Hi and welcome to another edition of Champions RoundUp! We look at three games this week that include some of Scandinavia's finest as they embark tough opposition in the Third Qualifying Round!
We start this weeks edition in Helsinki, Finland as HJK Helsinki took on Croatian Champions Dinamo Zagreb. In what was always an intriguing match-up, the tie did not disappoint. HJK fresh from their emphatic 13-0 aggregate win over Welsh Champions Bangor City went into the game brimming in confidence and it showed in the early stages of the game. 20-year-old Alexander Ring put the Finnish champions ahead on 14 minutes and it capped off a great start for the Finns. However 5 minutes later disaster struck for HJK as Rafinha put the ball in his own net and it somewhat knocked the stuffing out of HJK, but both sides searched rigorously for the wining goal and it came near the end on 77 minutes for the visitors, as Sammir's strike put a hammer blow to HJK's chances of progressing as they now face a massive uphill task of trying to overcome a 2-1 deficit in Zagreb on Wednesday.
Next we go to Denmark and the capital, Copenhagen as FC Copenhagen began their Champions League adventure against Irish champions Shamrock Rovers. FC Copenhagen were out to emulate their efforts from last season as they progressed to the dizzy heights of the Round Of 16 last season. Shamrock Rovers were fresh after a 1-0 aggregate win over Flora Tallinn and proved to be no pushovers in Parken Stadium as they weathered most of the Copenhagen storm and came out with a credible 1-0 defeat to give them a great chance of making the Play Off round. It was a game that had chances on both ends and some fantastic goalkeeping from both sides kept the tie in the balance for the second leg i Tallaght. Defender Solvi Ottesen who is on a bit of a goalscoring streak lately having put two past Odense in a high profile league match prior to this week was the only scorer early on the 4th minute in what must have been a scare for Rovers in fear of what was to come, but Rovers held solid and it sets up a fantastic prospect next week as both sides will fancy their chances.
Finally we head to Trondheim, Norway as heavyweights Rosenborg BK took on Czech Republic champions Victoria Plzen who enter this competition for the first time in their history. On paper the Norwegians have the experience of featuring in many group stage's and beyond in the UEFA Champions League, but a Czech side is always going to be tricky in this competition and RBK found that to be the case as they suffered a scalp and lost 1-0 at home to now face a tough battle in Plzen to keep alive their Champions League dream. That's it for this week, next week we will be reviewing the sides in the Play Off Round as well as reporting three selected games. To keep track of the Third Qualifying Round click HERE
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