LONDON, 13 August 2005 — Red Star Belgrade, one of very few big names involved in the early stages of the UEFA Cup, made a great start with a 3-1 win in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie at Croatia’s Inter Zapresic on Thursday.
Two goals by Nikoa Zigic and a late strike by Marko Pantelic put the 1991 European Champions firmly on course for the first round proper, the next step on a long road to the May 10 final in Eindhoven.
After the first round there follows a 40-club group stage, which includes 16 Champions League qualification round losers, followed by a knockout competition of 32 clubs, including eight sides finishing third in the Champions League group phase. Then come the quarters and semifinals before the May decider.
Most of the clubs in action on Thursday will not be thinking, or even dreaming, of still being involved in nine months’ time, instead they will be merely enjoying a rare taste of European action. Maccabi Petah Tikva, Israeli runners-up last season, enjoyed their day out by thumping Bashkimi Kumanovo 5-0 in Macedonia, the biggest win of the night.
Other impressive winners included Groclin Grodzisk of Poland, who beat Slovakia’s Banska Bystrica 4-1, Rapid Bucharest, 3-0 home winners against Vardar Skopje of Macedonia, and Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, 4-2 winners in Armenia against Banants Yerevan and fellow Ukrainians Metalurg Donetsk, 3-0 winners at Hungary’s Sopron.
The second legs will be played on Aug. 25.
Barca Hoping for More Silverware in Super Cup
In Madrid, after ending a six-year trophy drought by winning the Spanish title last season, Barcelona are hoping for more silverware when they meet King’s Cup winners Real Betis in the Spanish Super Cup.
The traditional curtain-raiser to the Spanish season is a two-legged affair with the first game in Seville today (kickoff 2000 GMT) and the return at the Nou Camp a week later.
“I’m really keen to win this trophy as no one in the present squad has ever won it,” said midfielder Xavi. “It would be a great way to start the season and would give us a major boost in morale.” Barcelona lost the Super Cup after winning the league in 1998 and 1999, but won it in 1996 when as runners-up in the King’s Cup they beat double winners Atletico Madrid 6-5 on aggregate. They needed extra-time to beat Betis the last time the two sides met in a final in the 1997 King’s Cup and the Andalucians have continued to be a hard nut to crack.
Last season Betis were the first team to defeat Barca in the league with a 2-1 victory in November and they were unlucky to be held to a 3-3 draw at the Nou Camp in April.
Betis, who are coached by former Barca boss Llorenc Serra Ferrer, have already got the first competitive match of the season under their belt. They earned themselves a deserved 1-0 first-leg win at home to AS Monaco in the third qualifying round of the Champions League thanks to a last-gasp strike by Edu.
The Brazilian forward is hoping his side can produce a similar performance against the league champions today.
Barcelona will be missing versatile center-back Rafael Marquez, who is on international duty with Mexico, while midfielder Thiago Motta, Dutch left back Giovanni Van Bronckhorst and new signing Santi Ezquerro and are all injured.
The club’s other new recruit Mark van Bommel should be given his first competitive outing since signing from PSV Eindhoven.
After missing the Monaco match with a minor ankle problem and resolving a contract dispute with the club, Betis’s leading striker, Ricardo Oliveira, should be back for today’s match.
