The matches were therefore considerably tighter than the first legs of the Europa League play-offs. The 24 winners will advance to the Conference League league phase, while the losers will be eliminated from European competition. The return legs will take place next Wednesday and Thursday.
Brighton held to goalless draw inside the Arctic Circle
One of the biggest surprises came in Norway, where Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a 0-0 draw by clear underdogs Tromsø IL and failed to turn their technical superiority into goals.
The English side struggled to find solutions against the hosts’ compact defence on the artificial surface at the Romssa Arena. Tromsø were not content simply to sit back, however, and created several dangerous opportunities on the break. The goalless draw was therefore a notable result for the Norwegian side, although Brighton remain clear favourites to reach the league phase when the tie moves to England.
It was an unusual start to Brighton’s European campaign. Fabian Hürzeler’s side do not begin their Premier League season until Sunday against Aston Villa and are therefore still at the very start of their competitive schedule. Tromsø, meanwhile, are already well into their domestic campaign, with the Norwegian season running across the calendar year.
Copenhagen disappoint against Finnish outsiders
FC Copenhagen also produced a surprisingly subdued performance away to Inter Turku, with the Danish heavyweights held to another 0-0 draw in Finland.
Copenhagen travelled with plenty of confidence. They had beaten Debrecen 8-1 on aggregate in the previous qualifying round and followed that with a 4-0 away win at Randers shortly before the European fixture. Against Inter, however, they lacked tempo and penetration. Even the introduction of experienced midfielder Thomas Delaney and Youssoufa Moukoko after 72 minutes failed to change the complexion of the game.
Inter Turku have therefore kept their hopes alive. The Finnish side had already eliminated Başakşehir before overcoming FC Vaduz on their way to the play-offs. Copenhagen will still be clear favourites when the sides meet again at Parken.
Atalanta frustrated in goalless home draw
Atalanta find themselves in an even more uncomfortable position. The Italian side were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Hapoel Tel Aviv and must now fight for qualification in the return leg away from home.
It was a disappointing competitive debut for new Atalanta coach Maurizio Sarri. His side struggled in particular to move the ball quickly enough between the lines. Hapoel created a major opportunity of their own in the first half when Emmanuel Boateng was played in by Leidner, only to be denied by Marco Carnesecchi.
Atalanta finally increased the pressure late on. Their best opportunity came in stoppage time, when Nikola Krstović saw a header saved superbly by Ofek Tzur, who then reacted quickly to keep out Giacomo Raspadori’s follow-up.
Atalanta remain favourites because of their individual quality, but the tie is far more precarious than expected. The return leg will not be played in Israel due to the security situation, but in Miskolc, Hungary.
Ajax and Freiburg build two-goal cushions
Other prominent clubs handled their assignments far more convincingly. Ajax won 4-2 away to FC Sion. The Swiss side went ahead through Franck Surdez, but Julian Brandt and Marcos Leonardo turned the game around after the break. Sion managed to equalise, only for Tolu Arokodare and Davy Klaassen to secure an important two-goal advantage for Ajax ahead of the return leg in Amsterdam.
SC Freiburg also claimed an away win. Motherwell took the lead in Scotland after just two minutes through Regan Charles-Cook, but Matthias Ginter turned the match around with a brace. The centre-back scored his second from the penalty spot before Keisuke Goto added a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete a 3-1 victory.
Getafe also won 3-1 against Partizan Belgrade despite difficult circumstances. Enes Ünal gave the Spanish side an early lead before Demba Seck equalised ahead of half-time. Getafe were then reduced to ten men following Abdel Abqar’s red card, but Andrés García and Johan Mojica still struck late to secure a two-goal cushion.
Monaco edge five-goal thriller, Qarabağ surprise Twente
AS Monaco won 3-2 away to Górnik Zabrze. Former SK Sturm Graz striker Mika Biereth gave Monaco an early lead before Lamine Camara and Paris Brunner also found the net after the break. At 3-1, the tie appeared to be moving firmly in Monaco’s direction, but Sondre Liseth pulled one back to keep the Polish side in contention ahead of the return leg in the Principality.
Qarabağ claimed an impressive away victory at FC Twente. Kady scored the only goal shortly after half-time to give the Azerbaijani side a 1-0 win. Twente enjoyed more possession and pushed for an equaliser, but could not find a way through.
FC Lugano defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 and will take a narrow advantage into the return leg. Rangers beat Jablonec 1-0 thanks to a Ryan Naderi goal, while FC Nordsjælland also secured a slender 1-0 home victory over St. Gallen.
Midtjylland, Borac and Larne take useful leads
FC Midtjylland were among the sides to give themselves some breathing room with a 2-0 victory. Cho Gue-sung opened the scoring against Rijeka before 19-year-old Sofus Johannesen came off the bench to add the second. The Danish side controlled long periods of the match and gave the Croatian visitors very little space in attack.
Borac Banja Luka earned an important 3-1 away win at Víkingur Reykjavík, with Luka Juričić scoring twice. Borac will therefore take a comfortable two-goal cushion into the home leg and are in an excellent position to reach the league phase.
Larne also won away from home by two goals. The Northern Irish side beat Lincoln Red Imps 2-0, with both goals arriving late. Paul O’Neill struck in the 85th minute before Kevin O’Hara added another in stoppage time.
Plenty of ties remain wide open
The even nature of the evening was best illustrated by the large number of draws. KÍ Klaksvík against Riga and Gent against Hibernian both finished 0-0, while PAOK were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brann.
There were four goals in each of Drita against Inter Club d’Escaldes, Panathinaikos against Hradec Králové and Hajduk Split against Raków Częstochowa, with all three matches ending 2-2. Czech outsiders Hradec Králové and Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes can therefore continue to harbour genuine hopes of reaching the league phase.
Shamrock Rovers led KuPS through Enda Stevens before Piotr Parzyszek equalised for the Finnish side five minutes from time. Dinamo Tirana and Pafos also drew 1-1.
SK Rapid draw 2-2, FK Austria Wien lose in Braga
Neither of the two Austrian representatives saw their tie decided in the first leg. SK Rapid earned a 2-2 draw away to Heart of Midlothian. Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao put the visitors ahead but later scored an own goal after the break. James Wilson then turned the game around for Hearts before Nikolaus Wurmbrand rescued a draw for Rapid.
FK Austria Wien lost 2-0 away to favourites SC Braga. Pau Víctor opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Diego Rodrigues added a second shortly before full-time. Austria goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger had saved another Víctor penalty in between.
We have already taken a closer look at the Austrian clubs’ European performances and their prospects ahead of the return legs.
