UEFA Champions League Qualifying: APOEL, Monaco, Panathinaikos, Skenderbeu Take Series Openers

The third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying commenced on Tuesday with the opening game of each of nine two-match series.

At Khimki, Russia:

Kehinde Fatai (15') and Ladislav Krejci (57') each scored a goal as Sparta Prague gained a series-opening 2-2 road draw with CSKA Moscow.  Alan Dzagoev (14') and Zoran Tosic (53') provided the scoring for the Horses.

At Chisinau, Moldova:

Hamdi Salihi scored twice (50', PK-73') as Skenderbeu Korce took the opening match with Milsami Orhei 2-0 on the road.

At Heming, Denmark:

Tomas De Vencenti scored twice in a three-minute first-half span (30', 33') as APOEL FC upended FC Midtjylland 2-1 on the road in their series opener.

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

Ajdin Mahmutovic (17') and Milan Petrzela (21') each scored a goal as FC Viktoria Plzen held off Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Athens:

Marcus Berg (37') and Nikos Karelis (PK-65') each scored once as Panathinaikos came from behind and took the opening contest of their series with Club Brugge 2-1.  Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo scored for the Belgian club in the 10th minute.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

The opening contest between Fenerbahce and visiting Shakhtar Donetsk concluded in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Bern, Switzerland:

Layvin Kurzawa (64'), Guido Carrillo (72'), and Mario Pasalic (75') each scored a goal during an 11-minute span in the second half as AS Monaco defeated BSC Young Boys 3-1 on the road in the opening game of their series.

At Szekesfehervar, Hungary:

Paulo Vinicius Souza dos Santos' late equalizer (89') enabled Videoton to salvage a series-opening 1-1 home draw with FC BATE Borisov.  Nemanja Milunovic scored in the 56th minute for the Belorussian club. 

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Ola Kamara's equalizer in the 21st minute carried Molde FK to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Dinamo Zagreb.  Angelo Henriquez scored in the 18th minute for the hosts.