed	22
4	Corners	5

Hapoel Tel Aviv 5 - 0 Željeznicar

Match statistics

H. Tel-Aviv		Željezničar
5	Goals scored	0
11	Attempts on target	1
7	Attempts wide	0
0	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
8	Fouls committed	11
10	Corners	2

Dinamo Zagreb 5 - 1 Koper

Match statistics

Dinamo Zagreb		Koper
5	Goals scored	1
10	Attempts on target	5
11	Attempts wide	3
4	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
13	Fouls committed	16
6	Corners	2

Bohemians 1 - 0 The New Saints

Match statistics

Bohemians		TNS
1	Goals scored	0
5	Attempts on target	0
8	Attempts wide	6
2	Yellow cards	1
0	Red cards	0
6	Fouls committed	8
6	Corners	1

Ramūnas Radavičius celebrates in style after scoring the only goal of the game ©Artūras Gimžauskas/sportas.info

Ekranas edge ahead of HJK

FK Ekranas 1-0 HJK Helsinki
Ramūnas Radavičius scored the only goal at a sodden Aukštaitija Stadium as the hosts earned a slender lead ahead of next week's return.

14 July 2010

Aktobe 2 - 0 Olimpi Rustavi

Match statistics

Aktobe		Olimpi Rustavi
2	Goals scored	0
4	Attempts on target	5
6	Attempts wide	3
0	Yellow cards	0
0	Red cards	0
17	Fouls committed	14
2	Corners	2

BATE 5 - 1 FH

Match statistics

BATE		FH
5	Goals scored	1
10	Attempts on target	4
5	Attempts wide	5
3	Yellow cards	1
0	Red cards	0
7	Fouls committed	17
6	Corners	2

Ekranas 1 - 0 HJK

Match statistics

Ekranas		HJK
1	Goals scored	0
4	Attempts on target	10
8	Attempts wide	9
5	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
15	Fouls committed	13
3	Corners	3

Sheriff 3 - 1 Dinamo Tirana

Match statistics

Sheriff		Dinamo Tirana
3	Goals scored	1
8	Attempts on target	3
8	Attempts wide	1
2	Yellow cards	3
0	Red cards	1
14	Fouls committed	18
11	Corners	5

Partizan 3 - 1 Pyunik

Match statistics

Partizan		Pyunik
3	Goals scored	1
5	Attempts on target	3
7	Attempts wide	4
1	Yellow cards	1
0	Red cards	0
11	Fouls committed	17
5	Corners	3

Linfield 0 - 0 Rosenborg

Match statistics

Linfield		Rosenborg
0	Goals scored	0
0	Attempts on target	5
3	Attempts wide	3
1	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
7	Fouls committed	16
6	Corners	5