Chisinau - The Slovenian football champions Maribor were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League qualifying as they lost to the Moldovan champions FC Sheriff by losing 0:1 in the second leg of the second round of qualifying in Chisinau on Tuesday. The only goal in the match was scored by Momo Yansane in the closing minutes of the match.

After a goalless draw at home in Maribor last week, Maribor were in a bad position in Moldova, as they also arrived for the decisive match on the road in a depleted line-up, with a number of key players out due to injuries.

They managed to fend off all the attacks from the home team up until the 88th minute, when Yansane, a Guinean national who came off the bench, took advantage of confusion before the Maribor goal to score the only goal of the match and take his club to the next round.

Maribor have been relegated to the UEFA Europa League, where they will play in the third qualifying round with HJK Helsinki from Finland. The first match will be played on 4 August in Maribor, and the return leg is scheduled for 11 August in Helsinki.