The highly-anticipated clash between Shelbourne and Linfield was the highlight of the day's play. In what was a battle between the champions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, it was always going to be a must-watch game.
It was the Shels who carried much of the opening half, amassing eight shots, though only two were on target. They thought they won a penalty in the 23rd minute as the referee initially pointed to the spot after Linfield's Ben Hall handled the ball in the box. However, after consulting VAR, the decision was overturned.
Linfield, who had just four attempts in the 90 minutes, did well to keep their Irish opponents frustrated. Yet, they would concede just before the hour mark. Ademipo Odubeko was the one to control Sean Boyd's pass before firing it past Chris Johns to give Shelbourne the lead.
While the visitors did come out and try to attack after going behind, they had only one shot in the whole second half. Shelbourne were able to continue pushing for more, but will have to settle for the 1-0 first leg lead. Linfield will have it all to do next Tuesday at home if they are to advance from this round as they did in their last appearance three years ago.
The opening match of Wednesday's play ended in Zalgiris' favour, as two second half goals saw the Lithuanian champions past Malta's Hamrun Spartans 2-0. The side from Vilnius made the UEFA Conference League group stage in 2022/23.
Bulgarian regulars Ludogorets edged Dinamo Minsk 1-0 in their game. Filip Kaloc struck three minutes from time to give the hosts the victory. Next Wednesday's decider will be in Hungary, as Belarusian teams are not allowed to play continental home games in their own country.
FCSB won the other game, beating Andorran outfit Inter Club d'EscaldesInter Club d'Escaldes 3-1 at home. The Romanians, who achieved European Cup glory four decades ago, went up 3-0 before they conceded midway through the second half. In fact, Inter's Andres Mohedano failed to convert a penalty an hour in, while Sascha Andreu had a goal chalked off for offside near the end.
All 14 UCL first qualfiying round ties will be decided next week.
Follw all of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers on Flashscore.