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Hearts secure progress with stalemate
Written by: Stephen Sharp
2006-08-02 23:59:50
SIROKI BRIJEG, Aug 2 (SW) - Scottish side Hearts advanced to the third qualifying round of the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League after holding Bosnia-Herzegovina's Siroki Brijeg to a 0-0 draw, winning the tie 3-0 on aggregate.
Hearts, who have a key Scottish Premier League match against Celtic on Sunday, started the brighter of the teams as Roman Bednar came close with a drive from deep that was saved by Vladimir Vasilj. Vasilj mistakenly hit a corner kick into his own goal early in the first half, but the goal was disallowed for a foul and Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon had to save on a blast by Mislav Karogan. Gordon denied Celson early in the second half as the home side came into better form, but they were never a threat to Hearts, who now face AEK Athens in the next round for a berth in the group stage. Rabotnicki - Debrecen 4-1 Rabotnicki advance 5-2 on aggregate Macedonian side Rabotnicki secured a famous result on Wednesday night with an upset of nine-man Debrecen to advance to the third qualifying round. The Hungarians actually managed to go in front on 20 minutes as Ibrahim Sidibe headed home, but Nderim Nedzipi's laser shot from 35 yards pulled Rabotnicki level less than a minute later. The home side then delighted the crowd on Ilinden Day, a national holiday, as they went in front in the 34th minute when Ivan Pejcic tucked away a pass by Stojance Ignatov to make it 2-1 and 3-2 on aggregate. The match was turned on its head in the 42nd minute when Vanco Trajcev converted a pass from Pejcic, and a minute later Debrecen's Peter Halmosi picked up his second yellow card. Five minutes into the second half, Sidibe himself was sent off with a straight red card, and Carlos Abrílio scored yet another to put Rabotnicki through to face French side Lille. Steaua - Nova Gorica 3-0 Steaua advance 5-0 on aggregate Despite resting several key players, Romanian side Steaua moved on after comfortably beating Slovenian champions Nova Gorica at Lia Manoliu stadium in Bucharest. There was little in the way of offense in the first half, but Steaua did managed to take the lead just before the interval as Gabriel Bostina slotted home after a pass from the right. The home side dazzled in the second term, although they didn't extend their lead until the 68th minute as Victoras Iacob headed home, and Iulian Ochirosii scored from the spot with three minutes left to add a third goal. The Romanians are now a tie against Standard Liège away from their first visit to the group stage since the 1995/96 edition of the competition. Dynamo Kiev - Liepajas Metalurgs 4-0 Dynamo Kiev advance 8-1 on aggregate Dynamo Kiev set up an intriguing tie against Fenerbahçe after disposing of Latvian champions Liepajas Metalurgs on Wednesday evening. Leading 4-1 from the first leg, Dynamo added on to their advantage in the 38th minute as Ukraine international midfielder Ruslan Rotan finished up a brilliant setup by Florin Cernat. With Liepajas down and out, Dynamo struck again in the 66th minute when Carlos Correa found the back of the net with a nice, accurate shot, and then Serhiy Rebrov and Rotan scored within the final five minutes to complete the rout. Dynamo now face a tough task against Fenerbahçe for a spot in the group stage. Crvena Zvezda - Cork City 3-0 Crvena Zvezda advance 4-0 on aggregate Former European Cup holders Crvena Zvezda saw off Republic of Ireland's Cork City thanks in part to a double by Serbian striker Nikola Zigic. It was actually Dejan Milovanovic who gave the home side the lead after three minutes to distance themselves from the Irish side, and then the tall Zigic struck in the 34th minute with a trademark headed goal on a cross by Marko Perovic. Zigic then put the tie beyond all doubt on the hour mark with yet another header, but this time the cross was provided by Dusan Basta. The result now sets up a clash of former European champions in the third qualifying round as the Serbs will take on AC Milan. Salzburg - Zürich 2-0 Salzburg advance 3-2 on aggregate Austrian side Salzburg came from behind to beat FC Zürich from neighboring Switzerland to set up a big tie against Spanish club Valencia in the third qualifying round. The Austrians, led by Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthäus, put themselves ahead on away goals in the aggregate as Christian Tiffert turned in a cross from Patrik Jezek to make it 1-0 six minutes before half-time. Salzburg then won a penalty in the 56th minute and Alexander Zickler slotted it home to give the home side a bit of a cushion, and Zürich never truly came close to pulling a goal back. Legia - FH 2-0 Legia advance 3-0 on aggregate Polish club Legia now have Shakhtar Donetsk in their sights after seeing off a valiant challenge from Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjördur in Warsaw. Legia controlled from the opening kickoff and were rewarded with the first goal in the 38th minute as Aleksandar Vukovic was able to latch on to Sebastian Szalachowski's cross and slot home for a 1-0 lead. The Poles could have had several more but lacked top-quality finishing in front of goal and Roger Guerreiro even had a penalty kick saved, but they got a second goal in the 88th minute when Edson struck home. |
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