Champions League

On Wednesday, all 32 participants in the group stage of the Champions League became known. There were no loud sensations in the third qualifying round - almost all the favorites overcame it without losses. The last team from the post-Soviet space to drop out of the fight for participation in the group stage of the Champions League was Shakhtar Donetsk. Based on the sum of two meetings, the champion of Ukraine lost to the third team of Italy at the end of last season.

The match in Milan between Inter and Shakhtar ended in a draw - 1:1, but the home defeat of the Donetsk team two weeks ago left the Ukrainian team outside the main club football tournament in Europe. This meeting took place in front of empty stands - Inter was punished for the riots that occurred during the quarterfinal match of the previous edition with Milan. However, the players sometimes clearly heard the screams of two thousand fans who were watching the game broadcast on a huge screen installed next to the stadium. The Italians opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Alvaro Recoba's accurate mid-range strike deprived Shakhtar of all their hopes. The Ukrainian champion, through the efforts of Brazilian midfielder Elano, equalized the score, but after that did not create almost a single dangerous moment at the Inter goal. After the match, coaches and players of both teams said that playing without spectators was bad and unfair. Inter coach Roberto Mancini called playing behind closed doors the worst feeling of his career and said he would prefer to play on a foreign field or play for free - but only with an audience.

On Wednesday, three teams that won the continent's main club tournament advanced to the group stage: Manchester United, Inter and Ajax. The victory was easiest for the British. They defeated the Hungarian Debrecen with a total score of 6:0 and advanced to the stage for the tenth time in a row, which this season will bring the teams, depending on their share in the distribution of profits from the sale of television and marketing rights, from $18 to $36 million. For the return match, the MU coach Alex Ferguson fielded a semi-reserve squad. But he also easily beat the hosts. Gabriel Heinze scored two accurate headers, and substitute Kieren Richardson scored another goal.

Brondby, in the first home match with Ajax, losing 1:2, managed to equalize the score in the last minute. In the return, the Danes fought quite well against the Dutch for almost one and a half halves. At the end of the first, they even took the lead on aggregate. However, at the very beginning of the second half of the game, midfielder of Ajax and the Dutch national team Ryan Babel equalized the score, catching visiting goalkeeper Kasper Ankergren by surprise with an unexpected shot into the near corner. After this, the game kept the fans in suspense for a long time - until the long-range strike from substitute Wesley Sneijder reached the goal. In a counterattack two minutes before the final whistle, he put the winning point in the match.

This year, the British Premier League could have been represented in the group stage by a record number of five clubs, but Everton failed to get past Villarreal. The Spaniards won twice with the same score 2:1. When a rebound helped Juan Pablo Sorin open the scoring in the return match, it seemed that the intrigue had died. However, 20 minutes before the end of normal time, Everton's Spanish midfielder Miguel Arteta equalized and the pitch became a life-or-death struggle. Ten minutes later, Duncan Ferguson put the visitors ahead with a spectacular header. But the British joy was short-lived: Pierluigi Collina considered that Ferguson had broken the rules and the goal was not counted. In the last minutes, the guests tried to organize a decisive assault, but instead of scoring, they conceded a goal. Diego Forlan ran away from the defenders and shot just past the goalkeeper.

The Belgian Bruges managed to defeat the modest Valerenga only on penalties. Only in the 79th minute did the Belgians, who had previously had an overwhelming advantage and missed several 100% chances, manage to equalize the score on aggregate: Boško Balaban closed in a cross from the flank of Gregory Duffer, who had come on as a substitute shortly before. Five minutes later, the captain of the Norwegian club, Chetil Valer, was sent off for a foul against the Belgian captain Geert Verheyen. The hosts stepped up the pressure, created a few more chances, but were unable to put the pressure on the opponent. But in the penalty shootout, justice still triumphed. The Bruges' victory came courtesy of two brilliant saves from goalkeeper Tomislav Butina.

The match ended unexpectedly in Prague, where Anderlecht defeated Slavia. The Belgians managed two counterattacks at the end of the meeting. When the Anderlecht players, joyful, came to the locker room, they discovered that the lockers in which they had left their clothes and personal belongings had been broken into. Moreover, many had their money and valuables stolen, as well as their passports.

As expected, the German Werder easily dealt with the Swiss Basel on their field. Bremen, who lost 1:2 in the first match, scored three goals, and could have scored all five. Few doubted that the Scottish Glasgow Rangers would defeat the Cypriot Anorthosis.

ALEXEY Kommersant-ZHUK, Moscow

Shakhtar flew out without witnesses