UEFA Europa League

BELGRADE/BORISOV - Partizan Belgrade beat Young Boys 2-1 at home Thursday to secure a Round of 32 berth in the UEFA Europa League, while Red Star Belgrade drew 0-0 with BATE Borisov away from home, and their qualification for the knockout stage now hinges on the last round of the group stage.

BELGRADE - Serbian football clubs Red Star and Partizan both drew 1-1 in Thursday's opening matches of this season's UEFA Europa League.

Beaten by Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Turkey's Başakşehir will make its UEFA Europa League group stage debut this season against Bulgaria's Ludogorets as Konyaspor visits Marseille. 

Başakşehir, the runner-up in last season's domestic title race, is highly motivated after it won 3-2 against city rival Fenerbahçe away, a first in its short history. 

Beşiktaş, Turkey's sole team in the UEFA Champions League, has welcomed an intriguingly competitive draw in the group stage of Europe's top football competition.

A renewed Fenerbahçe, the Istanbul side which failed to impress fans in both the league opening and an UEFA Europa League playoff game, will take on an assertive Trabzonspor on Aug. 20 in the highlight game of the second league week. 

PRAGUE - Red Star Belgrade beat Sparta Prague 1-0 in Thursday's away match of their UEFA Europa League qualifiers third round tie to clinch a place in the play-offs.

Having won the first leg 2-0, Red Star came away victorious at the Generali Arena thanks to a Richmond Boakye goal in the 19 minute following an excellent counter-attack and an assist by Slavoljub Srnic.

NYON - Partizan Belgrade were on Friday drawn to face Hungarian side Videoton Szekesfehervar in the UEFA Europa League play-offs, with Red Star Belgrade to play Russia's Krasnodar.

Both Partizan and Red Star should host the first legs.

Red Star Belgrade beat Sparta Prague 1-0 in Thursday's away match of their UEFA Europa League qualifiers third round tie.

The Belgrade club in this way advanced to the competition's playoffs.

Fenerbahçe eliminated Sturm Graz 3-2 on aggregate in the two sides' UEFA Europa League third qualifying round match in Istanbul on Aug. 3.    
   
The Istanbul club managed to draw 1-1 at Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium, moving on to the playoff round in the second-tier European competition.      
  

BELGRADE - Red Star Belgrade beat Sparta Prague 2-0 at home in Thursday's first leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers third round.

In front of 32,816 spectators at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, head coach Vladimir Milojevic's men produced the club's best European performance in years and could have gained a bigger advantage.