Zaporizhya reign supreme

FC Metalurh Zaporizhya 3-0 Birkirkara FC

Heavy rain
Goals from Armen Akopyan, Valentin Ivanov and Aleksander Brdanin decided this UEFA Cup qualifying round, first-leg tie, which was postponed for nearly an hour because of heavy rain.

Forging ahead
The home side forged ahead after 18 minutes. Brdanin's run past several defenders on the left wing resulted in a cross which was skilfully turned in by Akopyan. Brdanin could have doubled the Ukrainians' lead late in the half, but his five-metre shot was kept out by Birkirkara keeper Ruben Debono.

Total domination
Metalurh enjoyed total domination after the interval. Valentin Ivanov latched onto a corner by Akopyan to increase their lead, and substitute Toledo then beat two defenders just outside the area before rolling the ball to Brdanin, who made it 3-0.

Quality of the game
"I am quite happy about the quality of the game in such heavy rain," said Metalurh coach Oleh Taran. "It was hard to defend in such conditions, and I don't really believe that we will be able to cut this deficit in the return leg," added Birkirkara coach Stephan Azzopardi. "But we will be hoping to win anyway."