GENEVA: There will be a new Sheriff in the Champions League draw on Thursday, giving Moldova its first entry in the group stage alongside rebel clubs who tried to launch their own elite breakaway.
Sheriff advanced easily with a 0-0 draw at Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday after winning 3-0 in the home leg of their playoff last week.
The low-ranked club from Tiraspol in the breakaway region of Transnistria had to get through all four qualifying rounds to reach the groups.
Sheriff has won the Moldovan title in 19 of the past 21 seasons and will finally take its place alongside Europe’s most storied teams. The draw Thursday includes 10 of the 12 clubs whose owners tried to wreck the Champions League by launching their own European Super League in April.
Moldova is typically described as the poorest country in Europe and Sheriff will now earn about 16 million euros ($18.84 million) in guaranteed prize money from UEFA.
Wealthy Salzburg returned to the group stage with a 4-2 aggregate score against Brøndby, adding a 2-1 win in Denmark to victory by the same score in Austria last week.
United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson’s 10th-minute goal for Salzburg on Wednesday followed his 90th-minute winner in the first leg.
Shakhtar Donetsk edged past Monaco 3-2 on aggregate in extra time thanks to a bizarre own goal in the 114th minute. The ball deflected off Monaco's Ruben Aguilar and looped over the goalkeeper into the net to seal a 2-2 draw on the night in Ukraine after the French side led 2-0 in the first half.
UEFA has now abolished the away goals rule which would have taken Monaco through after 90 minutes.