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Koulouris 66', Fornalczyk 90'+5)

Linfield captain Matthew Clarke lost the ball in front of his own net to Luka Zahović and was so forced to bring down the son of Slovenia legend Zlatko in the
area, with former Hull City veteran Kamil Grosicki subsequently scoring from the
spot. Portuguese midfielder João Gamboa tapped in a corner kick to make it two.
Linfield pulled one back after Pogoń's Croatian keeper Dante Stipica had spilled
a free-kick: https://giphy.com/media/FKsaHyUljinxLGZnXI/giphy.gif
but Mariusz Malec soon restored the lead after a corner kick. Greek striker Efthymis Koulouris, a recent flop in Austria with LASK, swept in Pogoń's fourth,
and even though the Northern Irish weren't without their chances, scored two offside goals, and once more pulled one back thanks to Ben Hall's fine volley: https://giphy.com/media/3QACQXVhNxFm1HGQlF/giphy.gif
the tie was all but decided in stoppage time when Mariusz Fornalczyk tapped in a Grosicki cross.


FK Sutjeska (MNE)* v FC Santa Coloma (AND) 2-0 (1-0)
(Šaletić 24', Striković 73')

Unspectacular but important win for Montenegro who provisorily leave the bottom five in the UEFA ranking, just ahead of Wales and Andorra.


FK Željezničar (BIH) v Neftçi PFK (AZE)* 2-2 (1-1)
(Haračić 14', Amoah 45'+8; Kosorić 44' (og), Hacıyev 90'+5)

Dženan Haračić headed in Nedim Mekić's cross, but Željezničar captain Aleksandar
Kosorić unluckily deflected Emin Mahmudov's shot past his own keeper: https://giphy.com/media/86hdOEe479oE1uPA16/giphy.gif
Young Ghanaian forward Joseph Amoah gave the Bosnians the lead again after some good passing: https://giphy.com/media/WqRA2GNVQTkPw8ieuA/giphy.gif
but very late Željo keeper Mulalić slapped away a corner kick, only to see Rəhman Hacıyev's follow-up volley nestle perfectly in the top corner of the net.
Great goal: https://giphy.com/media/ZIyiG3XOtMRXDEbQp9/giphy.gif

Just as with Georgia, this isn't the first time we see a Bosnian team conceding deep in stoppage time.


Crusaders FC (NIR) v Rosenborg BK (NOR)* 2-2 (1-2)
(Lowry 11', Reitan 74' (og); Holse 30', Sæter 42' (pen))

A rare occasion, there were two European matches being played simultaneously in Belfast that evening - Linfield took the field in Windsor Park while Crusaders hosted Rosenborg five kilometres to the north in their much much smaller Seaview
ground. Philip Lowry volleyed Crusaders in front after little more than ten minutes, but Carlo Horse's wicked shot: https://giphy.com/media/buxNzY9a4mD3vvNE2L/giphy.gif
and a harsh penalty turned the match around already before the break. Still, the
plucky Northern Irish got a deserved equaliser when a long-distance drive by their
captain Billy Joe Burns was unluckily deflected in by Erlend Dahl Reitan: https://giphy.com/media/HC2jOWE8GP2tu5LLKN/giphy.gif

Not altogether a surprising result, as Rosenborg have been in crisis mode for a couple of months now, have fired their manager Kjetil Rekdal, and only recently have begun to distance themselves a bit from the relegation zone in the Norwegian
league.


KF Shkupi (MKD)* v PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) 0-2 (0-1)
(Welton Felipe 31', Ronaldo 90'+4)

Levski were the only Bulgarian team to celebrate a win, thanks to three of their
numerous Brazilians - Welton Felipe rifled in Ricardinho's assist, and Ronaldo - I'm not exactly sure this one will ever be as famous as his namesakes - late on
tapped in a corner kick.

Unfortunately there were major fan clashes surrounding this match as well, with dozens of arrests. Something about Bulgarians fighting Macedonians fighting Albanians fighting Bulgarians. or the other way round.



Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

[continued from previous message]

made his namesake proud twenty-five years ago: https://giphy.com/media/SXIXgXstlJc6AH9Qot/giphy.gif


FC LUZERN (SUI) v Djurgårdens IF (SWE)* 1-1 (1-1), 3-2 on aggregate
(Burch 27'; Asoro 45'+6)

The last nail in the Swedish coffin came at the hands of notorious European underachivers Luzern. Joel Asoro finished off a quick break to cancel out Marco Burch's opener, but despite their superiority in the second half a second goal eluded the team that last year had won their Conference League group.

Sweden are the highest-ranked league to have already lost all three Conference League entries, and Häcken's CL qualifiers exit against Klaksvík means they're not
yet guaranteed to play in a group phase either.


Dundalk FC (IRL)* v KA (ISL) 2-2 (1-1), 3-5 on aggregate
(Martin 33', Sloggett 89'; Edmundsson 14', Steingrímsson 81' (pen))

Jóan Símun Edmundsson, the only Faroese player in the history of the German Bundesliga (five matches, one goal with Arminia Bielefeld three years ago), has just signed with the team from Akureyri, and he got the early opener from a route
one attack. John Martin headed in the equaliser, but Hallgrimur Steingrimsson's late penalty decided the tie for good. Gregory Sloggett at least salvaged a coefficient point, again with a header.


Haverfordwest County AFC (WAL)* v B36 (FAR) 1-1 aet (0-0, 1-0), 2-3 on aggregate
(Fawcett 66'; Benjaminsen 100' (pen))

Ben Fawcett tapped in from close range after a free-kick had been headed down across goal, but in extra time Fawcett was also adjudged to have handled the ball
and so caused the penalty that sent the last remaining Welsh team crashing out of
Europe, which means that the Cymru Premier will drop into the Bottom Five and lose
a European entry.


LEGIA WARSZAWA (POL)* v FC Ordabasy (KAZ) 3-2 (2-0), 5-4 on aggregate
(Wszołek 18', Ribeiro 42', Pekhart 71'; Sadovsky 57', Malyi 84')

Probably a bit closer than Legia would have liked. Paweł Wszołek beat Ordabasy
keeper Shayzada from a tight angle: https://giphy.com/media/T6xOVE3HLMQtAEpHbi/giphy.gif
and Legia scored their second when Josué's free-kick got tangled in the wall, Jędrzejczyk's follow-up volley was miraculously pushed against the crossbar by Shayzada, and Portuguese left-back Yuri Ribeiro finally tapped the ball over the
line. But the Kazakhs pulled one back thanks to a good run by Temirlan Yerlanov who provided the cross that Belarusian forward Vesvolod Sadovsky swept in: https://giphy.com/media/WIQGkxYjYvB7gUhMzf/giphy.gif
Veteran striker Tomáš Pekhart scored the third on the break, but once more the
Kazakhs got back into the game when Serhiy Malyi headed in a corner kick, and so
things remained a bit tense until the final whistle.


DEBRECENI VSC (HUN) v FC Alashkert (ARM)* 1-2 aet (0-1, 1-2), 2-2 on aggregate, Debrecen win 3-1 on penalties
(Dzsudszák 77'; Ustinov 18', Mimito Biai 67'; Red Card: Kutalia (Ala) 87')

Debrecen also probably would have imagined their task to be easier, but Vitali Ustinov's header from a corner kick levelled the aggregate score already early on,
and Bissau-Guinean international Mimito Biai even put the Armenians in front following good work by Georgian forward Levan Kutalia: https://giphy.com/media/ilWORK3MDd4vVc3upL/giphy.gif
Balazs Dzsudzsák aka 'The Dude' of long ago Miniger fame, 36 by now, saved Debrecen's hide when he volleyed in a cross by Frenchman Brandon Domingues. Alashkert were then being reduced to ten due to Kutalia's reckless challenge against Domingues, but with Debrecen producing three incredible misses in extra time the Armenians managed to drag the match into the shoot-out - where they promptly missed the first two spot kicks, and finally a third.


Vitória SC (POR)* v NK CELJE (SLO) 0-1 aet (0-0, 0-1), 4-4 on aggregate, Celje win 4-2 on penalties
(Bajde 65')

Albert Riera's side levelled the overall score when following some confusion after
a corner kick Gregor Bajde nodded in from close range. In the shoot-out the first
two Vitória players missed, and that's exactly why Portugal is no longer competing
for fifth spot in the UEFA ranking. No cheap Conference League points for them.




Draw for Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round (August 10 and 17) Winners go to ECLPO


Champions Path
(no seeding)

Ħamrun Spartans FC (MLT) v Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
FCV Farul Constanța (ROM) v FC Flora (EST)
Valmiera FC (LAT) v FK Partizani (ALB)

KF Ballkani (KOS) v Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)
FK Struga (MKD) v FC Swift Hesper (LUX)



Main Path
* = seeded team


AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) v Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (ISR)*
Sabah FK (AZE) v FK Partizan (SRB)*
ACS Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe (ROM)* v FC Aktobe (KAZ)
SK Rapid Wien (AUT)* v Debreceni VSC (HUN)

HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) v PAOK FC (GRE)*
FC Santa Coloma (AND) v AZ (NED)*
NK Celje (SLO)* v FC Neman Grodno (BLR)
Beşiktaş JK (TUR)* v Neftçi PFK (AZE)

AC Omonoia (CYP) v FC Midtjylland (DEN)*
Aris FC (GRE) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)*
Legia Warszawa (POL)* v FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC (ISR)* v PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)

Hibernian FC (SCO) v FC Luzern (SUI)*
FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)* v Gżira United FC (MLT)
FC Arouca (POR)* v SK Brann (NOR)
KAA Gent (BEL)* v MKS Pogoń Szczecin (POL)
Adana Demirspor (TUR)* v NK Osijek (CRO)

B36 (FAR) v HNK Rijeka (CRO)*
FC Twente (NED)* v Riga FC (LAT)
Rosenborg BK (NOR)* v Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)* v NK Maribor (SLO)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)* v KA (ISL)

FC Dila Gori (GEO) v APOEL FC (CYP)*
KKS Lech Poznań (POL)* v FC Spartak Trnava (SLK)
FC FCSB (ROM)* v FC Nordsjælland (DEN)
FC Tobol (KAZ)* v Derry City FC (IRL)
FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)* v FC Pyunik (ARM)



Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)