Belgrade, August 1 (uefa.com) - The Yugoslavian champions FC Red Star crept past Omonia FC 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a 2-1 UEFA Champions League second-leg win in Belgrade (first lef result: 1-1).
Milenko Acimovic's majestic free-kick eleven minutes from time proved decisive in defeating the Cypriots to set up a meeting with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the third round.
After a 1-1 draw in Cyprus, both sides began cautiously, and if anything it was Omonia who looked the more dangerous. Red Star dominated possession, but they struggled to find any kind of fluency, and the best chance of the opening period fell to Omonia forward Vesko Michailovic who blasted just wide from an indirect free-kick on 26 minutes.
Red Star were jeered off at half-time, but it was a different team who came out after the break. Mihajlo Pjanovic and Darko Spalevic both went close before the breakthrough arrived on 52 minutes when the elegant Branko Boskovic set up Leo Lerinc, who fired home from a difficult angle.
That was the signal for a Red Star storm, and for five frantic minutes shots rained in on the Cypriot goal. Acimovic struck a post, but the ball just refused to go in. And against the run of play, Omonia equalised on 71 minutes through Constantinos Kaiafas, who popped up at the back to turn home a free-kick.
In response, Red Star poured forward, and finally Acimovic found the winner, whipping the ball home from 25 metres.
