HJK Helsinki swept to a 10-0 win over Bangor City of Wales to complete a record 13-0 aggregate victory in the Champions League era on Tuesday, while former European Cup runners-up Malmo advanced after scraping a last-gasp draw at HB Torshavn.
Slovan Bratislava and Dinamo Zagreb, who have both won European titles in the past, joined HJK in the third qualifying round of the competition following Tuesday’s second-round, second-leg ties along with former European Cup runners-up Partizan Belgrade.
The second qualifying round featured 34 teams, all champions of their respective countries.
Photo: Reuters
HJK, the only Finnish club to have played in the Champions League proper, will face Croatian champions Zagreb in the third qualifying round after completing their huge aggregate win with a demolition of the Welsh Premier League champions.
The aggregate success, albeit in a qualifying round tie, was the -biggest at any stage of the -competition since it was reconfigured in 1992-1993 and the first 10-0 win in one match in Europe’s elite competition since Ajax beat Omonia Nicosia in 1979-1980 in the old European Cup.
HJK were only 2-0 ahead at halftime after goals from Alexander Ring and Berat Sadik, who scored twice in eight minutes before the break, but after the interval, the Finns ran riot with Teemu Pukki, Erfan Zeneli, and Kastriot Kastrati notching two apiece, while Rafinha and Jarno Parikka also scored.
Photo: Reuters
Pukki scored his brace in a four-minute spell with Kastrati’s first effort sandwiched in between.
Dinamo Zagreb, winners of the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1967 and hoping to return to the Champions League for the first time in 12 seasons, drew 0-0 away to Azerbaijan’s Neftci Baku for a 3-0 aggregate win.
Slovenia’s Maribor, who like Dinamo last played in the Champions League in the 1999-2000 season, beat nine-man Dudelange of Luxembourg 3-1 to complete a 5-1 aggregate win.
Dejan Mezga scored twice and Robert Beric once for the Slovenians, while Daniel Da Mota, later sent off, replied for the Luxembourg team, who also had Jean-Philippe Caillet dismissed.
Malmo, runners-up to Nottingham Forest in 1979, took a 2-0 lead over Torshavn, but suffered a nerve-racking final 20 minutes after they fell behind to a Frodi Benjaminsen goal.
Brazilian Wilton Figueiredo leveled for the Swedes in stoppage-time to give them a 1-1 draw.
Slovan Bratislava, winners of the old Cup Winners Cup in 1969, qualified with a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan against Tobol Kostanay after the Slovaks won 2-0 at home last week.
Shamrock Rovers progressed with a goalless draw at Flora Tallinn, winning 1-0 on aggregate, to leave them four matches from becoming the first Irish team to reach the group stage, but they face a difficult task against FC Copenhagen, who last season became the first Danish team to reach the last 16, in the next round.
Vladimir Jovancic scored the only goal for Partizan Belgrade as they won 1-0 at Macedonia’s -Shkendija for a 5-0 aggregate win.
The Serbs, beaten by Real Madrid in the 1966 final, are attempting to qualify for the second successive season.
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