Andorra la Vella, 9 July 2026. The Estadi Comunal bore witness to a nerves-of-steel performance from Atlètic Club d'Escaldes in the first-leg of the UEFA Conference League 2026/27 first qualifying round. The final scoreline read 2-1 against FK Mornar Bar — an outcome that had seemed anything but likely for the vast majority of the contest.
Mornar strike early — Zoric gives the visitors the lead
FK Mornar Bar, a Montenegrin top-flight side and freshly crowned 2026 cup winners, arrived with all the confidence of a team that had already claimed silverware this season: in the cup final, the coastal club from Bar had beaten FK Dečić 1-0. That quality was evident from the outset. In the 8th minute, Darko Zoric converted to make it 0-1, assisted by Dasic. The number-18 striker put the away team in a comfortable early position.
Escaldes found no real answer to the Montenegrin defence in the first half. The match remained disjointed for long stretches, with clear-cut chances for the home team few and far between. The sides went in at half-time with the score still at 0-1.
Morales off the bench — two goals in ten minutes
The Escaldes head coach made his first change at the break, with Assoubre coming on for Sohaib. The decisive intervention, however, came in the 63rd minute, when Javi Morales replaced Bouharma. Javier Morales Aguilera — listed in the UEFA database as a seasoned regular for Escaldes with appearances in the Conference League and Champions League qualifying rounds — was about to turn the game on its head within the space of ten minutes.
In the 83rd minute, Morales drew Escaldes level at 1-1 with his first goal of the evening. Just a minute later he was shown a yellow card for a separate incident. Then, in stoppage time, he completed his remarkable personal comeback: in the 93rd minute, Morales struck again to put Escaldes 2-1 ahead. What had been a deficit had become a lead in the blink of an eye.
On the other side, Mornar had already made several substitutions in the closing stages — among them the withdrawal of goalscorer Darko Zoric, who had been replaced by Yao as early as the 72nd minute. The visitors also had disciplinary issues in the second half, with Skrijelj (55') and Kaludjerovic (64') both picking up yellow cards before Morales turned the game around. Escaldes were not without their own bookings either, with Valero shown a yellow card in the 95th minute.
The picture ahead of the second leg
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes head into the second leg against FK Mornar Bar with a 2-1 advantage. For the Andorran league side, it is a significant edge — while for Mornar, an away win is now the bare minimum required to turn the tie around. With his stoppage-time brace, Morales has, for now, shifted the balance of power in this contest firmly in Escaldes' favour.
