Swiss team Young Boys beats Red Star 2-0 to secure third place in its Champions League group
A view of the own goal by Belgrade's Kosta Nedeljkovic, during the Champions League group G soccer match between Switzerland's BSC Young Boys and Serbia's FK Red Star Belgrade, at the Wankdorf stadium, in Bern, Switzerland, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. Credit: AP/Anthony Anex
BERN, Switzerland — Swiss team Young Boys secured third place in its Champions League group with a 2-0 win over Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.
It was the first victory for Young Boys in Group G and clinched a spot in the second-tier Europa League knockout round playoffs. Young Boys finished last in its group in two previous appearances at this stage.
Red Star remained winless.
Both Red Star and Young Boys had one point from their previous four games — from their 2-2 draw in Belgrade on Oct. 4 — and were already out of contention for the last 16.
In the group's other game on Tuesday, Manchester City rallied in the second half from two goals down to edge Leipzig 3-2 and secure top place.
Young Boys went ahead early after full back Kosta Nedeljković deflected Loris Benito’s shot into his own goal in what was the first Champions League start for the 17-year-old Nedeljković.
The eighth-minute strike came after Cherif Ndiaye squandered two early scoring chances for the visitors, among many for Red Star in the game.
YB's Lewin Blum, center, celebrates scoring with teammates Loris Benito during the Champions League group G soccer match between Switzerland's BSC Young Boys and Serbia's FK Red Star Belgrade, at the Wankdorf stadium, in Bern, Switzerland, Tuesday Nov. 28, 2023. Credit: AP/Peter Schneider
“We conceded naive goals, but that’s football,” Red Star coach Barak Bakhar said. “We created more chances, we attacked and we didn’t manage to use them.”
Lewin Blum doubled the advantage with a curling left-foot low shot past Red Star goalkeeper Omri Glazer in the 29th.
“As a defender, it’s always important to keep a clean sheet," Blum said. "It’s certainly the first objective and then I got a goal as well, so two objectives completed, plus the fact we won. Perfect. It couldn’t have gone better.”
