Sunday, July 31, 2016

MLS: SKC, RSL, Lions, Reds Win On Five-Draw Sunday

Nine games were contested in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Jacob Peterson scored the only goal of the match in the 50th as Sporting Kansas City defeated the visiting Portland Timbers 1-0.

At Seattle:

Sebastian Lleget's equalizer in the 78th minute lifted the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-1 road draw with the Seattle Sounders in the hosts' first contest of the post-Sigi Schmid era.  Christian Roldan scored in the 49th minute for the Sounders, playing their opening match under interim head coach Brian Schmetzer.

At Frisco, Texas:

Kellyn Acosta (56') and Maximiliano Urruti (59') each scored a second-half goal three minutes apart as FC Dallas blanked the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0.

At Washington:

Hernan Bernardello's equalizer in the 86th minute lifted the Montreal Impact to a 1-1 road draw with DC United.  Patrick Mullins scored for the hosts in the 20th minute.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Matt Polster (OG-16') and Bradley Wright-Phillips (90') each scored once as the New York Red Bulls gained a 2-2 road draw with the Chicago Fire.  David Accam (35') and the aforementioned Matt Polster (45'+2) provided the scoring for the Fire.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Javire Morales scored the winning goal in the 54th minute as Real Salt Lake defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on the road.

At Orlando, Florida:

Kevin Molino scored twice (64', 83') as Orlando City---in Jason Kries' first game as their new head coach, upended the visiting New England Revolution 3-1.

At Toronto:

Tsubasa Endoh (8'), Sebastian Giovinco (24'), and Joey Altidore (87') each delivered a goal as Toronto FC dominated the visiting Columbus Crew 3-0.

At Houston:

Chris Wondolowski's equalizer in the 59th minute lifted the San Jose Earthquakes to a 1-1 road deadlock with the Houston Dynamo.  Alex scored in the second minute of first-half stoppage-time for the struggling hosts.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   New York City FC (GP: 23; GD: 0; PTS: 36)
2.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 23; GD: +8; PTS: 32)
3.   Toronto FC (GP: 21; GD: +5; PTS: 30)
4.   Philadelphia (GP: 22; GD: +1; PTS: 30)
5.   Montreal (GP: 21; GD: +5; PTS: 30)
6.   New England (GP: 22; GD: -8; PTS: 26)
7.   Orlando City SC (GP: 21; GD: -1; PTS: 26)
8.   DC United (GP: 21; GD: -6; PTS: 23)
9.   Columbus (GP: 21; GD: -9; PTS: 19)
10. Chicago (GP: 20; GD: -8; PTS: 18)

NOTES:  With Toronto FC, Philadelphia, and Montreal level on points (30), the Reds and Union each have more wins (8 apiece) than the Impact (7); Toronto FC have the superior goal differential  vis-a-viv Philadelphia (+5, to the Union's +1); with New England and Orlando City level on points (26), the Revolution have more wins than the Lions (6-5).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   FC Dallas (GP: 24; GD: +6; PTS: 44)
2.   Colorado (GP: 21; GD: +5; PTS: 38)
3.   Los Angeles (GP: 21; GD: +15; PTS: 36)
4.   Kansas City (GP: 24; GD: +3; PTS: 34)
5.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 22; GD: 0; PTS: 34)
6.   Vancouver (GP: 23; GD: -4; PTS: 30)
7.   Portland (GP: 23; GD: -1; PTS: 29)
8.   San Jose (GP: 21; GD: -1; PTS: 27)
9.   Seattle (GP: 21; GD: -7; PTS: 21)
10. Houston (GP: 21; GD: -3; PTS: 20)

NOTE: With Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake level on points (34), SKC have more wins than RSL (10-9). 

Saturday, July 30, 2016

MLS: Frank Lampard Leads The Way As Citizens Crush Rapids

At New York:

Frank Lampard delivered his club's first-ever hat trick (28', 81', PK-85') as New York City demolished the visiting Colorado Rapids 5-1 in the lone Saturday Major League Soccer contest.

Fabian Castillo's Departure For Trabzonspor

Is it time for Major League Soccer to scrap its' single-entity structure?

In a nutshell, why not?

This is also a factor in long history of American clubs' failure to win the CONCACAF Champions League title.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Sigi: Out

End of an era in Seattle.

Brian Schmetzer takes over on an interim basis.

This is a club that's been in the playoffs every year in their MLS existance.  It looks like that streak will end this year.

Late Goal Helps Gunners Sink MLS All-Stars In San Jose

At San Jose, California:

In the 21st edition of Major League Soccer's All-Star Game on Thursday, Chuba Akpom scored the winning goal in the 87th minute as Arsenal defeated the MLS All-Stars 2-1.

Joel Campbell also scored for the Gunners with his successfully-converted penalty kick in the 11th minute.

The Montreal Impact's Didier Drogba scored for the MLSers in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, beating his former Chelsea teammate, Gunners goalkeeper Petr Cech in the process.

Europa League Qualifying

The third round of Europa League qualifying commenced on Thursday with 29 games.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Vorskla Poltava gained a series-opening 0-0 road stalemate with Lokomotiva Zagreb.

At Sainte-Etienne, France:

The opening contest between Saint-Etienne and visiting AEK Athens ended in a 0-0 draw.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Andre Alves' goal in the 65th minute enabled AEK Larnaca to salvage a series-opening 1-1 draw with visiting Spartak Moscow.  Jano Ananidze scored for the Russian club in the 38th minute.

At Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania:

Nosa Emanuel Igiebor scored the winning goal in the 49th minute as Maccabi Tel Aviv knocked off Pandurii Targu Jiu 3-1 on the road in game one.

At Novi Sad, Serbia:

Evgen Budnik's equalizer in the 83rd minute carried Dinamo Minsk to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Vojvodina.  Sinia Babic scored for the Serbian club in the 29th minute.

At Lubin, Poland:

Marc Dal Hende scored the winning goal in the 36th minute as SonderjyskE knocked off Zaglebie Lubin 2-1 on the road in the opening contest of their two-game series.


At Lucerne, Switzerland:

Domenico Berardi's own goal (42') could prove costly in the end as it allowed Sassuolo to gain a series-opening 1-1 road draw with FC Lucerne.  Marco Schneuwly scored for the hosts in the eighth minute.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Rio Ave held hosts Slavia Prague to a series-opening 0-0 deadlock.

At Paola, Malta:

Andreas Granqvist (45'+1), Fyodor Smolov (PK-75'), and Ricardo Laborde (89') each produced a goal as FC Krasnodar will head back to Russia with a decided advantage after their 3-0 series-opening road domination of Birkirkara.

At Alkmaar, Netherlands:

Derrick Luckassen's goal in the 36th minute staked AZ Alkmaar to a 1-0 game-one home victory over PAS Giannini.

At Riga, Latvia:

Vitalijs Smirnovs' equalizer at 70 minutes enabled Jelgava to salvage a series-opening 1-1 draw with visiting Beitar Jerusalem.  Idan Vered scored for the Israeli club in the 25th minute.

At Vienna, Austria:

Robert Tambe scored the lone goal of Spartak Trnava's series-opening 1-0 triumph at Austria Vienna's expense in the 46th minute.

At Athens, Greece:

Rodrigo Moledo scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute as Panathinaikos defeated visiting AIK Solna 1-0 in their series-opening match.

At Ankara, Turkey:

Osmanlispor, with Tiago Pinto's goal in the 74th minute making the difference, defeated visiting Nomme Kalju 1-0 in game one.

At Aberdeen, Scotland:

Jonathan Hayes' equalizer in the 88th minute lifted Aberdeen to a series-opening 1-1 home draw with NK Maribor.  Milivoje Novakovic scored in the 83rd minute for the Slovenian club.

At Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France:

Ryan Mendes' goal in the 47th minute carried LOSC Lille-Metropole to a 1-1 game-one home draw with Gabala.  Vitaliy Vernydub scored for the Azerbaijani club in the 13th minute.

At Oleksandria, Ukraine:

With second-half goals courtesy of Marko Cosic (53'), Ante Erceg (82'), and Franck Ohandza (90'), Hajduk Split found themselves with one foot in the playoff round following their series-opening 3-0 road domination of FC Oleksandriya.

At Berlin:

Vedad Ibisevic scored the lone goal of the game in the 28th minute as Hertha Berlin took game one of their series 1-0 over visiting Brondby.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Istanbul Basaksehir and visiting Rijeka battled to a series-opening 0-0 stalemate.

At Almelo, Netherlands:

Gege's second-half stoppage-time equalizer (90'+1) lifted Arouca to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Heracles Almelo.  Paul Gladon scored for the hosts at 53 minutes.

At Zhodina, Belarus:

Rapid Vienna gained a series-opening 0-0 road stalemate with Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino.

At Genk, Belgium:

Leon Bailey scored the only goal of KRC Genk's series-opening 1-0 victory over visiting Cork City in the 31st minute.

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Stenio Junior (69') and Ferhan Hasani (75') provided the goal power in Shkendija's series-opening 2-0 victory over visiting Mlada Boleslav.

At Ljubljana, Slovenia:

Matic Crnic scored twice (PK-11', 49') as Domzale defeated visiting West Ham United 2-1 in game one.  Mark Noble's successful penalty kick in the 18th minute kept the Hammers alive in the series. 

At Felcsut, Hungary:

Filip Novak's goal in the 55th minute lifted FC Midtjylland to a series-opening 1-0 road victory at Videoton's expense.

At Gothenburg, Sweden:

Alfredo Morelos scored the winning goal in the 75th minute as HJK Helsinki knocked off IFK Gothenburg 2-1 on the road in match one of their two-game series.

At Maria Enzerdorf, Austria:

Egan Vuch scored twice (12', 69') as Slovan Liberec knocked off Admira Wacker Modling 2-1 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.

At Ghent, Belgium:

Kalifa Coulibaly scored twice (37', 50') as KAA Gent destroyed visiting Viitorul Constanta of Romania 5-0 on the opening contest of their two-game series, which has all but placed the Belgian club in the playoff round with a Europa League group-stage berth at stake.

At St. Gallen, Switzerland:

Haris Tabakovic (10') and Numa Lavanchy (90'+3) each scored once as Grasshoppers took the opening contest of their series with Apollon Limasol 2-1.  Just three days after his 30th birthday, Abraham Guie Gneki scored in the 76th minute to keep the visiting Cypriot club alive in the series.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

ATLETICO NACIONAL SCORE EARLY, HANDCUFF INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE FOR FIRST COPA LIBERTAORES TITLE SINCE 1989

At Medellin, Colombia:

Miguel Borja's goal in the eighth minute held up on Wednesday as Atletico Nacional defeated visiting Indepeniente del Valle 1-0 in game two of the Copa Libertadores Final and won their second South American club championship (their first since 1989).

The Colombian club will play in the semifinal round of December's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in Japan.

UEFA Champions League Qualifying: Bhoys, Lions Gain Series-Opening Road Draws; Trond Kids, Legia, Yellow Canaries Take Game Ones

Six games were contested on Wednesday as the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying continued.

At Trondheim, Norway:

Christian Gytkjaer (23') and Jorgen Skjelvik (45'+1) each scored twice as Rosenborg defeated visiting APOEL FC 2-1 in the opening contest of their two-game series.  Georgios Efrem kept the Cypriot club in the series after his goal in the 67th minute.

At Piraeus, Greece:

The opening contest between Olympiacos and visiting Hapoel Be'er Sheva concluded in a 0-0 stalemate.

At Astana, Kazakhstan:

Leigh Griffiths' equalizer in the 78th minute lifted Celtic to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Astana.  Yuri Logvinenko scored in the 19th minute for the Blue and Yellow.

At Zilina, Slovakia:

Nemanja Nikolic scored the game's lone goal in the 69th minute as Legia Warsaw knocked off AS Trencin 1-0 on the road in their series-opening match.

At Giurgiu, Romania:

Thomas Delaney's equalizer in the 64th minute lifted FC Copenhagen to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Astra Giurgiu.  Filipe Teixeira scored for the Black Devils in the seventh minute.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Emmanuel Emenike scored twice (39', 61') as Fenerbahce took the opening contest with AS Monaco 2-1 at home.  Radamel Falcao scored for the guests in the 42nd minute.

CAF Champions League: Mamelodi Sundowns Clinch Berth In Semifinals

Group-stage play in the CAF Champions League resumed on Wednesday with three games.

GROUP A:

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

Jackson Mwanza's equalizer in the 80th minute lifted ZESCO United to a 1-1 road draw with ASEC Mimosas.  Nabi Ibrahim Kone scored for the hosts in the 75th minute.

At Rabat, Morocco:

Rami Rabia scored the only goal of the match in the 46th minute, leading Al-Ahly to a badly-needed 1-0 road win over Wydad Casablanca.

Group A Standings:

1. Wydad Casablanca (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. ZESCO United (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
3. Al-Ahly (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. ASEC Mimosas (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)



GROUP B:

At Pretoria, South Africa:

Ali Gabr Mossad's own goal proved decisive as Mamelodi Sundowns clinched a berth in the semifinal round following their 1-0 home victory over Zamalek.

Group B Standings:

1. y-Mamelodi Sundowns (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2.    Zamalek (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
3.    Enyimba International FC (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

NOTE:  ES Setif of Algeria were disqualified on June 23 as a result of a pitch invasion and other incidents that occurred during their June 18 home match against Mamelodi Sundowns.

y-Won Group B and clinched berth in semifinal round

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

UEFA Champions League Qualifying

The third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying commenced on Tuesday with nine games.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

El Arabi Hillel Soudani (39') and Ante Coric (42') each scored a goal three minutes apart late in the first half as Dinamo Zagreb blanked visiting Dinamo Tbilisi 2-0 in game one of their two-match series.

At Plzen, Czech Republic:

Qarabag gained a series-opening 0-0 road stalemate with FC Viktoria Plzen.

At Barysaw, Belarus:

Mikhail Gordeichuk scored the only goal of FC BATE Borisov's series-opening 1-0 home victory over Dundalk FC in the 70th minute.

At Razgrad, Bulgaria:

Aleksandar Katai (48') and Guelor Kanga (66') each scored once as Red Star Belgrade gained a series-opening 2-2 road deadlock with Ludogorets Razgrad.  Jonathan Cafu (43') and Claudiu Keseru (76') each delivered a goal for the Bulgarian club.

At Elbasan, Albania:

Jonathan Soriano's successfully-converted 70th-minute penalty kick lifted FC Red Bull Salzburg to a 1-0 series-opening road victory over Partizani Tirana.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Kasper Dolberg's goal in the 58th minute enabled Ajax Amsterdam to salvage a series-opening 1-1 home draw with PAOK FC.  Djalma Campos scored for the Greek club in the 27th minute.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Nicolae Stanciu's goal in the 75th minute lifted Steaua Bucharest to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Sparta Prague.  Josef Sural scored in the 35th minute for the hosts.

At Lviv, Ukraine:

In a match played in Lviv due to ongoing war conditions in Eastern Ukraine, Bernard (27') and Yevhen Seleznyov (75') each scored once as Shakhtar Donetsk blanked visiting BSC Young Boys 2-0 in the opening contest of their series with the Swiss club.

At Rostov-on-Don, Russia:

Saeid Esatolahi (16') and Dmitry Poloz (PK-60') each scored once as FC Rostov salvaged a series-opening 2-2 home draw with RSC Anderlecht.  Sofianne Hanni (3') and Youri Tielemans (52') each scored a goal for the Belgian club.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

MLS: Red Bulls, SKC Nab Sunday Wins

Two Major League Soccer games were played on Sunday, the final day before the All-Star break.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

In the latest edition of the Hudson River Derby, Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice (20', 70') as the New York Red Bulls dominated visiting New York City 4-1.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Dom Dwyer scored twice (21', 79') as Sporting Kansas City delivered a 3-0 frontier-styled fist beating on the visiting Seattle Sounders.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   New York City FC (GP: 22; GD: -4; PTS: 33)
2.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 22; GD: +8; PTS: 31)
3.   Philadelphia (GP: 21; GD: +2; PTS: 30)
4.   Montreal (GP: 20; GD: +5; PTS: 29)
5.   Toronto (GP: 20; GD: +2; PTS: 27)
6.   New England (GP: 21; GD: -6; PTS: 26)
7.   Orlando City SC (GP: 20; GD: -3; PTS: 23)
8.   DC United (GP: 20; GD: -6; PTS: 22)
9.   Columbus (GP: 20; GD: -6; PTS: 19)
10. Chicago (GP: 19; GD: -8; PTS: 17)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   FC Dallas (GP: 23; GD: +4; PTS: 41)
2.   Colorado (GP: 20; GD: +9; PTS: 38)
3.   Los Angeles (GP: 20; GD: +15; PTS: 35)
4.   Kansas City (GP: 23; GD: +2; PTS: 31)
5.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 21; GD: -1; PTS: 31)
6.   Vancouver (GP: 22; GD: -2; PTS: 30)
7.   Portland (GP: 22; GD: 0; PTS: 29)
8.   San Jose (GP: 20; GD: -1; PTS: 26)
9.   Seattle (GP: 20; GD: -7; PTS: 20)
10. Houston (GP: 20; GD: -3; PTS: 19)


NOTE:  With Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake level on points (31), SKC have more wins than RSL (9-8).


Saturday, July 23, 2016

MLS: Galaxy, Revs, Reds, Impact Post Wins On Three-Draw Saturday

Seven games were contested in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

At Portland, Oregon:

Robbie Keane (7') and Gyasi Zardes (11') each scored once as the Los Angeles Galaxy snapped the Portland Timbers' nine-match MLS unbeaten streak 2-1 on the road.

At Toronto:

Sebastian Giovinco delivered a hat trick (21', 39', 90'+1) as Toronto FC dominated visiting DC United 4-1.


At Columbus, Ohio:

Kevin Molino (65') and Cyle Larin (70') each scored once as Orlando City erased a two-goal deficit and gained a 2-2 road draw with the Columbus Crew.  Tony Tchani (20') and Ola Kamara (PK-45'+6) provided the hosts' goals.

At Montreal:

Didier Drogba produced a hat trick (19', 42', 52') as the Montreal Impact demolished the visiting Philadelphia Union 5-1.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Je-Vaughn Watson scored the only goal of the match in the 85th minute as the New England Revolution defeated the visiting Chicago Fire 1-0.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

In a battle of the two clubs that had the best records in MLS coming into Saturday, Victor Ulloa's equalizer in the 82nd minute lifted FC Dallas to a 1-1 road draw with the Colorado Rapids.  Marlon Hairston scored in the 44th minute for the hosts, whose MLS unbeaten streak was stretched to 15 games.

At Houston:

The Houston Dynamo and the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Friday, July 22, 2016

MLS: Quakes and RSL Draw in Utah

At Sandy, Utah:

In the lone Friday Major League Soccer contest, Luke Mulholland's equalizer in the 64th minute enabled Real Salt Lake to salvage a 1-1 home draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.  Chris Wondolowski scored for the Quakes in the ninth minute.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Europa League Qualifying: Dons, Grasshoppers, AIK, Cork City Advance; Hearts, Hibs Eliminated (Nomads Too)

33 games were played on Thursday as the second qualifying round for the Europa League came to a climax.

At Trnava, Slovakia:

Ivan Schranz (57') and Robert Tambe (61') each scored a second-half goal as Spartak Trnava defeated visiting Shirak 2-1 in game two and took out the Armenian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Dublin, Ireland:

Gleb Rassadkin scored the only goal of the match in the 18th minute as Dinamo Minsk knocked off St. Patrick's Athletic 1-0 in game two on the road and won their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Lubin, Poland:

After 210 minutes of scoreless draw, the series-opening 0-0 stalemate in Serbia, the scoreless regulation in game two in Poland, the scoreless 30 minutes of overtime, Krzysztof Janus, Lubomir Guidan, Arkadiusz Wozniak, and Jan Vlasko converted their spot kicks as Zaglebie Lubin defeated visiting Partizan Belgrade 4-3 in the penalty-kick shootout.

At Rhyl, Wales:

Dejan Meleg scored twice (8', PK-49') as Vojvodina defeated Connah's Quay Nomads 2-1 on the road in game two and ousted the Welsh club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Tallinn, Estonia:

After Tarmo Neemelo's equalizer in the 90th minute squared game two for Nomme Kalju at 1-1 and the series at 2-2 on aggregate, 30 minutes of scoreless overtime ensued, then, in the penalty-kick shootout, Maximiliano Ugge, Andrei Sidorenkov, Ats Purje, Hidetoshi Wakui, Igor Subbotin all converted their spot kicks to propel the Estonian club to a 5-3 shootout victory over visiting Maccabi Haifa.

At Brondby, Denmark:

After game two finished with Hibernian ahead of Brondby 1-0 on the road, and the series deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate, 30 minutes of scoreless overtime followed.  In the penalty-kick shootout, Johan Larsson, Christian Norgaard, Daniel Stuckler, Kamil Wilczek, and Frederik Holst all converted their spot kicks as the Danish club ousted visiting Hibs 5-3 in the shootout.

At Domzale, Slovenia:

Zan Majer scored the game and series-winning goal in the 69th minute as Domzale defeated visiting Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2-1 in game two and ousted the Belorussian club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Elbasan, Albania:

Olarenwaju Kayode scored twice (16', 58') as Austria Vienna manhandled Kukesi 4-1 on the road in game two and won their series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Sergei Zenjov (7') and Theo Weeks (37') each scored once as Gabala blanked visiting MTK Budapest 2-0 in game two and eliminated the Hungarian club 4-1 on aggregate.

At Helsinki, Finland:

Atomu Tanaka scored the game's lone goal in the 25th minute as HJK Helsinki defeated visiting Beroe Stara Zagora 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Bulgarian club 2-1 on aggregate.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Mirko Maric scored twice (49', 83') as Lokomotiva Zagreb dominated visiting RoPS 3-0 in game two and knocked out the Finnish club 4-1 on aggregate.

At Skopje, Macedonia:

Besart Ibrahimi scored the long goal of the match and series 31st minute of Shkendija's 1-0 game two home victory over Neftci Baku as the Macedonian club ousted the visiting Azerbaijani club by that very same score on aggregate.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Runar Sigurjonsson scored twice (45', 68') as Grasshoppers held off visiting KR Reykjavik 2-1 in game two and eliminated the Icelandic club 5-4 on aggregate.

At Vaduz, Liechtenstein:

Pione Sisto scored twice (41', 68') as FC Midtjylland gained a 2-2 game-two road draw with FC Vaduz, good enough to help the Danish club win their series 5-2 on aggregate.

At Ankara, Turkey:

Aminu Umar produced a hat trick (16', PK-26', 50') as Osmanispor destroyed visiting Zimbru Chisinau 5-0 in game two and completed their two-match domination of the Moldovan club 7-2 on aggregate.

At Skien, Norway:

After Odds BK dominated PAS Giannina 3-0 at home in regulation time of game two, forcing the series into overtime with the aggregate score at 3-3, Leonardo Koutris scored the series winner in the 98th minute as the Greek club took the series 4-3 on aggregate.

At Edinburgh, Scotland:

Christian Bubalovic (55') and Edward Herrera (67') each scored once as Birkirkara knocked off Heart of Midlothian 2-1 on the road in game two and ousted Hearts by that same score on aggregate. 

At Sofia, Bulgaria:

Marcos Tavares scored the series-wining goal in the 68th minute as NK Maribor gained a 1-1 game-two road draw with Levski Sofia, enabling the Slovenian club to take the series (with that same score on aggregate) on away goals.


At Gothenburg, Sweden:

A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Piast Gliwice was more than good enough for IFK Gothenburg as the Swedish club eliminated the Polish club 3-0 on aggregate.

At Jelgava, Latvia:

Glebs Kluskins (PK-27'), Boriss Bogdaskins (48'), and Olegs Malasenoks (85') each scored once as Jelgava dominated visiting Slovan Bratislava 3-0 in game two and eliminated the Slovak club by that same score on aggregate.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Omer Atzili scored twice in the first half (17', PK-45') as Beitar Jerusalem, despite dropping a 3-2 game-two road decision to Omonia, won their series on away goals with the aggregate score at 3-3.

At Ventspils, Latvia:

Adam Rooney scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute as Aberdeen defeated Ventspils 1-0 on the road in game two and finished off the Latvian club 4-0 on aggregate.

At Cork, Ireland:

Kevin O'Connor scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute as Cork City defeated visiting BK Hacken 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Swedish club 2-1 on aggregate.

At Netanya, Israel:

Tal Ben Haim II (5') and Gal Alberman (86') each scored once as Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated visiting Kairat 2-1 in game two and won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Zhodzina, Belarus:

Vadzim Dzemidovich scored the only goal of the match in the 25th minute as Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino defeated visiting Debreceni VSC 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Hungarian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Split, Croatia:

Fran Tudor (22') and Franck Ohandza (90') each scored a goal as Hajduk Split defeated visiting CSMS Iasi 2-1 in game two and ousted the Romanian club 4-3 on aggregate.

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Krisztian Gerezi scored the game's lone tally in the 76th minute as Videoton defeated Cukaricki 1-0 on the road in game two and eliminated the Serbian club 3-1 on aggregate.

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Vladimir Boljevic (45') and Joan Tomas Compasol (48') each tallied once as AEK Larnaca blanked visiting Cliftonville 2-0 in game two and finished off the Northern Irish club 5-2 on aggregate.

At Gibraltar:

Eero Markkanen scored the only goal of the match in the 55th minute as AIK Solna registered a second 1-0 victory at Europa FC's expense, this time on the road as the Swedish club won their series 2-0 on aggregate.

At Prague, Czech Republic:

Milan Skoda (10') and Gino van Kessel (67') each scored a goal as Slavia Prague overcame their series-opening 3-1 road defeat with a 2-0 home blanking of Levadia Tallinn in game two and, with the aggregate score at 3-3, advanced on away goals.

At Podgorica, Montenegro:

After dropping a 2-0 game-two regulation road decision to Buducnost Podgorica which leveled their series at 2-2 on aggregate, which led to 30 minutes of goal-free overtime, Thomas Buffel, Bryan Heynen, Mbwana Samatta, and Dries Wouters all converted their spot kicks as KRC Genk took the penalty-kick shootout 4-2 to advance.

At Drammen, Norway:

After Stromgodset gained a 2-1 game-two home decision in regulation against SonderjyskE to square their series at 3-3 on aggregate, Troels Klove won the series for the Danish club with his overtime tally in the 120th minute as the guests ousted the Norwegian club 4-3 on aggregate.

Here are the matchups for the third qualifying round with the opening contests set to take place next Thursday and the return matched to be played on August 4.

The game-one hosts are listed first.

Lokomotiva Zagreb (Croatia) vs. Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine)

Saint-Etienne (France) vs. AEK Athens (Greece)

AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) vs. Spartak Moscow (Russia)

Pandurii Targu Jiu (Romania) vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

Vojvodina (Serbia) vs. Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)

Zaglebie Lubin (Poland) vs. SonderjyskE (Denmark)

FC Lucerne (Switzerland) vs. Sassuolo (Italy)

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) vs. Rio Ave (Portugal)

Birkirkara (Malta) vs. FC Krasnodar (Russia)

AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) vs. PAS Giannina (Greece)

Jelgava (Latvia) vs. Beitar Jerusalem (Israel)

Austria Vienna (Austria) vs. Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)

AIK Solna (Sweden) vs. Panathinaikos (Greece)

Osmanlispor (Turkey) vs. Nomme Kalju (Estonia)

Aberdeen (Scotland) vs. NK Maribor (Slovenia)

LOSC Lille Metropole (France) vs. Gabala (Azerbaijan)

FC Oleksandriya (Ukraine) vs. Hajduk Split (Croatia)

Hertha Berlin (Germany) vs. Brondby (Denmark)

Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey) vs. Rijeka (Croatia)

Heracles Almelo (Netherlands) vs. Arouca (Portugal)

Torpedo Zhodino (Belarus) vs. Rapid Vienna (Austria)

KRC Genk (Belgium) vs. Cork City (Republic of Ireland)

Shkendija (Macedonia) vs. Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic)

NK Domzale (Slovenia) vs. West Ham United (England)

Videoton (Hungary) vs. FC Midtjylland (Denmark)

IFK Gothenburg (Sweden) vs. HJK Helsinki (Finland)

Admira Wacker Modling (Austria) vs. Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic)

KAA Gent (Belgium) vs. Viitorul Constanta (Romania)

Grasshoppers (Switzerland) vs. Apollon Limasol (Cyprus)