LONDON: Long-time rivals Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb both lost in the third round of Champions League qualifying on Wednesday.

Red Star’s loss in a penalty shootout to Omonoia Nicosia, after a 1-1 draw in Cyprus, ended the 1991 European Cup winners’ bid to advance through all four qualifying rounds into the group stage for a third straight year.

Omonoia won the shootout 4-2 after Australia defender Milos Degenek and Italian forward Diego Falcinelli failed from the spot for Red Star.

Dinamo, who also played in the group stage last season, were eliminated 2-1 by Ferencvaros in Budapest.

Hungarian champions Feren­cvaros progressed to the playoff round for the first time after winger Myrto Uzuni went from villain to hero.

Uzuni scored a 23rd-minute own goal which hauled Dinamo level after captain Gergo Lovrencsics had given the home side an early lead and he netted a 65th-minute winner.

Omonoia reached the playoff round for the first time after Brazilian goalkeeper Fabiano saved two penalties in the shootout to stun the Serbian champions.

Defender Michael Luftner gave Omonoia a 31st-minute lead after visiting keeper Milan Borjan spilled a Jordi Gomez corner on to the post and the rebound bounced off the centre back’s shoulder into the net.

Midfielder Mirko Ivanic levelled on the stroke of halftime with a thumping header from seven metres after an inch-perfect cross from El Fardou Ben Nabouhane.

Fabiano twice denied Aleksandar Katai in the second half while Borjan kept out an Eric Bautheac volley at the other end before the tempo dropped in searing heat.

New signing Falcinelli, loaned to Red Star by Serie A side Bologna, and Degenek were guilty of poor spot-kicks which were saved by Fabiano before Jan Lecjaks sent the home side through.

Dinamo brushed Ferencvaros aside 5-1 on aggregate at the same stage of the competition last season but having reached the group stage three times in the last five years, they found the Hungarian side a different prospect.

Lovrencsics fired the home side ahead in the second minute when he slid in to sweep home a Tokmac Nguyen cross before Uzuni turned a glancing Lovro Majer header into his own net.

Dinamo piled the pressure on early in the second half but were caught on the break as Uzuni raced clear of two defenders from the halfway line and steered the ball past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic with a slick finish from 16 metres.

It was a second successive upset by Ferencvaros, who reached the third qualifying round with a 2-1 win at 1967 European Cup winners Celtic and now have a chance of advancing into the money-spinning Champions League group stage.

On a good evening for coaches who played in the English Premier League, Ferencvaros’ Serhiy Rebrov was joined in the playoff round by two former Blackburn Rovers team-mates, Omonoia’s Henning Berg and Maccabi Tel-Aviv’s Giorgios Donis.

A Maccabi team coached by Dinos for just five weeks beat visiting Dinamo Brest 1-0 with a 50th-minute penalty by forward Dan Biton.

Danes Midtjylland rolled on with a 3-0 home win over Young Boys Bern after Anders Dreyer and Awer Mabil found the net after Jordan Lefort’s own goal.

In another penalty shootout in Cyprus, Molde of Norway beat Qarabag of Azerbaijan after a goalless draw. The game was played in neutral Cyprus because of travel restrictions between during the coronavirus pandemic between the two teams’ countries.

All qualifying games in UEFA’s club competitions are being played without fans in the stadiums because of the pandemic.

All three rounds so far in Champions League qualifying have been single-leg games in a congested schedule for the delayed season. The playoff round starting next week reverts to traditional two-leg, home-and-away series.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2020