Sheriff Tiraspol qualify dramatically for Champions League playoffs

Sheriff Tiraspol have qualified on penalty shootout (6-5) for the Champions League playoff round by defeating hosts Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, Info-Prim Neo reports. This result secures a place for Sheriff at least in the Europa League groups. Dinamo were seen as the favorites in the second leg, after a favorable 1-1 draw at Tiraspol. But Sheriff mustered all their efforts and showed a great game, despite the absence of their captain Vazha Tarkhnishvili. Serbian Vladimir Volkov gave Sheriff an early lead on the 16 minutes, but Dinamo equalized through Sammir following a controversial penalty kick. In added time, Sheriff lost their incisiveness, but showed a great defense game, with their Bulgarian goalie Vladimir Stojanov making a couple of great saves. Stojanov also did great in the shootout, saving the goal twice. The 18-year-old Artem Khachaturov was responsible for the final kick and he didn’t miss the target, taking his team to the Champions League playoffs. In the playoff round, the Tiraspol-based club will play with one of the following teams – Basel, Anderlecht, FC Copenhagen, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, and Sparta. A defeat will send them to the Europa League group.