Lisbon “Benfica” futbolisti | Photo: K. Pempel/Reuters
The victory was won by the Portuguese club in the first match of the UEFA Champions League “play off” round on Wednesday Lisabonas “Benfica”, who beat Dynamo Kyiv from Ukraine 2-0 (2-0) in the visiting Polish city of Lodz, getting closer to entering the main tournament. Both goals were scored by “Benfica” already in the first half, when Gilbert and Gonzalo Ramos scored accurate shots. The return match will be played in Lisbon on August 23.
In another first game of the play off round Haifas “Maccabi” from Israel beat Belgrade “Crvena Zvezda” from Serbia 3:2 (1:2) at home. Frantzdy Piero scored two goals for the winners, while Tiaron Sherry scored once. Aleksandar Pešičš and Gelor Kanga stood out for the guests with accurate shots.
In another “play off” match “Karabagh” from Azerbaijan drew 0:0 with Poland at home Mushroom “Victoria”. The second leg of these matches will also take place on August 23.
It has already been reported that on Tuesday the Norwegian champion team “Bodo/Glimt” got closer to the main tournament of the UEFA Champions League, which defeated the Croatian “Dinamo” Zagreb football players 1:0 (1:0) in the first game of the decisive “play off” round.
The Danish champion team “Copenhagen” was also successful in the first game of the “play off” round, which defeated the Turkish “Trabzonspor” 2:1 (1:0) at home. Meanwhile, last season’s UEFA Europa League finalists Glasgow Rangers and PSV Eindhoven from the Netherlands played in the first leg of the tie-breaking qualifiers. The match in Glasgow ended with the result 2:2 (1:1).
In the 37th minute of the match, Ivorian midfielder Ibrahim Sangare put the Dutch vice-champions in the lead, but three minutes later, after a beautiful combination, Croatian Antonio Colak made it 1:1. In the 70th minute of the game, after a rough mistake by the visiting goalkeeper Rafael Benitez, the home team took the lead with 2:1 – a direct free kick was performed by Tom Lawrence. However, the visitors were able to equalize when, in the 78th minute of the match, the defender Armando Obispo hit the ball with his head after a corner kick.
The participants of the group tournament in these pairs will be determined on August 24, when the return matches will be played.
