The Full Time Report -- Ep.78: Europe wakes up, Liverpool's gaps, and Fatawu's fresh start

The World Cup has barely finished, and European club football is already back on the clock. Tuesday brought a full batch of Champions League qualifying results, with a few proper statements from teams who clearly did not fancy easing themselves into the new season. The biggest score on the BBC Sport results page was Sturm Graz four, Hearts nil. That is a rough night for the Scottish visitors, and a very useful start for Sturm. Red Star Belgrade also put four past Larne without reply. Lech Poznan won four-one away at AGF, while Mjallby beat Lincoln Red Imps three-nil. There was a bit more resistance elsewhere. Ararat-Armenia beat Shamrock Rovers two-nil. Slovan Bratislava won away at Iberia nineteen ninety-nine by two goals to nil. Sabah edged KuPS one-nil, and Fenerbahce beat Gornik Zabrze by the same score. Thun drew one-one with Dinamo Zagreb, KI and Kauno Zalgiris finished goalless, and Vikingur Reykjavik beat Hapoel Be'er Sheva two-one. That is the sort of night that tells you why qualifying can be so awkward. For the bigger names, it is a chance to get up to speed before the money and the attention arrive. For the smaller clubs, it is the biggest stage they may see all season, and one good result can change the mood around the whole place. A four-nil defeat changes it as well, of course. Hearts and Larne now have a lot of work to do. Sturm Graz were the most emphatic of the lot. Four goals, a clean sheet, and a tie that suddenly looks very difficult for Hearts to turn around. Red Star made the same kind of point in Northern Ireland. Lech were the other side to catch the eye, putting four past AGF after conceding once. The results came from the second qualifying round, which is still a long way from the glamorous part of the Champions League. There are more rounds to navigate, and there are clubs in this part of the draw who have already been working for weeks just to reach this point. It is early, but these are not meaningless games. They are the first serious tests of the club season. The Conference League had three completed matches on Tuesday too. Levadia beat IFK Goteborg two-one, Floriana drew one-one with Drita, and Gyor ETO won six-two at Atert Bissen. Gyor's result is the one that will travel furthest. Six away from home gives you a very comfortable way to spend the next week, even if football has a habit of making simple ties feel complicated.