Champions League Qualifying Action Highlights Lopes’ Absence and Nano’s Record

Far from the World Cup spotlight, the Champions League has resumed, with Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes sidelined due to his notable performance with Cape Verde.

On Tuesday, the opening goal of the season in the Champions League first qualifying round was scored in Gibraltar by a player older than Cristiano Ronaldo — 41‑year‑old Nuno, the left‑back for Lincoln Red Imps.

Lopes returned to Dublin on Monday, three days after Cape Verde challenged defending World Cup champion Argentina and Lionel Messi to a 3‑2 defeat in the round of 32 in Miami Gardens.

At Shamrock, where Lopes has been playing since 2016, the team fell 2‑0 to Floriana in the first leg in Malta.

‘I will miss the match in Malta,’ Lopes told reporters at Dublin Airport, ‘but I am eager to return to training and get back to doing what I love.’

Rovers will host the second leg next Tuesday.

Champions League In Soccer Outposts

On Tuesday, Champions League matches took place across several World Cup‑non‑qualifying nations — Gibraltar, San Marino, the Faroe Islands — as well as one that did qualify, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Bosnian champion Borac Banja Luka drew 1‑1 at home against Levski Sofia in the first leg, missing its sole World Cup participant, 18‑year‑old goalkeeper Mladen Jurkaš.

In Gibraltar, Lincoln opened the scoring with a 16th‑minute penalty by Nano in a 3‑1 victory over Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra.

Kairat’s Return

Four additional matches are scheduled for Wednesday, including in Estonia, Moldova and Kazakhstan, where Kairat Almaty will begin its first‑qualifying‑round campaign.

Kairat reached the lucrative main phase in the previous edition and faced Real Madrid, Arsenal and Inter Milan.

Belarusian champion Vitebsk will host its ‘home’ match in neutral Hungary in front of an empty stadium.

UEFA has barred Belarusian clubs from hosting matches since Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russian teams remain suspended from all European competitions, including the Champions League.

Conference League Starts

Games also began on Tuesday in the first qualifying round of the third‑tier Conference League in Albania and Luxembourg.

The second‑tier Europa League begins on Thursday, featuring teams that frequently compete in the Champions League main phase, such as Qarabaq, Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencváros.

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