Red Star eliminated from Europa League after Plzen comeback; Hajduk reach Conference League groups
After surrendering a 3-0 first-leg lead, Red Star lost 5-1 after extra time to Viktoria Plzen and will play in the Conference League; Hajduk Split also advanced.
27 August 2026 — Red Star Belgrade were dramatically eliminated from the UEFA Europa League after a 5-1 defeat away to Viktoria Plzen that was decided in extra time. The Serbian side had arrived in the Czech Republic holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg but failed to protect it over 120 minutes.
How the tie turned
Viktoria Plzen overturned the deficit in a chaotic encounter: Plzen won the 90 minutes 4-1 to level the aggregate score, then scored again during the additional 30 minutes to complete a remarkable comeback and send Red Star out 5-1 on the night. The result ends Red Star's Europa League campaign for this season.
The collapse in Plzen will be remembered as one of the darkest moments for Red Star Belgrade. The Serbian club now drops into the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage for the autumn, where it will seek to salvage its European season.
There was happier news elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia: Hajduk Split also secured a place in the Conference League group phase. The Croatian team produced another 2-2 result against Raków Częstochowa — this time away — and managed to find a decisive goal in the extra period to confirm their passage to the main stage.
The weekend’s qualifiers delivered dramatic swings: a historic comeback in Plzen and late drama in Poland that gave Hajduk a guaranteed European autumn. Both outcomes reshape the line-up for the Conference League.
Photo: press material from the event
