KB News Desk
Red Star Belgrade’s Champions League campaign ended after a 2-0 home loss to Hapoel Be’er Sheva, cutting short South Korea defender Seol Young-woo’s opportunity to play on Europe’s biggest club stage.
Red Star entered Wednesday’s second leg trailing 1-0 and was eliminated 3-0 on aggregate. The Serbian champion will now enter the UEFA Europa League qualifying playoffs.
Seol played the full match, but Red Star suffered a major setback when coach Dejan Stankovic was sent off in the 57th minute for protesting a referee’s decision. Be’er Sheva scored soon afterward and later added a second goal. Red Star’s Mohammad Abu Fani was also dismissed in stoppage time.
The defeat renewed scrutiny of Stankovic’s European record. Despite winning four Serbian league titles and three domestic cups as Red Star coach, he has repeatedly struggled in Champions League qualifying. The club was eliminated three consecutive times during his first tenure, while it reached the Champions League proper in both seasons after his departure.
Serbian outlet Sportal suggested pressure from those previous failures contributed to Stankovic’s tense behavior.
The elimination is also a setback for Seol, who could have gained greater exposure to clubs in stronger European leagues. He has started all seven of Red Star’s competitive matches this season and recorded an assist in the previous qualifying round.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
