Champions League qualifying kicks off as Finland’s KuPS and Sweden’s Malmo win first-leg games
GENEVA (AP) — Qualifying for next season’s Champions League kicked off Tuesday even as freshly crowned title holder Paris Saint-Germain is still playing games at the Club World Cup.
In Finland, KuPS Kuopio and Milsami of Moldova were the first teams to start, with the home team winning 1-0 in the first leg of their first qualifying round meeting. Milsami is owned by Ilan Shor, a pro-Russia oligarch who is a fugitive from his conviction in a bank fraud case.
The first goal of the night was scored by Malmo, the 1979 European Cup finalist. The champion of Sweden took an eighth-minute lead scored by Gabriel Busanello away to Iberia of Georgia and went on to win 3-1.
Armenian champion Noah won 1-0 at home to Buducnost of Montenegro and RFS of Latvia took a 1-0 advantage from its first-leg visit to Levadia Tallinn in Estonia.
On Wednesday, FCSB — which was the 1986 European champion playing as Steaua Bucharest — hosts the first leg against Inter Escaldes of Andorra.
Return games are next week. Teams entering the second qualifying round, which starts July 22, include 1991 European Cup winner Red Star Belgrade, Salzburg, Rangers, Dynamo Kyiv and Viktoria Plzen. Salzburg was playing at the Club World Cup in the United States until June 26.
PSG is still playing the 2024-25 season more than five weeks after winning its first Champions League title, beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. On Wednesday, PSG plays Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semifinals in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
PSG and Madrid are among 29 teams directly qualified for the 36-team Champions League opening phase that starts in September. Seven teams will advance through the qualifying rounds.
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