Champions League starts: First qualifying winners

The 2017/18 UEFA Champions League season is under way with Alashkert, Hibernians and now Linfield among the first qualifying round first-leg winners.

Just 24 days on from Real Madrid lifting the trophy in Cardiff, and with under 11 months to go until the 2018 final in Kyiv, the action began when Armenia's Alashkert beat Andorra's Santa Coloma 1-0 through Uros Nenadovich's goal.

Later on Tuesday, Trepça '89 made Kosovo's debut in a UEFA men's club football competition but despite a Fiton Hajdari goal they lost 2-1 to Víkingur in the Faroe Islands. Hibernians of Malta defeated Estonian challengers FCI Tallinn 2-0 while Gibraltar's Europa won 2-1 away to Welsh champions The New Saints despite a superb individual strike by Scott Quigley.

In Wednesday's solitary tie, Northern Irish title holders Linfield needed substitute and debutant Jordan Stewart's 89th-minute strike to secure a 1-0 advantage against San Marinese counterparts La Fiorita. Aaron Burns had earlier had a penalty saved by Gianluca Vivan. Celtic await the winners in the second qualifying round, for which the draw is already made.

• Click on the match links for full details
  

Alashkert and FC Santa Coloma kicked off the season©Asatur Yesayants

Tuesday
Alashkert 1-0 FC Santa Coloma
Víkingur 2-1 Trepça '89
Hibernians 2-0 FCI Tallinn
The New Saints 1-2 Europa
Wednesday
Linfield 1-0 La Fiorita

• Second legs on 4 July

Second qualifying round draw (11/12 & 18/29 July)
APOEL (CYP) v Dudelange (LUX)
Žalgiris (LTU) v Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)
Qarabağ (AZE) v Samtredia (GEO)
Partizan (SRB) v Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
Hibernians (MLT)/FCI Tallinn (EST) v Salzburg (AUT)
Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) v Kukës (ALB)
Astana (KAZ) v Spartaks Jūrmala (LVA)
BATE Borisov (BLR) v Alashkert (ARM)/FC Santa Coloma (AND)
Žilina (SVK) v København (DEN)
Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) v Honvéd (HUN)
Rijeka (CRO) v The New Saints (WAL)/Europa (GIB)
Malmö (SWE) v Vardar (MKD)
Zrinjski (BIH) v Maribor (SVN)
Dundalk (IRL) v Rosenborg (NOR)
FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL) v Víkingur (FRO)/Trepça '89 (KOS)
Linfield (NIR)/La Fiorita (SMR) v Celtic (SCO)
IFK Mariehamn (FIN) v Legia Warszawa (POL)

ROAD TO KYIV: FULL 2017/18 SEASON CALENDAR