How did all the opening matches of the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League turn out?

Some league competitions in the individual countries of football Europe have not yet started, but the international club scene is already in full swing. The qualifying stages of all three European Cups, specifically the 3rd preliminary round, are in full swing. What is the situation after the opening clashes of the double-header in the fight to qualify for the last part of the journey to the most prestigious competition, the Champions League?

Pilsen, who left last week’s duel with HJK Helsinki as the clear winner, played on Tuesday at the field of Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol. They made a promising start towards the 4th preliminary round, with goals from Tomas Chorý and Pavel Bucha after Akanbi’s penalty. How is the situation in the other double matches so far?

Lisbon scored the most goals on Tuesday

There was only one draw on Tuesday night. Monaco hosted PSV and even though the statistics show that the Ligue 1 side was the more active team, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Veerman sent the Dutch into the lead in the 38th minute and Disasi equalised in the 80th.

The winner of this match will face the better of the Belgian champion Union Saint-Gilloise and Scottish Rangers in the next round. In the opening match, the former won 2:0 after goals by Teuma and Vanzeiro, so the Europa League finalists will have a tough rematch at home.

The match in Razgrad, Bulgaria, was a busy start. Ludogorets scored against Dinamo Zagreb in the 6th minute when Peric scored. Three minutes later, the home goalkeeper Padt unluckily knocked a cross into his own net. Tekpetey reduced the score to 1:2 in the 22nd minute, but the score did not change in the following minutes.

Benfica’s first clash with Midtjylland offered the most goals on Tuesday. After an hour of play, the Portuguese team led 4: 0 thanks to a hat-trick by Gonçalo Ramos and one goal by Enzo Fernandez. The Danish team could only muster one goal, in the 78th minute Pione Sisto eased the defeat.

In a battle of potential rivals, Plzeň drew

The most interesting match of Wednesday’s Champions League third preliminary round programme was the duel between Karabakh and Ferencváros from the point of view of Pilsen and, by extension, the whole of Czech football.

It is one of the two teams that Viktoria would face in the final stage of the millionaire’s qualification if successful. Baku saw a 1-1 draw after a goal by the visiting Boli and an equaliser by the home side’s Owusu, which did not point much towards a rematch.

The next two matches were much brighter. Norway’s Bodø/Glimt defeated Lithuania’s Zalgiris Vilnius 5: 0. Pellegrino, Salvesen, Hoibraaten and Espejord followed up Vetlesen’s 33rd minute penalty kick with goals in the second half.

The match was also played at the Maccabi Haifa stadium. The Israelis were helped by an own goal in the 38th minute by Apollon Limassol defender Peybernes. Other important moments came around the hour mark. In the 51st minute, Cypriot player Vukashin Jovanovic received a yellow card, and three minutes later, the home team’s Ali Mohamed scored.

Moments later, both players were again the centre of attention. The 60th minute brought a second yellow for Jovanovic and the 62nd a second goal for Mohamed. Pierrot increased the score to 4:0 a quarter of an hour later.

A much quieter match saw the stadium in the Polish city of Lodz, which serves as Dynamo Kiev’s asylum. The Ukrainian side will take a 1:0 lead into their rematch against Austrian side Sturm Graz thanks to Oleksandr Karavaev’s goal in the 28th minute.

The last match was the opening game of the double-header between CZ Belgrade and Armenia’s Pyunik Yerevan. In the Serbian capital it was 3: 0 at half-time after two goals by Bukari and a goal by Kangwa. Moreover, in the 70th minute Ghanaian Bukari completed his hat-trick and seven minutes later 19-year-old Stefan Mitrovic adjusted the score to the final 5: 0. The blemish on Belgrade’s performance, however, was the two yellow cards of Milan Rodić at the end of the match.

All ten matches of the Champions League third round will take place next Tuesday, with the match in Plzeň scheduled for 19:00. After this week’s draw, we already know one pairing for the final part of the Champions League, Copenhagen and Trabzonspor.

Source: UEFA