DUBLIN – World Cup star Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes returned to action in the Champions League on Tuesday and captained Shamrock Rovers into the second qualifying round.
Just 11 days after facing Lionel Messi and Argentina in an epic World Cup round-of-32 game, Cape Verde defender Lopes led the Dublin club to a 5-1 second-leg win over Maltese champion Floriana.
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Rovers advanced 5-3 on aggregate score and will now travel to face Ararat-Armenia next week. Rovers must advance through four qualifying rounds to enter the lucrative 36-team main phase starting in September.
The second qualifying round will see former European Cup winner Red Star Belgrade enter the competition against Larne, the champion of Northern Ireland. Larne advanced Tuesday beating Tre Fiori of San Marino 2-1 for a 3-1 aggregate score.
Vikingur of Iceland got a 2-2 draw in Hungary against Győri ETO to advance 3-2 on aggregate and will face Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the next round.
Vikingur could have to return to Hungary for the second leg on July 28 or 29. Israeli clubs cannot host their home games in UEFA competitions for security reasons, and Hapoel Beer-Sheva chose stadiums in Hungary as a neutral venue in European qualifying matches last season.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer