Seol Young-woo's UCL Main Stage Bid Ends as Zvezda Eliminated 3-0 on Aggregate

South Korean national football team defender Seol Young-woo started and played the full match as Serbia's Red Star Belgrade was eliminated in the third qualifying round of the 2026–2027 UEFA Champions League (UCL).

Zvezda lost 2–0 to Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC of Israel in the second leg of the UCL third qualifying round held today (August 12) at the Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia.

Competing from the second qualifying round as the champions of the 2025–2026 Serbian SuperLiga, Zvezda advanced to the third round by defeating Larne FC of Northern Ireland 9–0 on aggregate across the two legs.

However, following a 1–0 defeat in the first leg of the third round, they suffered another 2–0 loss on the day, bowing out with a 3–0 aggregate score.

Zvezda led possession 55% to 45% and matched their opponents closely with 9 total shots, but they were held back by a lack of clinical finishing.

While Hapoel Be'er Sheva recorded 6 shots on target, Zvezda managed only 2.

The two teams finished a relatively even first half scoreless, but the momentum shifted abruptly after the break.

Zvezda conceded the opening goal to Igor Zlatanović in the 17th minute of the second half, and then allowed another painful goal from a similar position inside the penalty area to Javon East in the 35th minute, quickly falling behind 2–0.

In the 39th minute of the second half, Seol Young-woo delivered a sharp low cross to a teammate in front of the goal following an aggressive overlap, but Bruno Duarte's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, denying Seol an attacking point.

Unable to mount a meaningful comeback afterward, Zvezda bitterly concluded the match as Mohamed Abu Fani received a red card during stoppage time.

Having missed out on the UCL main stage, Zvezda will move to the UEFA Europa League (UEL) to continue their European campaign.

(Photo: Captured from FK Crvena Zvezda SNS, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.