Champions League 1st Qualifying Round Wrap

It may only be two months since AC Milan defeated Liverpool in Athens to lift Europe’s most glamorous club trophy, but tonight saw the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League get under way as 14 clubs from across Europe contested the first legs of seven of the first qualifying round ties. The remaining seven ties will be played on Wednesday night, with the second legs next Tuesday and Wednesday deciding who will progress to the second qualifying round.

Today’s matches produced three home wins, one away win and three draws.

The most satisfied team will be Tampere United of Finland, who earned a 2-1 victory in San Marino against S.S. Muratat the first team from the Apennine republic to enter the competition. Other winners were FK Zeta - Montenegro’s first-ever entrants - The New Saints and APOEL FC.

APOEL FC 2-0 FC BATE Borisov

APOEL eased to a comfortable win in Cyprus against their visitors from Belarus. Nikos Machlas had missed a hat-trick of chances for APOEL before Chrysostomos Michail broke the deadlock, shooting beyond Aleksandr Fedorovich in the Borisov goal. Machlas finally got on the score-sheet with the Cypriot side’s second - a powerful header just after the hour-mark. The cisitors then had defender Anton Sakharov dismissed. APOEL are thus on course to meet the winners of the FH Hafnarfjördur v HB Tórshavn tie.
FK Khazar Lenkoran 1-1 NK Dinamo Zagreb

Azerbaijan’s Khazar Lenkoran made the breakthrough early in the second-half through Zaur Ramazanov, but the lead did not last for long. Etto scored the equaliser for the Croatians, who might have gone on to win after Lenkoran lost their captain Emin Guliyev to a red csard near the end of the game.
Linfield FC 0-0 IF Elfsborg

There was deadlock in Northern Ireland, largely thanks to some important saves by Linfield ‘keeper Alan Mannus. Midfielder Jamie Mulgrew went close with a headed effort. The winners of this tie will meet Dbreceni VSC of Hungary in the next round.
S.S. Murata 1-2 Tampere United

Jari Niemi was on target twice for the Finnish side, who came from behind to win in San Marino. Murata had 41-year-old Brazilian World Cup winner Aldair in their side, and he helped create the opening goal, scored by Cristian Protti. Before that, Roberto Teodorani had hit the post for Murata.

However, after the break Niemi produced two clinical finishes to give Tampere a clear advantage and leave them well-placed to meet Levski Sofia in the next round.
The New Saints FC 3-2 FK Ventspils

The New Saints - formerly known as Total Network Solutions (TNS), the champions of Wales - earned their first European victory thanks to dramatic injury-time goal from Barry Hogan after Vits Rimkus had equalised for the second time in the match. Michael Wilde headed an early goal for TNS, but they held the lead for tewn minutes onlty before Rimkus pulled the Latvian visitors level on their Champions League debut.

Phil Baker re-established the Welsh side’s lead before Rimkus struck again. But Hogan’s powerful late shot left Ventspils no time to hit back for the third time, leaving TNS favourites to meet FC Salzburg in the next qualifying round.
FC Olimpi Rustavi 0-0 FC Astana

Georgian champions Olimpi could not give new coach Varlam Kilasonia a victory in his first match in charge, but looked the likelier side to face Rosenborg in the next round. Goalkeeper Sergei Boichenkoach was a key figure for Astana, and the Khazakstan side went close to stealing a late away goal against the run of play through Arsen Tlekhugov.
FK Zeta 3-1 FBK Kaunas

Zeta from Montenegro took a significant step towards a meeting with Scottish giants Rangers when they triumphed 3-1 against their Lithuanian visitors Kaunas - who were handicapped from midway through the first-half when Ianko Valkanov was sent off. Zeta took the lead shortly afterwards, Žarko Korac convertinh a penalty awarded for a foul on Slaven Stjepanovic.

Within a couple of minutes, Janko Tumbaševic made it two, and Stjepanovic added another in the second-half. Kaunas gave themselves a lifeline when Givi Kvaratskhelia netted a potentially significant away goal, albeit a late consolation.