Red Star Belgrade's Champions League qualifying odyssey continued on Wednesday when the former European champions drew 2-2 away to Young Boys after being pegged back by a late penalty in the first leg of the playoff round tie.

Russian side Krasnodar, who eliminated former European champions Porto in the last round, were thumped 4-0 at Olympiakos while Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb beat Norway's Rosenborg 2-0 in ties which will earn the winners a place in the lucrative group stage.

- When...

Last year's semifinalists Ajax clung on for a tense 0-0 draw in searing heat away to APOEL Nicosia in the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie on Tuesday.

Slavia Prague won 1-0 at Romania's Cluj thanks to a spectacular Lukas Masopust goal in another of the ties which will earn the winners a lucrative place in the Champions League group stage while Club Brugge also won by a single goal at Austria's LASK Linz.

Ajax have managed to keep the bulk of last season's team together, with Matthijs...

Former European Cup winners had mixed fortunes in Champions League qualifying as Ajax Amsterdam and Red Star Belgrade squeezed into the playoff round while Celtic and Porto were eliminated after a dramatic evening on Tuesday.

Ajax, semifinalists last season, came from behind to beat PAOK 3-2 for a 5-4 aggregate win over the Greeks while Red Star knocked out FC Copenhagen on penalties after a bizarre shootout involving 22 spot kicks.

Krasnodar sprung a major upset with a 3-2 win at Porto to advance...

Manchester City have avoided a transfer ban despite admitting breaking FIFA rules on signing young players but were fined £315,000 after breaching rules on the transfer and regulation of foreign players under the age of 18.

There was a risk they could be punished with a transfer ban after Chelsea were banned from registering new players for two windows after a similar breach of FIFA regulations. Chelsea cannot sign new players until the end of January 2020.

- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign...

LIVERPOOL -- In the shadow of Anfield, there is new light for the community. A blank wall on Sybil Road, a minute's walk away from the stadium, has morphed into a message of inspiration and a call to action.

The faded brown brick is now covered by a giant mural of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, featuring his reaction to winning the Champions League in June: "I'm just a normal lad from Liverpool, whose dream has just come true."

- Reddy: Why Trent Alexander-Arnold won't stop
- Klopp interview:...