Subj : Re: Europa League 2021/22 Draw and (R)
To   : rec.sport.soccer
From : Werner Pichler
Date : Thu Aug 05 2021 06:39 pm

Europa League Third Qualifying Round, 1st leg
* = seeded team (only in League Path)
--
August 3
Champions Path
Neft|oi PFK (AZE) v HJK (FIN) 2-2 (0-0)
(Bougrine 59', Makhmudov 80'; Ro. Riski 61', Jair 65')
In the first ever match of the 'New' Europa League, Moroccan-Belgian midfielder
Sabir Bougrine scored a pretty brilliant opener for the Azeri:
https://gfycat.com/informalshockedarieltoucan but the Finnish champions and
league leaders immediately turned the game around through Roope Riski (who'd
probably been just offside though) and a ping-pong goal by their Brazilian
midfielder Jair: https://gfycat.com/mixedgentlegosling A free-kick by their
skipper Emin Mahmudov gave Neft|oi the deserved equaliser:
https://gfycat.com/oilyalarmedgraysquirrel
I'd need to check again, but my feeling is there's been a surprising amount
of direct free-kick goals being scored in these qualifiers, when at the very
top
level they appear to have become a dying breed.
--
August 5
Champions Path
FC Kairat (KAZ) v FC Alashkert (ARM) 0-0 (0-0)
Kairat's form seems to have plummeted quite a bit compared to a couple of weeks
ago when they beat Maccabi Haifa and Red Star Belgrade. The Armenians were even
awrded a penalty when Kairat's Serbian centre-back Rade Dugali-c senselessly
scythed down YABIE James, but the Bosnian Aleksandar Gli+ii-c panenka'd onto
the
crossbar and then illegally - two touches - volleyed in the rebound. Rare that
you see that particular rule applied: https://gfycat.com/basicnewkitten
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) v +aK Slovan Bratislava (SLK) 1-3 (0-1)
(Walker 73' (pen); Kashia 16', Zmrhal 48', Henty 69')
Goals by longtime Vitesse captain Guram Kashia, former Slavia Prague winger
Jarom|!r Zmrhal, and Nigerian striker Ezekiel Henty gave the Belas|! an easy
win in Gibraltar, despite Kashia also giving away a late penalty.
AC Omonoia (CYP) v FC Flora (EST) 1-0 (1-0)
(Tzioni 12')
Early on Marinos Tzioni volleyed in a cross, but chances were few after this
and Flora managed to leave the Cypriot heat with only a small deficit and still
everything to play for in the return leg.
N+a Mura (SLO) v FK ++algiris (LTU) 0-0 (0-0)
I'm partial towards Mura winning this tie as I want to see a Mur river derby
between them and Sturm in the next round, but ++algiris held the Slovenian
champions to a scoreless draw with disappointing ease.
--
League Path
FK Jablonec (CZE)* v Celtic FC (SCO) 2-4 (1-2)
(Pila+O 17', Bitton 85' (og); Abada 12', Furuhashi 16', Forrest 64',
Christie 90')
Celtic raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to two new signings, Israeli
youngster Liel Abada and Japanese winger Ky+igo Furuhashi, but after that
second
goal Jakub Pova++anec sent a ball over the top basically from the kick-off, and
Joe Hart in his Celtic debut was powerless to stop V|iclav Pila+O from halving
the deficit. The Scots could have extended their lead when an Abada cross was
deflected onto the woodwork and Furuhashi volleyed over the empty net, but they
where also lucky that a shot by Dominik Ple+itil whistled centimetres past the
post. Celtic's third came again courtesy of the lively Abada whose shot
Jablonec
keeper Hanu+i was only able to block, and James Forrest fired in the rebound.
Questions were asked about Hart's positioning when he allowed himself to be
chipped by Tom|i+i Mal|!nsk|+ whose lob came off the post and was ultimately
turned
over the line by Nir Bitton:
https://media.giphy.com/media/qpAelu8KvWIOIeSakf/giphy.gif but Ryan Christie's
late header should be enough to make the return leg a mere formality.
Galatasaray SK (TUR) v St Johnstone FC (SCO)* 1-1 (0-0)
(Boey 60'; Kerr 58' (pen); Red Card: Muslera (Gal) 56')
Despite a bright start, Galatasaray's wobbling path through Europe continued
also against the Saints from Perth. Fernando Muslera, already woeful in the PSV
matches, misplayed a back pass and so was forced to tear down Chris Kane:
https://gfycat.com/goodnaturedgraveirishdraughthorse which led to his dismissal
and a penalty for St. Johnstone, converted by their captain Jason Kerr. At
least
10-man Galatasaray immediately managed to equalise through their brand-new
signing Sacha Boey as the French rightback managed to beat Zander Clark with a
precisely angled shot.
SK Rapid Wien (AUT) v Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP)* 3-0 (1-0)
(Kara 35', Fountas 65', Gr|+ll 83')
Rapid are not going through a great moment right now, and eyes in Vienna have
instead mostly been turned towards their starlet Yusuf Demir fighting for a
place in Barcelona's squad (I hear there's a vacancy now), but after some early
struggles they got a convincing win against a really quite poor Cypriot side.
Taxi Fountas had already hit the crossbar before Knasm|+llner flicked on a
corner
kick by Thorsten Schick and Ercan Kara nodded in for a first-half lead. After
the break Rapid were awarded a very dodgy penalty, but Knasm|+llner returned
the
favour by producing an eminently saveable spot kick. Within three minutes
though
Anorthosis's substitute keeper Giorgi Loria (their starting number one Assaf
Tzur had pulled a muscle) turned from penalty hero into goat as he let
Fountas's
shot go straight through his gloves:
https://gfycat.com/simplisticflimsyhypsilophodon
Late on Marco Gr|+ll with an angled shot scored a third goal which should all
but
guarantee a European group phase for Rapid.
--
Ciao,
Werner
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

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