Lithuania’s FBK Kaunas will play last season’s UEFA Cup runners-up Rangers in the Champions League second qualifying round after beating Santa Coloma of Andorra on Tuesday.
Kaunas, who named Portuguese Jose Couceiro as coach last week, triumphed 7-2 on aggregate after winning 3-1 at home in the first qualifying round, second-leg tie having romped to a 4-1 victory in last week’s first game.
Baltic rivals Ventspils of Latvia are also through after overhauling a 1-0 first leg deficit to beat Welsh champions Llanelli 4-1 on aggregate.
Forward Vits Rimkus scored twice in a 4-0 home win to seal a trip to Norway’s Brann Bergen next week when the first legs take place in the already-drawn second qualifying round.
Moldovans Sheriff were also big winners at home, overpowering Kazakhstan champions Aktobe 4-0 to secure a 4-1 aggregate victory and a meeting with second qualifying round entrants Sparta Prague.
Azerbaijan’s FC Baku drew 1-1 at Macedonian side Rabotnicki to progress on away goals following last week’s goalless draw and will now play Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade.
Dinamo Tbilisi suffered a 1-0 defeat to Runavik in the Faroe Islands but the Georgians progressed 3-1 overall and travel to Greece’s Panathinaikos next week.
The remaining nine first qualifying round second legs took place yesterday.
Past Champions League winners FC Barcelona, Juventus and Liverpool find out next week who they must beat in a qualifying round to reach this year’s group stage.
UEFA will hold an Aug. 1 draw for the third and final qualifying round that will decide which 16 teams join the 16 elite clubs already entered into the lucrative competition.
Five-time champions Liverpool and 2006 finalists Arsenal join the draw knowing that each of the four English clubs in the group stage last season earned at least 16 million euros (US$25 million) in appearance money and a share of television rights deals. Additional prize money is given for winning and drawing matches.
Juventus return to the competition after a two-year absence because of a bribery scandal and are also hoping for a share of the millions at stake.
Losers in the third qualifying round are entered into the UEFA Cup, where last season’s winners Zenit St Petersburg earned less than 5 million euros.
The draw is held before the second qualifying round finishes on Aug. 6.
The third qualifying round is played Aug. 12 and Aug. 27.
The draw for the UEFA Cup second qualifying round also takes place at Nyon, Switzerland, on Aug. 1.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
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