FC SHAKHTAR, GNK Dinamo Zagreb and FC Red Bull Salzburg were among the winners on Tuesday.
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Ajax drew at home with PAOK and Shakhtar Donetsk took control of their third qualifying round tie against Young Boys on a night when BATE Borisov, Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg also won.
BATE 1-0 Dundalk
Mikhail Gordeichuk’s 70th-minute strike was BATE’s only reward for a dominant performance. The substitute’s effort was one of 23 attempts the group stage regulars had on the Dundalk goal. BATE centre-back Kaspars Dubra headed against the crossbar late on as Aleksandr Yermakovich’s men sought to double their lead ahead of the second leg in Dublin.
Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 Dinamo Tbilisi
Teenager Ante Ćorić scored one and set up another in a four-minute spell before half-time. First, the 19-year-old unlocked the Dinamo Tbilisi defence with a cute chip that El Arabi Hilal Soudani profited from with a straightforward finish. The midfielder then strengthened the Croatian club’s hand, turning in a pass across the area by Junior Fernandes.
Ludogorets 2-2 Crvena zvezda
Both teams let slip a lead in an entertaining encounter in Razgrad. Ludogorets landed the first blow when Cosmin Moţi set Jonathan Cafú clear and the forward made no mistake. Aleksandar Katai levelled three minutes after the restart with a low shot into the far corner, Guélor Kanga (66) then putting Crvena zvezda ahead from long range. Claudiu Keșerü, released by Moţi’s quick free-kick, had the final say.
Partizani 0-1 Salzburg
Salzburg captain Jonathan Soriano’s spot kick settled a contest which ended with both sides down to ten men. Soriano converted with 20 minutes remaining after Partizani left-back Labinot Ibrahimi felled Valon Berisha. The visitors were a man light by then, midfielder Diadie Samassékou (54) having been dismissed for his second booking in quick succession. Soon after the goal, Partizani defender Renaldo Kalari (73) was shown a straight red card for a foul on Soriano.
Viktoria Plzeň 0-0 Qarabağ
Plzeň’s Michael Krmenčik had the only effort on target of a tight game in the Czech Republic. The substitute’s header was cleared off the line following a corner by Jan Kovařík. Qarabağ defended well but could not make count the numerical advantage they gained when Jan Baránek was sent off with a quarter of an hour left.
Ajax 1-1 PAOK
Kasper Dolberg, 18, marked his Ajax debut with the equaliser just before the hour mark. The Denmark Under-19 winger exchanged passes with Jairo Riedewald before rifling a right-footed shot past Panagiotis Glykos from outside the penalty area. PAOK silenced the Amsterdam ArenA when Djalma Campos (27), running on to Léo Matos’s pass, rounded Jasper Cillessen and tucked the ball away from an acute angle.
Rostov 2-2 Anderlecht
Rostov twice recovered from a goal down in their debut UEFA Champions League fixture. Saeid Ezatolahi (16), following up after Davy Roef had saved a Christian Noboa free-kick, and Dmitri Poloz’s 60th-minute penalty restored parity after Anderlecht had got their nose in front courtesy of Sofiane Hanni (3) and Youri Tielemans (52) respectively.
Sparta Praha 1-1 Steaua Bucureşti
Nicolae Stanciu’s free-kick with 15 minutes to play secured Steaua a draw in the Czech capital. The Romania midfielder earned the set piece himself with a run that was halted by Martin Frýdek just outside the box. It cancelled out a header by Sparta forward Josef Šural (35), who directed Bořek Dočkal’s corner inside Florin Niță’s near post.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Young Boys
Bernard and Yevhen Seleznyov were on target for Pitmen in their first European match under Paulo Fonseca. Fred crafted the opener with a clever low pass that Bernard touched past keeper Yvon Mvogo and stroked into the empty net. YB’s Milan Vilotić was sent off ten minutes into the second period. Shakhtar made use of their extra man, Seleznyov (75) finishing off a counterattack involving Taison and Taras Stepanenko.
