NOT EXACTLY A RED STAR DAY
Red Star, Salzburg scoreless in Champions League
Red Star's Nikola Stoiljkovic, left, vies for the ball with Salzburg's Andre Ramalho during Champions League qualifying in Belgrade, Serbia. The teams played to a 0-0 draw, with the second leg in Salzburg next week.
PSV Eindhoven scored with a minute remaining to beat BATE Borisov 3-2 in the first leg of the Champions League qualifying playoffs on Tuesday.
Greek club PAOK put itself in good position to qualify for the group stage for the first time by holding host Benfica to a 1-1 draw, while Red Star Belgrade and Salzburg played to a 0-0 draw.
Substitute Donyell Malen scored the winner and his first goal for Eindhoven in the 89th, two minutes after coming off the bench and a minute after Aleksandr Hleb had tied the score at 2-2 for BATE.
Hirving Lozano had given PSV a 2-1 lead in the 61st with a curling shot from outside the area. The Dutch champions hope to return to the Champions League after missing out last season. Forward Jasse Tuominen gave BATE an early 1-0 lead, while Gaston Pereiro equalized from the penalty spot in the 35th.In Lisbon, Pizzi converted from the spot in first-half injury time for Benfica before substitute Amr Warda equalized for PAOK in the second half.
In Belgrade, the 1991 European champions had to play behind closed doors due to a punishment by UEFA for their fans’ behaviour. Salzburg had more possession in the game, but the host had better chances to score. Salzburg is looking to reach the group stage for the first time in 24 years.
The second-leg games are scheduled for Aug. 29.
The Champions League playoffs continue with the remaining three first-leg games on Wednesday. It’s Ajax vs. Dynamo Kyiv, Hungary’s Vidi vs. AEK Athens and Young Boys vs. Dinamo Zagreb NOURI FAMILY HOPEFUL: The condition of 21-year-old Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri is improving, more than a year after he collapsed during a friendly match and suffered severe brain damage.
In an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS that aired over the weekend, Nouri’s brother said the family has not given up hope of a full recovery.
Abderrahim Nouri said that after initially being in a coma, his brother has been gradually improving since the start of this year and he can now communicate with his family by moving his mouth or eyebrows.
“If I compare it with the past, at the moment it’s going well. Much better,” Abderrahim Nouri said, adding his brother’s physical condition has deteriorated since his collapse.