<!--Article Start--> <h3 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Four-time European champions Ajax have been eliminated at the third qualifying round stage of the Champions League after a humiliating 3-2 second-leg defeat to Rapid Vienna on Tuesday as Monaco advanced with a 4-0 win over Swiss side Young Boys.</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify">After a 2-2 first-leg draw in the Austrian capital last week, Ajax were strong favourites to progress to the play-off round, but they suffered a torturous night at the Amsterdam Arena.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Frank de Boer's men let a two-goal lead slip at the Ersnt-Happel Stadion last week and the visitors -- seemingly buoyed by that comeback -- started where they left off last week.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Slovenian international Robert Beric -- the scorer of Rapid's equaliser in the first leg -- tormented Ajax again as he put the Austrian side in front after 12 minutes before Louis Schaub doubled their lead before half-time.</p> . <p style="text-align: justify">Ajax, who had reached the group stages in each of the last four seasons, hauled themselves back into the match and levelled the aggregate scores at 4-4 thanks to goals by Polish international Arkadiusz Milik and Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But just as the tie seemed set for extra time, Rapid Vienna -- who last reached the Champions League group stages in the 2005/06 season -- struck a decisive blow after 77 minutes via Schaub's second goal of the night.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Rapid progress to the play-off round after a 5-4 aggregate victory.</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Monaco ran riot against Young Boys</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify">Last season's quarter-finalists Monaco are into the play-off round after a thumping 4-0 second-leg win over Swiss side Young Boys.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The Ligue 1 side -- who reached the 2004 final where they were beaten by Portuguese giants Porto -- were already 3-1 up from last week's first leg in Bern and finished the job handsomely at the Stade Louis II thanks to a blistering second-half display.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"I liked our performance. We managed to put our game plan into practice - to contain the opposition at first, then counter-attack after we scored the first goal," said Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"We took control of the game. The first half was very good from a strategic perspective. Our goal was to not concede before half-time and force our opponent to attack. That's exactly what happened."</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Young Boys, who were semi-finalists of the European Cup back in 1958/59, retained some hope of getting back into the tie with the second leg goalless at half-time.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But Monaco -- third in Ligue 1 last season -- struck four times in 23 devastating second-half minutes to inflict a crushing 7-1 aggregate defeat on the Swiss capital club.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Ivan Cavaleiro -- a big-money summer arrival from Portuguese champions Benfica -- curled in a superb opener after 54 minutes before further goals from Layvin Kurzawa, Anthony Martial and another new signing Stephan El Shaarawy saw Monaco run riot.</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Dinamo Zagreb survive Molde's thrilling comeback</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify">Meanwhile, Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb survived a thrilling comeback by Norwegian side Molde to progress on away goals after a 3-3 second-leg draw.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">With the tie level after a 1-1 draw in Zagreb last week, the visitors looked to be out of sight after scoring three goals in the opening 22 minutes at the Molde Stadion.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The Norwegian champions -- who missed two penalties and had Vegard Forren sent off -- hit back with three second-half goals to leave Zagreb hanging on, but the hosts couldn't get the fourth goal that would have put them through at the visitors' expense.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Cyriot champions APOEL remain on course for a second successive appearance in the group stages despite a 1-0 second-leg loss to Danish champions FC Midtjylland in scorching heat in Nicosia.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">In temperatures of 35 degrees celsius, the Cypriots -- who played for an hour with ten men after Vinicius' straight red card -- were beaten by Erik Sviatchenko's early goal but progressed on away goals after a 2-1 first-leg success last week.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>By AFP</strong></p> <!--Article End-->