Europa League Play-Off, 2nd leg
Teams in CAPITALS (except KÍ) through to EL group phase, losers go to ECL group phase
* = Priority 1 (teams entering at this stage except Lugano) - 6 teams
** = Priority 2 (teams eliminated in CLQ3 Champions Path) - 6 teams
*** = Priority 3 (winners of ELQ3 Champions Path) - 5 teams
**** = Priority 4 (winners of ELQ3 Main Path + Lugano) - 3 teams
August 31
QARABAĞ FK (AZE)*** v NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SLO)** 1-1 (1-1), 3-1 on aggregate
(Bayramov 24' (pen); Pinto 36')
A foul by Aljaž Krefl on Cape Verde international Leandro Andrade led to a penalty
despatched by Toral Bayramov, but the Slovenian champions soon equalised through
one of their Portuguese contingent as former Casa Pia midfielder Diogo Pinto curled in a great shot from just inside the box. Who knows if things would have gone differently for the Slovenians if just before the break a penalty for Olimpija hadn't been chalked off following a VAR check, but as it was the Azeri had everything under control in the second half.
FC Zorya Luhansk (UKR)* v SK SLAVIA PRAHA (CZE)**** 2-1 (2-0), 2-3 on aggregate (Alefirenko 32', Antiukh 41'; Jurásek 83')
This was played in Lublin in Eastern Poland, and Zorya surprisingly made up the first-leg deficit already inside the first forty minutes - Danyil Alefirenko beat
Ondřej Kolář with a great strike from twenty-five metres:
https://giphy.com/media/P8aeZqZjO0W9nriRxB/giphy.gif
and Slavia's keeper also got egg on his face when he let himself surprise at his
near post by Denys Antyukh's shot:
https://giphy.com/media/VzGDjOvtii747y549q/giphy.gif
The Czechs woke up in the second half and had more chances, but they were also lucky that Kolář made amends for his earlier mistake when he managed to block Roman Vantukh's effort from the shortest of ranges:
https://giphy.com/media/Md5dL70xwQRsfPfi0x/giphy.gif
In the end the substitute Matěj Jurásek sent Slavia into the Europa League group
stage when he headed in Lukáš Masopust's cross:
https://giphy.com/media/yU6N4o6Ll5ehLSPpEo/giphy.gif
and a few minutes from time Kolář also parried once more one-on-one against Zorya
youngster Ihor Horbach.
FC SHERIFF (MDA)*** v KÍ (FAR)** 2-1 (1-1), 3-2 on aggregate
(Luvannor 16' (pen), Zohouri 74'; Kassi 34')
Awwww. A harsh penalty for René Joensen's push against Cape Verde international
João Paulo Fernandes gave the Transnistrians the lead, but in an even game KÍ's
Ivorian striker Luc Kassi got the equaliser when he headed in a corner kick by the
indefatigable Árni Frederiksberg. The decisive moment of the tie came fifteen minutes from the end when on occasion of Jerome Ngom Mbekeli's ball over the top
the unlucky Joensen, plagued by a pulled muscle, lost his man Armel Zohouri, and
the young Ivorian found himself alone in front of KÍ keeper Johansson to poke the
ball in:
https://giphy.com/media/oeefgtHs6wxdM5IRiP/giphy.gif
ARIS LIMASSOL FC (CYP)** v ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SLK)** 6-2 (3-1), 7-4 on aggregate
(Gomis 21', 45'+7, 51', Szöke 24', Mayambela 67', Brown 72'; Strelec 37', Barseghyan 89')
The Cypriots dominated from the start, and after Milan Borjan had already been called into action a number of times they deservedly went in front through their
Senegalese forward Yannick Gomis who volleyed in Jaden Montnor's cross at the far
post:
https://giphy.com/media/3D2XXsDKPew6MTiwBO/giphy.gif
A Slovakian then gave Aris the aggregate lead against the Slovakian champions, as Július Szöke latched onto Mariusz Stępiński's assist:
https://giphy.com/media/RTOBQiqlTfO3lDjlzy/giphy.gif
David Strelec levelled the aggregate score once more when he chipped Juraj Kucka's
excellent through ball over Aris's Brazilian keeper Vaná:
https://giphy.com/media/tMXJzHjwyM8WbCgNdo/giphy.gif
but Slovan didn't manage to protect this result until half-time, as deep in stoppage time Gomis headed in Cajú's corner kick:
https://giphy.com/media/Zi662S1pLu60mwdjhE/giphy.gif
Gomis completed his hat trick after the break as he volleyed into the empty net after a great shot by South African international Mihlali Mayambela (not a single
Cypriot on the pitch for Aris) had come off the crossbar:
https://giphy.com/media/Szi16Gie3X5R5FAoJn/giphy.gif
Borjan's woefully mishit goal kick then led to Caju finding himself alone in on goal, and while the Brazilian's first attempt came off the post and his second was
parried by Borjan, this time it was Mayambela who was on hand to tap into the gaping net:
https://giphy.com/media/pjDCwD9hUdp2YvBRaL/giphy.gif
Englishman Morgan Brown, who had made his way to Cyprus from Leicester's academy,
finished off another break to make it six:
https://giphy.com/media/9Vd8zq2RNp2oFz1fRo/giphy.gif
and Tigran Barseghyan's late goal from distance made the overall result only slightly more palatable for Slovan:
https://giphy.com/media/lTikSUlpuKVx436hPg/giphy.gif
Already the second time in this qualifying season that Aris win a home leg 6-2, they had already done so against BATE Borisov. Quite the successful second ever European campaign for the maiden Cypriot champions.
AC SPARTA PRAHA (CZE)** v GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)** 4-1 (2-1), 5-4 on aggregate (Haraslín 2', Sørensen 24', Panák 67', Olatunji 87'; Baturina 71')
The match started badly for the Croatians when after just 110 seconds Lukáš Haraslín sent Sadegh Moharrami on his backside and curled a shot past Dinamo's new
number one Ivan Nevistić:
https://giphy.com/media/vLWre5fw2RZrZOe50L/giphy.gif Asger Sørensen (I had completely forgotten that he once had been for years a permanently injured part of Salzburg's squad) headed in Kaan Kairinen's cross to
level the aggregate score:
https://giphy.com/media/IBN1PjKQKok6YSkwaW/giphy.gif Dinamo had their chances, among them Robert Ljubičić's one-on-one with Vindahl
that Sparta's Danish keeper managed to block, but the Czechs managed to take the
aggregate lead when Jaroslav Zelený's blocked cross fell to Filip Panák:
https://giphy.com/media/SIiM8IcgDJmcA5UklA/giphy.gif
Dinamo's next promising midfield talent Martin Baturina then emulated Haraslín's
earlier goal and took Sørensen for a spin before firing past Vindahl:
https://giphy.com/media/mwHkBPr5JriTh6Y95v/giphy.gif
but three minutes from time the Czechs won the tie after all when Jakub Pešek juggled a ball over the top of the Croatian defence, and Victor Olatunji beat Boško Šutalo to the punch to push it past Nevistić:
https://giphy.com/media/2mhvj75RHzaeufdeL4/giphy.gif
I guess the loss of Josip Šutalo, Ivanušec, and Livaković before the end of these
qualifiers was too much to compensate for Dinamo, and they will be in a decent position to succeed in the Conference League, but that's still quite the disappointment for a side used to higher laurels.
FK Čukarički (SRB)* v OLYMPIACOS FC (GRE)**** 0-3 (0-2), 1-6 on aggregate (Masouras 34', Biel 45'+1, Retsos 53')
As one-sided as the first leg, it's been a really lacklustre European season for
the Serbian teams so far. Former FC Copenhagen winger Pep Biel waltzed through the
immobile Čukarički defence and in the end left the ball for Georgios Masouras to
slot in Oly's first, and the Spaniard did the same thing roughly ten minutes later, only this time he went for it and beat Čukarički keeper Samurović himself.
Former Leverkusen centre-back Panagiotis Retsos headed in Kostas Fortounis's corner kick for the third.
So Olympiacos, AEK and Panathinaikos will all play in the same competition. I assume this means Europa League matches on Tuesdays.
AFC AJAX (NED)* v PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)*** 0-1 (0-0), 4-2 on aggregate (Tissera 62')
A generous Ajax B side gifted Bulgaria at least some coefficient points. Matías
Tissera tapped in the sole goal at the second attempt from Aslak Witry's cross:
https://giphy.com/media/zpsKKjZKnqWGqedaav/giphy.gif
FC Lugano (SUI)**** v ROYALE UNION SAINT-GILLOISE (BEL)* 0-1 (0-1), 0-3 on aggregate
(Eckert Ayensa 7'; Red Card: Hajdari (Lug) 90'+3)
As their home stadium in Ticino is still far from adequate, Lugano had to play this 220 kilometres away from home in Geneva. Just as in the first leg between the
two German-Spanish forward Dennis Eckert Ayensa gave the Belgians the early lead,
he ran onto a ball over the top by Union's Swiss midfielder Cameron Puertas and chipped over Lugano keeper Deana:
https://giphy.com/media/26MtbtGBXsjv1eWtO0/giphy.gif
Not much happened in the remaining eighty minutes, and in stoppage time Lugano's
young centre-back Albian Hajdari was sent off for a last-man foul.
Aberdeen FC (SCO)* v BK HÄCKEN (SWE)*** 1-3 (0-2), 3-5 on aggregate
(Miovski 56' (pen); Sadiq 14', 41', Layouni 81' (pen))
In a wide open match the Swedish champions took the early lead through Ibrahim Sadiq's rocket:
https://giphy.com/media/2hEmQb2skGUM4bDeJX/giphy.gif
and whereas Aberdeen kept missing chance after chance, and Häcken keeper Abrahamsson pulled off some great saves, the Swedish champions made it two when it
was again Sadiq who ran onto Mikkel Rygaard's through ball:
https://giphy.com/media/3qjm4E2fiaOWoFYu0b/giphy.gif
Early in the second half Häcken's young Serbian striker Srđan Hrstić produced the
mother of all misses when he volleyed high from a metre out, and so Aberdeen were
able to make it a one-goal game when they were awarded a penalty for Tebo Uchenna
häcking (sorry not sorry) down Cape Verde international Duk in the box. I've been
noticing a surprising amount of Cape Verdean players in these qualifiers. Aberdeen
kept pushing for the aggregate equaliser - Miovski alone in front of Abrahamsson
fired woefully wide - but the tie was decided when Häcken got a penalty of their
own after Aberdeen's Serbian centre-back Slobodan Rubežić had unceremoniously felled Sadiq in the box.
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)*** v LINZER ASK (AUT)* 1-1 (1-0), 2-3 on aggregate (Bilbija 38' (pen); Jovičić 52')
In a really poor match by both sides Zrinjski were awarded a strange penalty when
LASK's young keeper Tobias Lawal clattered into Mario Ćuže after making the save -
doesn't playing the ball apply here? Anyway, the Bosnian champions had little to
offer after that, and one fine shot from distance by LASK's Serbian midfielder Branko Jovičić was enough to secure passage into the Europa League group stage:
https://giphy.com/media/QnkxgQ8JExy0fsWKEA/giphy.gif
On current form, LASK will be everybody's dream draw from Pot 2.
Pots for EL Group Stage Draw / September 1 13h00 CEST
Pot 1
West Ham United FC (ENG/TH-ECL) 50.000
Liverpool FC (ENG) 123.000
AS Roma (ITA) 97.000
AFC Ajax (NED) 89.000
Villarreal CF (ESP) 82.000
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) 72.000
Atalanta BC (ITA) 55.500
Rangers FC (SCO) 54.000
Pot 2
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) 52.500
SK Slavia Praha (CZE) 52.000
Stade Rennais FC (FRA) 44.000
Olympiacos FC (GRE) 39.000
Real Betis Balompié (ESP) 37.000
Linzer ASK (AUT) 36.000
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 33.000
Qarabağ FK (AZE/CH) 25.000
Pot 3
Molde FK (NOR/CH) 24.000
Brighton & Hove Albion FC (ENG) 21.914
FC Sheriff (MDA/CH) 19.500
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) 19.000
SC Freiburg (GER) 16.496
AC Sparta Praha (CZE/CH) 14.000
Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR/CH) 13.000
SK Sturm Graz (AUT) 12.500
Pot 4
Toulouse FC (FRA) 12.232
AEK FC (GRE/CH) 11.000
FK TSC (SRB) 6.475
Servette FC (SUI) 6.335
Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 5.045
RKS Raków Częstochowa (POL/CH) 5.000
Aris Limassol FC (CYP/CH) 4.895
BK Häcken (SWE/CH) 4.750
Ciao,
Werner
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