Champions League: Red Star eliminated after 0–2 home loss
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 0–2 in Belgrade (0:3 aggregate); Dejan Stankovic sent off and jeered by 30,000 fans, Red Star drop into Europa League play-off vs Plzen.
On 11 August 2026 Red Star Belgrade were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League after a 0–2 home defeat by Hapoel Be'er Sheva, leaving the Serbian champions out 0:3 on aggregate.
The return leg at the Marakana ended in a frustrating evening for the hosts. Hapoel Be'er Sheva scored twice after the interval — Zlatanovic in the 61st minute and Ist in the 79th — and left Red Star with no reply in the match that decided the tie.
Pressure on the coach and board
Dejan Stankovic was sent off in the 57th minute and was loudly booed by the 30.000 supporters in the stands. Frustration grew as Red Star failed to produce a coherent game plan, and after the second Hapoel goal many in the stadium chanted for the club’s leadership to step down.
With the Champions League path closed, Red Star will now switch to the Europa League route and must face Plzen in the play-off round.
Meanwhile Dinamo Zagreb continued their qualifying run in emphatic fashion. The Croatian champions won in Lithuania 2–1 and progressed with a 1–7 aggregate scoreline.
The early European campaign delivered contrasting outcomes for the region’s biggest clubs: one eliminated in dramatic fashion at home, the other advancing with a dominant aggregate margin.
Photo: press material from the event
