McGinn and Weeks make Thursday night running
Thursday, June 30, 2016
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Niall McGinn went from UEFA EURO 2016 to the UEFA Europa League in quick time, while Qäbälä's Theo Weeks hit a hat-trick as the first qualifying round first legs concluded.
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Niall McGinn experienced the grit to go with the glamour as he scored in Aberdeen's 3-1 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round opener at home against Fola Esch just five days after playing in Northern Ireland's 1-0 loss to Wales in the UEFA EURO 2016 round of 16.
McGinn put his side 2-1 up with the first of two added-time goals for the Dons, his strike coming just 14 days after he scored his nation's second in a 2-0 win against Ukraine in the EURO group stage. Meanwhile, on the night that he featured for his nation in a shoot-out loss to Portugal (though he did not take a penalty), 19-year-old wonderkid Bartosz Kapustkas' club in Poland – Cracovia – lost 2-0 to Macedonian side Shkëndija away from home.
At the start of the glamour trail to finals, the early goalscoring star is Qäbälä's Theo Weeks, who scored the first hat-trick of 2016/17 UEFA Europa League in the Azerbaijani side's 5-1 win against Georgia’s Samtredia. Meanwhile, the night's most impressive minnows may have been Gibraltar's Europa, who became the Rock's first UEFA Europa League winners as they beat 14-time Armenian champions Pyunik 2-0 at home.
All Thursday night's first legs
Dila (GEO) 1-0 Shirak (ARM)
Aktobe (KAZ) 1-1 MTK (HUN)
Admira (AUT) 1-1 Spartak Myjava (SVK)
Ventspils (LVA) 2-0 Vikingur (FRO)
UE Santa Coloma (AND) 1-3 Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Bokelj (MNE) 1-1 Vojvodina (SRB)
Trakai (LTU) 2-1 Kalju (EST)
Videoton (HUN) 3-0 Zara Balti (MDA)
Levadia (EST) 1-1 HB (FRO)
Balzan (MLT) 0-2 Neftçi (AZE)
Atlantas (LTU) 0-2 HJK (FIN)
Dinamo Minsk (BLR) 2-1 Spartaks Jūrmala (LVA)
Sloboda (BIH) 0-0 Beitar Jerusalem (ISR)
Banants (ARM) 0-1 Omonia (CYP)
Slavia Sofia (BUL) 1-0 Zagłębie (POL)
AIK (SWE) 2-0 Bala (WAL)
Europa (GIB) 2-0 Pyunik (ARM)
Göteborg (SWE) 5-0 Llandudno Town (WAL)
Midtjylland (DEN) 1-0 Sūduva (LTU)
Zimbru (MDA) 0-1 Chikhura (GEO)
Differdange (LUX) 1-1 Cliftonville (NIR)
Qäbälä (AZE) 5-1 Samtredia (GEO)
Kukës (ALB) 1-1 Rudar Pljevlja (MNE)
AEK Larnaca (CYP) 3-0 Folgore (SMR)
Vaduz (LIE) 3-1 Sileks (MKD)
Odd (NOR) 2-0 Mariehamn (FIN)
Široki Brijeg (BIH) 1-1 Birkirkara (MLT)
M. Tel-Aviv (ISR) 3-0 Gorica (SVN)
Beroe (BUL) 0-0 Radnik (BIH)
Domžale (SVN) 3-1 Lusitans (AND)
NSI (FRO) 0-2 Shakhtyor (BLR)
Teuta (ALB) 0-1 Kairat (KAZ)
Connah's Quay (WAL) 0-0 Stabæk (NOR)
Spartak Trnava (SVK) 3-0 Hibernians (MLT)
La Fiorita (SMR) 0-5 Debrecen (HUN)
Čukarički (SRB) 3-0 Ordabasy (KAZ)
Linfield (NIR) 0-1 Cork (IRL)
Aberdeen (SCO) 3-1 Fola (LUX)
Hearts (SCO) 2-1 Infonet (EST)
Shkëndija (MKD) 2-0 Cracovia (POL)
Shamrock Rovers (IRL) 0-2 RoPS (FIN)
KR (ISL) 2-1 Glenavon (NIR)
Breidablik (ISL) 2-3 Jelgava (LVA)
Valur (ISL) 1-4 Brøndby (DEN)
Four ties started on Tuesday:
Partizani (ALB) 0-0 Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Rabotnicki (MKD) 1-1 Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
Käpäz (AZE) 0-0 Dacia (MDA)
St Patrick's Athletic (IRL) 1-0 Jeunesse Esch (LUX)