'I turned on Ceefax, saw we'd drawn Red Star Belgrade, and almost fainted'

What the report says

BBC Sport NI reports that Larne, the Irish Premiership champions, are preparing to host Red Star Belgrade at Inver Park on Tuesday, 21 July, in the first leg of a Champions League second qualifying round tie. The return leg is scheduled for Wednesday, 29 July. The fixture has prompted comparisons with Portadown’s 1991 European Cup meeting with the same club, when Red Star were holders of Europe’s top club trophy.

According to the BBC, former Portadown defender Alfie Stewart recalled learning through Ceefax that his side had drawn the reigning European champions, describing the shock and excitement of the moment. Portadown, managed by Ronnie McFall after back-to-back Irish League titles, lost 8-0 on aggregate: 4-0 in the first leg in Szeged, Hungary, and 4-0 again at Shamrock Park. The first match was moved from Belgrade because of the worsening security situation in the former Yugoslavia.

Stewart told the BBC that Red Star’s players were physically and technically superior, saying the challenge was daunting but one to embrace. He remembered a loud, hostile atmosphere in Hungary and singled out Sinisa Mihajlovic, who scored two late free-kicks, as an outstanding performer. Darko Pancev, then one of Europe’s leading strikers, was among Red Star’s scorers in the second leg.

The article frames Larne’s tie as part of a rare Irish League link with one of European football’s most decorated clubs. It also highlights how Portadown’s 1991 matches remain a landmark occasion for supporters who saw the European champions visit Shamrock Park.