FK Austria Wien came from behind with an exceptionally young team against Beitar Jerusalem, Rapid wrapped things up in Estonia with a strong finish, and Salzburg secured a good position for the return leg in the Europa League against Pafos thanks to a late goal. Internationally, Benfica, Twente and Tromsø in particular caught the eye with emphatic victories.
The first legs of the third qualifying round in the Europa League and Conference League on 6 August already produced a number of ties that look close to being decided, while plenty of others remain wide open ahead of the return matches. The consequences of elimination differ considerably between the two competitions: teams knocked out of Europa League qualifying get another chance in the Conference League play-offs. Defeat over two legs in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, however, means the end of the European campaign.
Austria: Austria Wien fight back to win
FK Austria Wien’s 2-1 away win against Beitar Jerusalem was particularly noteworthy. Due to numerous absences, the Violets once again had to rely on a very young team. The starting XI had an average age of just around 23.5, with Philipp Maybach, Daniel Nnodim, Vasilije Marković and Jannik Feddersen giving FK Austria Wien four teenagers in the line-up.
Initially, however, it did not look like being a successful evening. Noam Muche put Beitar ahead in the 19th minute. The hosts enjoyed considerably more possession and controlled the ball for long spells, but shortly before half-time FK Austria Wien found an important equaliser, with 18-year-old Vasilije Marković making it 1-1.
After the hour mark, FK Austria Wien introduced Sanel Saljić and Moritz Wels, among others. The substitutions quickly paid off. With around 20 minutes remaining, another 18-year-old, Daniel Nnodim, set up the winning goal, which 20-year-old Saljić converted to make it 2-1.
Beitar had 69 percent possession and registered 14 shots, compared with FK Austria Wien’s nine. The young Vienna side therefore had to spend long periods without the ball but remained dangerous and showed an impressive reaction after falling behind early, something that also pleased head coach Stephan Helm.
FK Austria Wien are now in an excellent position ahead of the return leg in Vienna. Their potential opponent in the play-offs is also already known: the winner of the FK Austria Wien-Beitar tie will face the winner of Braga against Dinamo Minsk. The Portuguese side won the first leg 1-0.
Rapid strike late to turn tight contest into convincing win
SK Rapid also returned to Vienna with a comfortable advantage. However, the 4-1 win away to Paide Linnameeskond does not quite reflect how difficult the match was for the Hütteldorf side for long periods.
Bendegúz Bolla put Rapid ahead from the penalty spot after just five minutes, before Daniel Luts equalised before half-time. The score remained 1-1 until deep into the closing stages. It was only during the famous “Rapid quarter-hour” that the visitors finally broke the underdogs’ resistance: Moulaye Haïdara scored in the 83rd minute, Petter Nosa Dahl added a third two minutes later, and Haïdara completed his brace in stoppage time to seal the final score.
Rapid’s substitutes provided the decisive spark late on and ultimately turned the result into a convincing victory. After the game, head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup pointed out that Rapid’s style of play forces opponents to cover a lot of ground, which increasingly takes its toll as matches progress.
Rapid therefore already have more than one foot in the play-offs. There, they would face the loser of the Europa League tie between Benfica and Hearts. Following Benfica’s 6-1 victory over Hearts, everything points towards the Scottish side meeting Rapid.
Salzburg had to work considerably harder in Europa League qualifying. A narrow 1-0 victory against Pafos was enough, with Haris Tabaković scoring the only goal of the match late on. Austria’s third-placed team from last season will therefore take a slender advantage to Cyprus, although the tie is still far from decided.
Netherlands: Twente run riot as Ajax waste chances
There should be little doubt about FC Twente’s progress. The Dutch side demolished DAC 1904 6-0, recording the biggest victory of the evening in the Conference League. The second leg in Slovakia now offers very little sporting suspense.
Ajax also did what was required, although they made less of an extremely one-sided game against Shelbourne than they might have. Ajax eventually won 3-1 and finished with a 32-3 advantage in total shots.
Mika Godts gave Ajax an early lead from the penalty spot before Owen Wijndal and Kasper Dolberg made it 3-0. Godts even had the chance to score a second penalty but was denied on this occasion by Shelbourne goalkeeper Eddie Beach. Daniel Kelly’s late goal at least gave the Irish outsiders a small glimmer of hope before returning to Dublin, although Ajax remain clear favourites to progress.
Scandinavia: Danish trio flawless as Tromsø stun Cluj
The Danish representatives enjoyed an exceptionally strong evening. FC Copenhagen won 3-0 away at Debrecen, FC Midtjylland beat Bohemians 2-0 on the road, and FC Nordsjælland also recorded a 2-0 away victory against Valur. Three games, three away wins and not a single goal conceded – the night could hardly have gone any better from a Danish perspective.
The most eye-catching Scandinavian result, however, came from a Norwegian club. Tromsø produced a sensational 5-0 victory away to Romanian traditional club CFR Cluj. Even a narrow home defeat would have left Cluj facing an uncomfortable return leg, but after conceding five goals their position now looks almost hopeless.
Scotland: Hearts thrashed on a difficult night for Scottish clubs
The Scottish clubs entered their matches in very different situations. Hibernian were the only team to celebrate a win on Thursday, while Motherwell at least returned from Helsinki with a 1-1 draw.
Heart of Midlothian FC suffered the heaviest defeat, going down 6-1 away to Benfica. The Portuguese favourites effectively turned the second leg into a formality with their emphatic victory in Lisbon.
Benfica were already 3-0 ahead at half-time and did not ease off after the break. It was a night to forget for Hearts – and the result is also particularly interesting from an Austrian perspective. If Benfica do not surrender their commanding advantage and Rapid progress against Paide, Hearts will face the Vienna club in the Conference League play-offs.
Rangers also face a difficult return leg. They took an early lead away to Jagiellonia Białystok but ultimately lost 2-1. The deficit is certainly recoverable ahead of the home leg, but their performance in the first leg fell well short of expectations.
Hibernian improved the Scottish record to some extent with a 2-1 win over KF Shkëndija, while Motherwell earned a 1-1 draw away to HJK Helsinki.
Belgian sides efficient as Hajduk hit five away from home
Belgium needed just two goals to secure two valuable away victories. Anderlecht won 1-0 at PAOK in Europa League qualifying, putting themselves in a good position ahead of the return leg in Brussels. In the Conference League, Gent also recorded a 1-0 away victory against IFK Göteborg.
Beşiktaş also returned from the Czech Republic with a narrow advantage after winning 1-0 at Hradec Králové. CSKA Sofia’s victory was considerably more emphatic, with the Bulgarian side beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0. Maccabi therefore face an extremely difficult task in the return leg.
Hajduk Split produced another attacking statement in the Conference League. The Croatian side won 5-2 away to Žalgiris Vilnius and will take a three-goal cushion into the return match. Partizan also put themselves in an excellent position with a 3-0 victory over Tobol. FC St. Gallen won 3-1 at Sheriff Tiraspol, while Drita recorded a 4-1 victory away to Tre Fiori.
