Vojvodina lead the way for Serbia
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Article summary
Southern round-up: FK Vojvodina advanced on a night of mixed fortunes for Serbian clubs while Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC and HNK Hajduk Split both avoided an upset.
Article body
Hibernians FC 0-2 FK Vojvodina (agg: 1-7) Vojvodina strolled into the UEFA Cup second qualifying round thanks to goals either side of half-time from Dušan Tadić and Ranko Despotović. The Serbian visitors to Malta extended their emphatic first-leg advantage with strikes on 30 and 61 minutes, and Hibernians' night was further soured by the second-half dismissal of midfielder Pablo César Doffo.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC 4-0 FC Santa Coloma (agg: 4-1)
Maccabi Tel-Aviv recovered from the upset of losing the first leg in Andorra by defeating Santa Coloma 4-0 in Israel. Trailing to Juli Fernández's surprise strike a fortnight ago, the home team restored parity in the tie through Yannick Kamanan's 12th-minute goal. Erez Mesika gave Maccabi the overall lead on 25 minutes and although Ori Shitrit was sent off soon after, Yossi Shivhon (63) and Kamanan (69) sealed a convincing victory for the hosts.
PFC Litex Lovech 4-0 Sliema Wanderers FC (agg: 7-0)
Litex Lovech completed a resounding first qualifying round victory over their Maltese opponents thanks to goals from Fabien Boudarène, Beto (2) and Ivelin Popov in Bulgaria. Boudarène's scissor-kick was the only first-half score but Sliema wilted after the break, conceding three times within 15 minutes of the restart.
Anorthosis Famagusta FC 1-0 FK Vardar (agg: 2-0)
Anorthosis Famagusta claimed a second successive 1-0 win against Vardar with Anton Žlogar's 54th-minute strike dividing the sides in Cyprus. The visitors from F.Y.R. Macedonia rarely threatened the home team's first-leg lead and Žlogar's goal effectively ended the contest. Vladimir Sekuloski was then sent off to compound Vardar's misery.
HNK Hajduk Split 1-0 FK Budućnost Podgorica (agg: 2-1)
Dario Damjanović's 47th-minute goal was enough to send Hajduk Split through at the expense of Montenegrin club Budućnost. The Croatian side struck two minutes into the second half when Damjanović headed in Mirko Hrgović's cross. Nikola Kalinić should have doubled the advantage as Budućnost struggled to reproduce the form that had earned a 1-1 draw in Montengro.
FK Partizan 5-0 NK Zrinjski (agg: 11-1)
Partizan defeated Bosnia-Herzegovnian visitors Zrinjski 5-0 in Belgrade to round off an emphatic aggregate triumph. Darko Maletić opened the scoring for the Serbian team in the fourth minute and Almani Moreira made it two before Stefan Jovetić helped himself to a hat-trick with goals on 37, 52 and 72 minutes. Zrinjski coach Blaz Slišković had made seven changes to his lineup after the first leg – but to no avail.
FK Rudar Pljevlja 0-2 AC Omonia (agg: 0-4)
Rudar paid the price of failing to convert early pressure into a goal as Omonia's Musawengosi Mguni helped condemn them to a second 2-0 defeat against the Cypriot club. The Zimbabwean international scored against the run of play after 34 minutes of the match in Montenegro, leaving Rudar with too steep a task given their first-leg deficit. Ricardo Sousa scored for the visitors 15 minutes from time, before the late dismissal of Rudar's Zoran Vuković further deepened home woes.
FK Rabotnicki 2-1 NK Gorica (agg: 4-2)
Rabotnicki will fly the flag for F.Y.R. Macedonia in the next round after their 2-1 win in Skopje completed a 4-2 aggregate victory over Slovenian opponents Gorica. The home side started on the attack and were rewarded with a Krste Velkoski goal moments before half-time. Gorica came out strongly after the interval but were undone by Ertan Demiri's 69th-minute strike. A late Enes Demirović penalty was scant consolation for the visitors.
FC Koper 2-3 NK Široki Brijeg (agg: 3-6)
Bosnia-Herzegovnian representatives Široki Brijeg proved too strong for Slovenian Cup winners Koper, getting the best of a five-goal thriller in Celje. Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Široki Brijeg took the early honours with a strike from Mislav Karoglan and a Rok Božič own goal. Although Koper replied through Dalibor Volas on 24 minutes, Ronelle Gomes's instant response put the tie beyond Koper for whom Aleš Mejac scored a late second.
KS Teuta 2-2 NK Slaven Koprivnica (agg: 4-8)
Croatia's Slaven Koprivnica made a safe passage into the next round, drawing 2-2 with Teuta in Albania to win 8-4 on aggregate. Bekim Kuli gave Teuta a morsel of hope with a 45th-minute breakthrough goal, before Dino Kresinger and Bojan Vručina underlined Slaven's supremacy in the second half. Kuli's 75th-minute equaliser earned only pride for the hosts.
KS Besa 0-0 FK Bežanija (agg: 2-2, Besa win on away goals)
Besa will continue to fly the flag for Albania in the UEFA Cup after this 0-0 draw in Tirana sent them through on the away goals rule, at the expense of Serbian club Bežanija. First-leg goals from Abdullahi Ishaka and Francois Elokan proved decisive, with the visitors failing to breach the home defence.