Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The First Round of Champions League Qualifers were completed last night and five clubs have booked their place in the next phase of the competition. There is no rest for the wicked though as the fixtures come around as early as next week.
Northern Irish champions Linfield have got their rewards for edging past San Marinese side La Florita as they are now paired with Brendan Rodgers’ Glasgow Celtic side. The first leg has been moved to next Friday so as to avoid any potential crowd issues.
Welsh champions The New Saints disposed of Gibraltar’s FC Europa last night and needed extra time in which to do so, they are going to have their work cut out as they go up against Rijeka of Croatia. Of the other three sides that progressed last night, Hibernians of Malta are paired with Red Bull Salzburg, Alashkert of Aremina are paired with Belarussian giants BATE Borisov and there is something of a derby in the midst as Iceland and Faroe Islands go head to head.
Vikingur Gota made easy work of Kosovo’s Trepca 89 last night with a 4-1 win and they are now paired against FH of Iceland. Also keep an eye out for Dundalk going up against Rosenborg and APOEL being paired with F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg.
Below is the Champions League Second Qualifying Round draw in full – Goal clips to follow tomorrow
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
APOEL  |
Match 1 |  F91 Dudelange |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Žalgiris Vilnius  |
Match 2 |  Ludogorets Razgrad |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Qarabağ  |
Match 3 |  Samtredia |
11 Jul | 18 Jul |
Partizan  |
Match 4 |  Budućnost Podgorica |
11 Jul | 18 Jul |
Hibernians  |
Match 5 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
11–12 Jul | 18–19 Jul |
Sheriff Tiraspol  |
Match 6 |  Kukësi |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Spartaks Jūrmala  |
Match 7[A] |  Astana |
12 Jul | 18 Jul |
BATE Borisov  |
Match 8 |  Alashkert |
11–12 Jul | 18–19 Jul |
Žilina  |
Match 9 |  Copenhagen |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Hapoel Be’er Sheva  |
Match 10 |  Honvéd |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Rijeka  |
Match 11 |  The New Saints |
11 Jul | 18–19 Jul |
Malmö FF  |
Match 12 |  Vardar |
12 Jul | 18 Jul |
Zrinjski Mostar  |
Match 13 |  Maribor |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
Dundalk  |
Match 14 |  Rosenborg |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
FH  |
Match 15 |  Víkingur Gøta |
11–12 Jul | 18–19 Jul |
Linfield  |
Match 16 |  Celtic |
14 Jul | 19 Jul |
IFK Mariehamn  |
Match 17 |  Legia Warsaw |
12 Jul | 19 Jul |
