The victorious teams from these two-legged encounters will not only progress to the playoff round later this month but also secure a coveted place in the league phase later in the fall. For the teams that lose, they face a do-or-die matchup in the UEFA Conference League playoff round.
One of the two all-Nordic matchups in this round went SK Brann’s way, as they overcame BK Hacken 2-0 on the road. The home team believed they had taken the lead less than two minutes into the match. However, Isak Brusberg was ruled offside after VAR review.
Brann had a golden opportunity to score first 15 minutes into the game with a penalty. Unfortunately, full-back Joachim Soltvedt missed the shot. It was Saevar Magnusson who saved the day for his team, netting a goal in each half to secure the Norwegians a first leg victory.
Brann, who reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup back in 2007/08, has been eliminated in the UECL playoff round in the last two seasons.
Two of Thursday's matches ended with no goals. In Greece, PAOK Thessaloniki and Wolfsberger were unable to find a winner in a match with few significant opportunities. Panathinaikos and Shakhtar Donetsk also failed to capitalize on their chances as the game ended in a stalemate in Athens.
Only two teams managed to secure home victories. AEK Larnaca achieved an impressive result by scoring three times in the second half. This was sufficient for them to defeat Legia Warsaw 4-1. The Cypriot team will certainly be optimistic about their chances in the return leg.
FCSB was the other team to win at home, coming back from two goals down to defeat Drita 3-2. The Romanians completed the comeback thanks to a Daniel Birligea penalty in the 94th minute, marking his second goal of the match.
In Thursday's other matches, Sporting Braga triumphed 2-1 over CFR Cluj, Utrecht sparked a quick comeback to defeat Servette 3-1, and Midtjylland outperformed Fredrikstad by the same score. Lincoln Red Imps managed a 1-1 draw at home against Noah, while two penalties were crucial in Bosnia as Zrinjski and Breidablik also ended 1-1.
Three of the Europa League matches this week were not played on Thursday. The round began on Tuesday, with Maccabi Tel Aviv defeating Malta's Hamrun Spartans 2-1. Elad Madmon scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Wednesday's results, also both ending 2-1, saw Shelbourne narrowly defeat Rijeka in Croatia, and KuPS hold on for a vital win over RFS.
All of the return legs, with the exception of Shelbourne vs Rijeka (Tuesday), will take place next Thursday. The 13 winners will be joined by five direct entrants in the playoff round, along with the six teams that lost in the Champions League third qualifying round, champions path.
Stay updated on all the UEFA Europa League qualifying action on Flashscore.
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