The UEFA Champions League has begun its qualifying rounds, but one of its notable participants, Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes, will miss the initial fixtures. Lopes, who recently represented Cape Verde in the World Cup, returned to Dublin on Monday, three days after his team's close match against Argentina.
Lopes, 34, has been a key player for Shamrock Rovers since 2016. He was unable to join his team for their first-leg match against Floriana in Malta, which Shamrock Rovers lost 2-0. "I’ll miss the game in Malta, unfortunately," Lopes told reporters at Dublin airport, "but I’m looking forward to getting back into training and getting back to doing what I love." The second leg is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Champions League qualifying matches took place on Tuesday in various locations, including Gibraltar, San Marino, and the Faroe Islands, countries that have not frequently qualified for the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, did qualify and their champion, Borac Banja Luka, drew its first leg 1-1 at home against Levski Sofia. However, Borac Banja Luka was without its only World Cup participant, 18-year-old goalkeeper Mladen Jurkas.
In Gibraltar, the competition's first goal of the season was scored by 41-year-old left back Nano for Lincoln Red Imps, who defeated Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra 3-1. The match featured Nano's penalty kick in the 16th minute.
Additional games are scheduled for Wednesday, including matches in Estonia, Moldova, and Kazakhstan, where Kairat Almaty will begin its campaign. Kairat Almaty reached the main phase of the tournament in the previous edition, competing against teams like Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, Vitebsk, the champion of Belarus, will play its "home" game in Hungary due to UEFA's prohibition on Belarusian teams hosting matches since Russia's full military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russian teams remain suspended from all European competitions. Belarusian teams are also barred from hosting games.
The third-tier Conference League also commenced its first qualifying round on Tuesday in Albania and Luxembourg. The second-tier Europa League is set to start on Thursday, featuring teams that often participate in the Champions League main phase, including Qarabaq, Dynamo Kyiv, and Ferencvaros.