Home / Sports / Older than Ronaldo: Player scores first Champions League goal
Older than Ronaldo: Player scores first Champions League goal
8 Jul
Summary
- Veteran Nano, 41, scored the season's first goal in Champions League qualifying.
- Roberto Lopes of Shamrock Rovers missed a match due to his Cape Verde World Cup run.
- Champions League matches took place in nations that did not qualify for the World Cup.
The Champions League qualifying rounds commenced on Tuesday, featuring the season's inaugural goal netted by 41-year-old Nano for Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's age. Despite this milestone, many of the participating nations, such as Gibraltar and San Marino, have never qualified for the World Cup.
Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto Lopes was notably absent from his team's opening match due to his recent commitments with Cape Verde in the World Cup. Lopes had just returned from representing his nation, where they narrowly lost to Argentina in the round of 32. His team, Shamrock Rovers, lost their first leg 2-0 in Malta.
Matches across Europe also saw action in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. Belarusian teams are playing 'home' games in neutral venues without spectators due to UEFA's sanctions. The Europa League and Conference League also began their qualifying stages recently, involving various European clubs.
