From Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer
Europa League Play-off Round 1st Leg
* = seeded team
August 21
FC Midtjylland (DEN)* v KuPS (FIN) 4-0 (2-0)
(Buksa 15', Osorio 19', Brumado 81', 90'+1)
Two early and two late goals made for a comfortable win by FCM against
the Finnish champions. Johannes Kreidl looked quite bad when he let a
shot by Midtjylland's Polish forward Adam Buksa pass straight through
his arms, and Kuopio's Austrian keeper was powerless when Chile
international Dar|!o Osorio cut inside and curled a shot into the far
corner. Kuopio had a couple of good chances to reduce the deficit, but
FCM's Icelandic keeper El|!as Rafn |olafsson pulled off a couple of good
saves, and Brazilian substitute J||nior Brumado scored a brace by first
firing in a banger underneath the crossbar and then nodding in Kevin
Mbabu's very long throw-in from the shortest of ranges.
Malm|| FF (SWE)* v SK Sigma Olomouc (CZE) 3-0 (2-0)
(Hak+iabanovi-c 8', 43', Johnsen 90'+2 (pen))
Malm|| might lose the Swedish title to a 800-souls village in Blekinge,
but they look very good to reach the Europa League proper for the second consecutive year. MFF keeper Robin Olsen had to pull off a great double
save very early on:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504671/107408-Record_2025_08_21_19_06_34_64.mp4
but at the other end Swedish-Montenegrin striker Sead Hak+iabanovi-c soon opened the scoring by firing Taha Ali's through ball past Sigma keeper
Jan Koutn|+:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504671/107411-Record_2025_08_21_19_08_13_912.mp4
A goalmouth scramble after a corner led to Hak+iabanovi-c volleying in his second just before the break:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504671/107452-Record_2025_08_21_19_43_09_194.mp4
The Czechs weren't without their chances and saw a goal disallowed for
offside, but in stoppage time Sigma's Guinean centre-back Abdoulaye
Sylla tripped substitute Emmanuel Ekong from behind, and Lasse Berg
Johnsen converted from the spot.
SK Brann (NOR) v AEK Larnaca FC (CYP)* 2-1 (1-1)
(Myhre 20', Torsvik 90'+3; Angielski 16')
The Cypriots took an early lead when Polish striker Karol Angielski
nodded in Yerson Chac||n's in-swinging cross, but Brann immediately
equalised through Felix Myhre whose shot was deflected by AEK captain
Hrvoje Mili-ievi-c past his helpless keeper Zlatan Alomerovi-c. The
Norwegians should have scored when Alomerovi-c parried a shot by Belgian right-back Denzel De Roeve, and in front of the completely gaping net
Eggert Aron Gu|#mundsson sent the rebound against the left post, but
they still got the winner deep in stoppage time after a misunderstanding between Alomerovi-c and his Nigerian centre-back Godswill Ekpolo allowed
the young substitute Jonas Torsvik to steal in between the two and tap
in.
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (ISR)* v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 3-1 (1-1)
(Peretz 12', 69', Yehezkel 58'; Voloshyn 32';
Red Card: Vivcharenko (Dyn) 50')
In torrential rain in Ba-ika Topola Maccabi opened the scoring through
Dor Peretz who ran onto Sagiv Yehezkel's assist into the box and
unleashed a shot that beat Dynamo keeper Ruslan Neshcheret from a tight
angle:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504673/107593-Record_2025_08_21_22_30_39_966.mp4
At the other end Vladyslav Vanat likewise played an excellent through
ball into the area and Nazar Voloshyn beat Maccabi keeper Mishpati via
the inside of the post:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504673/107594-Record_2025_08_21_22_31_16_994.mp4
Things started to go pear-shaped for the Ukrainians when a VAR check
determined Konstantyn Vivcharenko's sliding tackle to have been worthy
of a red card, a pretty harsh decision, and the Israeli soon made their numerical superiority count - Osher Davida found Belgium-born Serbian midfielder Kristijan Beli-c with a perfectly weighted pass into the box,
and the Alkmaar loanee sent the ball across for Yehezkel to tap in at
the far post:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504673/107595-Record_2025_08_21_22_31_47_788.mp4
Peretz collected Roy Revivo's pass and side-stepped both Denys Popov and Neshcheret to fire in the third.
KF Shk|2ndija (MKD) v PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)* 2-1 (1-1)
(Latifi 35', Ibraimi 60'; Duarte 17')
Dutch-born Cape Verde international Deroy Duarte gave Ludogorets the
lead with an angled shot from just inside the box:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504674/107566-Record_2025_08_21_21_49_43_576.mp4
but the Northern Macedonian champions equalised with an absolute banger, veteran midfielder Liridon Latifi fired a free-kick from thirty metres
into the top corner:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504674/107588-Record_2025_08_21_22_21_40_688.mp4
Shk|2ndija's indefatigable captain Besart Ibraimi, going on 39, scored
the winner by collecting Latifi's assist with a deft touch before
slotting past Ludogorets's Dutch keeper Sergio Padt:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504674/107589-Record_2025_08_21_22_23_13_469.mp4
This win all but moves North Macedonia out of the Bottom Five in the
UEFA ranking (at Montenegro's expense). Just one more draw needed out
of at least seven remaining games.
Panathinaikos FC (GRE)* v Samsunspor (TUR) 2-1 (0-0)
(Kyriakopoulos 66', Palmer-Brown 74'; T||masson 51')
In Samsunspor's European debut Icelandic striker Logi T||masson gave them
a surprising lead by heading in Emre K-#l-#n|o's corner kick, but after
having hit the woodwork twice Pana equalised from a corner of their own,
with Giorgos Kyriakopoulos volleying in after Tet|-'s delivery had been
flicked on. US boy Erik Palmer-Brown headed in the winner from yet
another Tet|- corner, with Samsunspor keeper Okan Kocuk not reacting well
at all.
H+aK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH) v FC Utrecht (NED)* 0-2 (0-1)
(Min 39' (pen), Jensen 85'; Red Card: Mami-c (Zri) 90'+4)
Zrinjski left-back Petar Mami-c slid in to block Niklas Vesterlund's
cross and he stuck out his arm just far enough to warrant a handball
penalty in the eyes of the Bulgarian referee Kabakov. 50-50 decision,
but David Min made no mistake from the spot. Late on Danish midfielder
Victor Jensen headed in Gjivai Zechi|2l's cross at the far post for
Utrecht's second, and deep in stoppage time the unlucky Mami-c saw a
second yellow.
+aK Slovan Bratislava (SLK) v BSC Young Boys (SUI)* 0-1 (0-1)
(Bedia 15')
Ivorian striker Chris Bedia, on loan from Union Berlin, ran onto
Edimilson Fernandes's assist and held off an ineffective challenge by
Guram Kashia before chipping over Slovan keeper Tak|i-i:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504677/107502-Record_2025_08_21_20_31_38_325.mp4
Slovan would have deserved an equaliser, but three times the ball came
off the woodwork.
KKS Lech Pozna+a (POL)* v KRC Genk (BEL) 1-5 (1-4)
(Jagie+e+eo 19'; Hro+iovsk|+ 10', 25', Heynen 33', Oh 40', Gurgul 48' (og))
Genk's Slovakian mainstay Patrik Hro+iovsk|+ opened the scoring early on
from Zakaria El Ouahdi's lay-off assist, and while Filip Jagie+e+eo
quickly equalised by beating Genk's new Austrian keeper Tobias Lawal
with an angled shot on the break:
https://giphy.com/media/6UHp25fSlKDbLJXAaD/giphy.gif
South Korea international Oh Hyeon-gyu then hit the post for the
Belgians, but Hro+iovsk|+ nevertheless soon got his brace by firing in
Jarne Steuckers's excellent assist:
https://giphy.com/media/yNlnvX0qeJgh4GPj5y/giphy.gif
Bryan Heinen made it three by volleying in from a goalmouth scramble
after a Steuckers corner, and while Oh saw both his penalty and the
rebound effort met with great saves by Lech keeper Bartosz Mrozek the
South Korean still got his goal just two minutes later when he slid in
to stab home Yira Sor's low cross. After the break youngster Micha+e
Gurgul chested a cross by man of the match Steuckers past his own
keeper:
https://giphy.com/media/MhSEpXSzH2RnH6AlIz/giphy.gif
Aberdeen FC (SCO) v FC FCSB (ROM)* 2-2 (0-1)
(Polvara 61', Sokler 90'; B|<rligea 32', Olaru 47';
Red Card: Cisotti (FCSB) 39')
Not-Steaua, who were without three players due to a visa issue, scored
with their first shot on goal - a long ball out of defence led to a two
against two counter attack at the end of which Daniel B|<rligea chipped
past Dons' Bulgarian keeper Dimitar Mitov:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504679/107547-Record_2025_08_21_21_18_04_184.mp4
The Romanians weakened themselves when Juri Cisotti got himself sent off
for a scything tackle from behind on Australian midfielder Nicolas
Milanovi-c, but they still took a two-goal lead right after the break
when a costly misunderstanding between Gavin Molloy and half-time
substitute Mats Knoester led to B|<rligea bursting clear on the right
wing and providing a cross for Dan Olaru to tap in:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504679/107574-Record_2025_08_21_21_54_51_462.mp4
US midfielder Dante Polvara pulled one back for Aberdeen with a great turn-and-shot that went in via the inside of the post:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504679/107584-Record_2025_08_21_22_09_16_648.mp4
and in the last minute Slovenian striker Ester Sokler (yes, Ester is
usually a female given name in Slovenia, too) headed in a corner kick
delivered by former Croatian youth international Ante Palaversa for
the equaliser.
HNK Rijeka (CRO) v PAOK FC (GRE)* 1-0 (1-0)
(Menalo 39')
Just as in the previous round against WAC PAOK hardly threatened the
opponent's net, and Bosnia-Herzegovina international Luka Menalo headed
in a free-kick by Niko Jankovi-c for the only goal.
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) v SC Braga (POR)* 0-4 (0-2)
(G||mez 34', Zalazar 39', 80', V|!ctor 90'+1)
In Faro in Southern Portugal the Gibraltarians acquitted themselves
well and could even have taken the lead when Braga's Czech reserve
keeper Luk|i+i Horn|!-iek saved one-on-one against Tjay De Barr, but during
two spurts of activity the Portuguese heavyweights made their dominance
count. Spanish right-back Victor G||mez headed in Rodrigo Zalazar's
cross, and the Uruguayan scored the next two goals himself, one with an
angled volley and one by lobbing Leonardo Lelo's assist over Imps keeper
Nauzet Santana. Pau V|!ctor did well to control Gabri Mart|!nez's low
cross and beat Santana with a turn-and-volley:
https://media.onlajny.com/media/cs/football/2025/504681/107606-Record_2025_08_21_22_48_59_532.mp4
Ciao,
Werner
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
