Red Star Belgrade 3 Cork City 0:(Cork lose 4-0 on agg): Cork City's dream of heading to the San Siro to meet Italian giants AC Milan came to an abrupt this evening when they were comprehensively beaten by former European champions Red Star Belgrade at the Crvena Zvezda Stadium.
The 1991 champions took a 1-0 lead from the first leg at Turner's Cross last week into tonight's Champions League Second Qualifying round and wasted little time in putting the fixture beyond Damian Richardson's men.
The Serbian league and cup winners took just two minutes and 23 seconds to ease into the comfort zone and take a two-goal aggregate advantage.
Cork were slow to deal with a free-kick into the box and when the ball was only half cleared it fell to Dejan Milovanovic 30 yards out and he scored with a tremendous right-foot volley high into Mick Devine's net.
It was a stunning start by Red Star who were backed by a passionate 30,000 crowd inside the bowl-shaped Crvena Zvezda Stadion in downtown Belgrade.
Cork's pre-match plan of trying to keep the tie goalless for half an hour and playing on the counter attack vanished in a blur with Milovanovic's beauty.
It gave the home team a two-goal cushion on the night, effectively ended Cork's lingering Champions League dream and booked Red Star a trip to the San Siro to play Italian giants AC Milan in the third qualifying round next week.
Cork, who struggled to get control of the ball in the opening quarter, had Alan Bennett booked after just six minutes.
After 15 minutes the Red Star ultras were waving white handkerchiefs at the opposition in a prolonged show of defiance - they knew they had the match won.
Bulgarian international Blagoy Georgiev crossed for Nebojsa Joksimovic midway through the first half - but he headed just wide.
Two minutes later, the pony-tailed Georgiev dragged a shot across the face of Devine's goal but wide of the far post.
Red Star made it 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate when 6ft 8in striker Nikola Zigic stooped to head home Marko Perovic's cross after the ball ran between Devine and Dusan Djokic inside the box.
Cork had Roy O'Donovan booked for a foul on Georgiev on 37 minutes before Zigic went close with a shot which was deflected up and over the bar by Alan Bennett's interception.
Cork's best chance fell to Denis Behan but his header was saved by Ivan Randjelovic in the 51st minute before Zigic made it 3-0 on the hour with a bullet far post header following a cross from Dusan Basta.
Cork came close to a consolation goal with six minutes to go when Bosnian midfielder Admir Softic had a header from Neale Fenn's corner come back off the bar.