Red Star Belgrade, Rangers and Slavia Prague on Tuesday were eliminated in the Champions League third qualifying round in surprise exits for teams who won their domestic titles unbeaten last season.
Red Star lost 1-0 in Moldova against Sheriff Tiraspol to go out 2-1 on aggregate. The 1991 European champions missed the chance to face Dinamo Zagreb in the playoff round.
Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb edged Legia Warsaw 2-1 on aggregate after a 20th-minute goal from leftback Bartol Franjic gave them a 1-0 win on the night in Poland and booked the clash with Sheriff.
Photo: EPA-EFE
RB Salzburg, who advanced on Sunday, are to lock horns with Danes Brondby in the other playoff round tie.
Rangers lost 2-1 at home to Malmo after losing the first leg by the same score in Sweden last week.
With the away-goal rule no longer in effect, Rangers were level on aggregate after Alfredo Morelos struck in the 19th minute only for Antonio Colak to swing the tie Malmo’s way with a pair of clinical goals.
Photo: Reuters
Slavia’s 1-0 win at home against Ferencvaros failed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg.
US forward Jordan Siebatcheu scored twice in the first half to rally BSC Young Boys to a 3-1 win, and 4-2 on aggregate, after conceding early against CFR 1907 Cluj.
Former European champions SL Benfica and PSV Eindhoven are to meet in the playoffs in a rematch of the 1988 final after they advanced 4-0 on aggregate against Spartak Moscow and Midtjylland respectively.
Photo: AP
Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad beat Olympiakos Piraeus in a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 3-3 on aggregate.
Ludogorets benefited from the abolition of the away-goals rule this season, which would previously have sent Olympiakos through after the 2-2 second-leg draw.
Mathieu Valbuena and Ahmed Hassan missed the Greek side’s spot-kicks in the shoot-out and Ludogorets took advantage, netting all four of their efforts.
Shakhtar Donetsk won 2-1 in each leg against KRC Genk to earn a playoff against AS Monaco, the 2004 Champions League beaten finalist.
Monaco coasted past Sparta Prague 3-1 at home and 5-1 on aggregate.
Gelson Martins and Aleksandr Golovin gave Monaco a comfortable lead by the hour mark.
David Moberg-Karlsson closed the gap for the visitors with less than a quarter of an hour remaining before Sofiane Diop put Monaco within 180 minutes of the Champions League group stages.
Monaco face Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday next week before the second leg a week later.
“We’ve passed the first test,” Monaco manager Niko Kovac said. “It wasn’t as easy as that. They [Shakhtar] will be a formidable opponent, used to the Champions League, the favorites for our match.”
The 32-team group-stage draw is to be made in Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 26.
Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters
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