Shakhtar into Champions League group stage after Monaco own-goal misery
Shakhtar Donetsk dumped Monaco out of the Champions League qualifying round with a 3-2 aggregate.
PARIS (AFP) - Ukraine s Shakhtar Donetsk dumped Monaco out of the Champions League qualifying round with a 3-2 aggregate win sealed with an extra-time own-goal on Wednesday.
Unheralded Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova also made Thursday s group stage draw as did RB Salzburg of Austria as the play-offs wrapped up.
Monaco were left to regret what might have been after two predatory strikes from Wissam Ben Yedder in the first half fired them ahead 2-1 on aggregate.
However, a 74th-minute goal from Marlos levelled the game and sent it into extra-time.
Then, with just six minutes left on the clock, Monaco defender Rubin Aguilar hung his head in despair after nodding the ball into his own net.
Sheriff Tiraspol became the Moldova s first representative in the group phase with a 0-0 draw in Zagreb after thumping Dinamo 3-0 in the first-leg.
No other team from the eastern European state of just 2.6 million people has previously made it into the final 32-team knock-out phase.
Austrians RB Salzburg scored two goals in the first ten minutes of their game at Brondby winning 2-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.
On Tuesday, two-time winners Benfica, Swedish side Malmo and Swiss champions Young Boys also qualified for the group stage.
Benfica went into the pot after starting with a 2-1 first leg advantage over PSV Eindhoven and holding on for a goalless draw despite playing the final hour with 10 men.
Swiss champions Young Boys beat Hungarian title holders Ferencvaros 3-2 for a 6-4 victory and Swedish side Malmo reached the group stages with a 3-2 aggregate win over Ludogorets of Bulgaria.
The draw for the Champions League group stage takes place on Thursday in Istanbul with six match days from September to December.
