UEFA Champions League - 1st qualifying round - 1st leg
01 July - Tórsvøllur Stadium - Tórshavn
B36 Tórshavn - The New Saints FC (Wales) 1-2 (1-1)
1-0 Hans Pauli Samuelsen 07'
1-1 Scott Quigley 09'
1-2 Michael Wilde 90'
B36’s road to the second qualifying round became a lot steeper when The New Saints made it 2-1 in the 90th minute after sloppy defensive play from the home team.
B36 had gotten a dream start to the game when Hans Pauli Samuelsen cleverly curled in Jákup á Borg’s cross in the 7th minute, but Scott Quigley quickly restored parity as B36 were caught on the break and a cross from the right was allowed to go all the way over to Kai Edwards whose shot was going wide, but was turned in by Quigley who had stayed beyond the by-line to stay on-side.
TNS had a majority of possession for the remainder of the half and on the half-hour Adrian Cieslewicz picked out Simon Spender who had a clear sight of goal but fired wide.
B36 started brightly in the second half, but after five minutes TNS got back in control and B36 goalkeeper Tórður Thomsen made a spread eagle to save from a clear New Saint.
B36 had sporadic attempts at the other goal, but only a great save from TNS goalkeeper Paul Harrison could stop Samuelsen's effort with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Instead it were he visitors who won the game in the 90th minute after laps of concentration in B36's defence were two men were left clear behind the defence for Michael Wilde to slot home the winner.
All in all, TNS had been the better team on the day, but just, and B36 are not without a chance in the return leg, although it will be mighty difficult. But more of their players will have to be at their best as too many failed today.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 1st leg
03 July, Dariaus ir Gireno stadium, Kaunas
Trakau FK – HB Tórshavn 3-0 (1-0)
1-0 Aleksandr Bychenok
2-0 David Arshakyan
3-0 Rolands Solomins
HB Tórshavn all but crash out of the Europa League as their missery in Lithuania continues after a 3-0 defeat to Traku FK.
HB have twice before played in the country against FBK Kaunas where they lost 5-0 in 2005 and 4-1 in 2003.
But HB looked to match their opponents quite well today and frequented their penalty area several times in the first half of the 1st period, but without creating clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Trakau took the lead after 20 minutes when a ball fell to a clear Aleksandr Bychenok who steered in from the edge of the goal area. HB will regret sloppy defending.
There was a long break after the half-hour as a Trakau player was stretchered off - possibly with a broken leg. Heini Vatnsdal was given a yellow card for his antics.
Immediately after the restart Trakau went close, but HB were saved by the crossbar.
Trakau saw more of the ball in the second half and Johan Troest Davidsen made an important block after 53 minutes, while Teitur Gestsson saved with a foot-parade from the following corner.
Trakau doubled their lead on the hour-mark when David Arshakyan took advantage of a defensive blunder as he was quicker than two defenders and the goalkeeper and flicked the ball into the empty net.
The misery for HB worsened when right back Alex dos Santos was sent off a minute later.
Trakau scored again with five minutes to go to make the second leg look like mere formalities now, when Rolands Solomins was released and slipped the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 1st leg
03 July, Svangaskarð stadium, Toftir
Víkingur - Rosenborg 0-2 (0-0)
0-1 Alexander Søderlund '82
0-2 Alexander Søderlund '90+2
Víkingur regret two late goals as they match Rosenborg BK for most of the game.
Having lost 2-0 at home, Víkingur won´t have many hopes before the return leg in Norway, but they will be agonized that they conceded twice in the las 10 minutes and that they didn´t put away one or more of their own chances which they created plenty of.
Rosenborg were superior in the first quarter of an hour, but Víkingur improved to match the visitors, and although Rosenborg maybe had more of possession, Víkingur had the better scoring opportunities.
Atli Gregersen was just too short to turn in Erling Jacobsen’s shot following a corner after 35 minutes and a couple of minutes later Andreas Lava Olsen’s diving header was blocked to a corner from which Jacobsen headed just wide.
Shortly after, the Finn Riku Riski dribbled down the left and got to the by-line, but Víkingur goalkeeper Gezza Turi got down and collected the cross.
Just before half-time, right back Bárður Hansen so nearly scored, but the goalkeeper saved before Finnur Justinussen went close with the rebound.
Rosenborg then counterd, but Turi jus got a hand to block the shot before Jacobsen cleared the ball to safety.
Víkingur kept creating chances in the second half, and Lava Olsen bent down to head, but wide of the empty goal.
Rosenborg then had a few chances that drew fine saves from Turi, but he looked a bit slow when substitute Alexander Søderlund got the better of him with a well placed shot from 22 metres.
Gert Hansen had a qualified long range effort for Víkingur in the 90th minute, but still with time left for Rosenborg to double their score after dribbles in the penalty area before combining with Søderlund who made a shot-feint before slotting home for 2-0.
But Víkingur can held their head high as they gave the former Norveigan giant a run for their money.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 1st leg
03 July, Windsor Park, Belfast
Linfield FC – NSÍ Runavík 2-0 (0-0)
1-0 Andy Waterworth '57
2-0 Guy Bates '73
At 2-0 down before the home-leg, NSÍ aren’t completely without a chance, but they will have produce something extraordinary to turn the tie.
Linfield dominated throughout the first half and kept Andras Gango busy in the NSÍ goal, but failed to beat him in the first 45 minutes.
NSÍ went close just before the half-time whistle when Pól Jóhannus Justinussen drove a shot across the face of goal.
NSÍ got under pressure right from the start of the second half and survived some close scares, but surrendered to a corner in the 57th minute when captain Andy Waterworth fired the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Gango was beaten again in the 73rd minute as from Guy Bate got past his defender to shoot low into the far side of the goal to make it 2-0.
With 10 minutes left, NSÍ so nearly got that crucial away goal from Árni Frederiksberg's free kick, but only an outstanding save from Linfield goalkeeper Ross Glendinning kept the ball out.
UEFA Champions League - 1st qualifying round - 2nd leg
01 July - Park Hall, Oswestry
Wilde goes wild and scores a hat trick for The New Saints as B36 Tórshavn are overrun by the Welsh champions
The New Saints FC - B36 Tórshavn 4-1 (2-0)
1-0 Mike Wilde '15
2-0 Mike Wilde '27
3-0 Mike Wilde '47
4-0 Matty Williams '89
4-1 Lukasz Cieslewicz '90+1
Although B36 admitted it would be difficult to score the necessary two goals on away soil, they also believed it was not impossible. But that belief quickly faded away as The New Saints scored their second goal in the 27th minute.
TNS had taken the lead after a quarter of an hour when Adrian Cieslewicz found Michael Wilde who got past his marker to fire in the opening goal.
Although the first goal didn’t change much mathematically as B36 still “just” needed to score two goals in order not to crash out – just as they did with the score tied at 0-0 - the tone seemed to be set for a dismal evening for the Faroese champions.
Shortly after, Wilde threatened again with a header against the upright before he doubled the lead in the 27th minute.
Wilde looked to be on for a hat trick, but failed to convert shortly before half time. However, it took him less than two minutes of the second half to complete that hat trick after being set up by Simon Spender .
TNS had chances for more, but missed while through on goal while Spender’s cross clipped the crossbar with a quarter of an hour remaining.
B36 had little to show for up front and in the last minute of normal time substitute Matty Williams made it 4-0 before Lukasz Cieslewicz scored a consolation goal for B36 in added time.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 2nd leg
09 July - Tórsvøllur Stadium, Tórshavn
HB Tórshavn - Trakai FK 1-4 (0-2)
0-1 David Arshakyan '30
1-2 Ronald Solomin '38
0-3 Aleksandr Bychenok (pen) '83
1-3 Levi Hanssen '90
1-4 David Arshakyan (pen) '90+3
With a red card after 20 minutes and conceding two penalties, HB's result could not have been much different tonight. Or maybe that's not quite true actually as HB were so close to taking the lead after 11 minutes when Levi Hanssen's cross found Arnbjørn Hansen whose looping header aimed at the top corner was only kept out by an outstandig save from Marius Rapalis who tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Goals change football matches, the saying goes, so who knows what could have happened had it gone in.
Instead it went wrong after 20 minutes when careless defending allowed Ronald Solomin to get clear and the referee deemed that centre back Rógvi Holm had brought down the attacker. The referee was swift with his red card too, but the video could suggest that he defender is actually tackling the ball, but Solomin knew exactly what he was doing and appears to be hurt. That was at least fake.
HB had to rearrange the team and moved midfielder Fróði Benjaminsen into defence which was already missing injured Johan Troest Davidsen and suspended Alex dos Santos. Also right wing Christian R. Mouritsen was on the bench because of injury, and likewise veteran forward Andrew av Fløtum, so it was very much an understrength HB team playing tonight.
Although HB survived the free kick, the visitors took the lead 10 minutes later when HB were caught sleeping when Trakai had a corner which allowed Donatas Šėgžda to shoot at goal, and although Teitur Gestsson parried the initial shot, David Arshakyan finished off the job.
10-men HB should have equalized four minutes later when A. Hansen was played clear but squandered the opportunity.
Instead of 1-1, the visitors doubled their lead in the 38th minute after HB had failed to clear properly and Solomin got completely clear in the goal area and slotted home.
Less than two minutes later HB had another great opportunity where René S. Joensen made much of the spadework to set up youngster Teit Jacobsen who finished into the side-netting, however.
HB had a good period around the hour-mark and A. Hansen was once again close with a header from L. Hanssens's fre kick 18 minutes through the second half, but once again the goalkeeper managed to divert it over the bar – which he did again after yet another A. Hansen header five minutes later.
Unfortunately there were no goals in A. Hansen today, and instead Trakai went 3-0 up with a penalty from Aleksandr Bychenok with 7 minutes remaining after right back Jógvan Rói Davidsen rather clumsy and unnecessary had given Rokas Masenzovas a push in the back.
But HB finally got a consolation goal in the 90th minute when Joensen's cross was headed back across goal by Adrian Justinussen to a clear L. Hanssen who just managed to bend over and head in.
Hanssen thereby extended his record as the most scoring Faroese player in European competition.
However, there was still enough time for Trakai to get another goal – again from a penalty which Arshakyan converted safely after he had been brought down by forward Poul Ingason, who doesn't take prisoners neither in attack nor defence.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 2nd leg
09 July - Svangaskarð stadium, Toftir
NSÍ Runavík - Linfield FC 4-3 (3-2)
0-1 Reece Glendinning
1-1 Klæmint Olsen
1-1 Pól Jóhannus Justinussen
2-2 Guy Bates
3-2 Jens Joensen
3-3 Andy Waterworth
4-3 Pól Jóhannus Justinussen
The 13th minute looked like the unlucky one for NSÍ as Linfield took the lead which with all likeliness would mean that the tie was decided as NSÍ now had to score four.
However, NSÍ were right back in the tie as they were leading 2-1 six minutes later; first through Klæmint Olsen, who was through on goal, and then through Pól Jóhannus Justinussen's header.
And just a few moments later NSÍ were desperately unlucky not to make it 3-1 when Magnus Olsen's bullet from 25 metres smashed against the crossbar. What would it have meant?
Instead it was Linfield who equalized shortly after the half-hour when they had the luck of the bounce and Guy Bates slotted in from close range.
However, NSÍ regained the lead on the stroke of half-time with a deflected shot from Jens Joensen.
Although NSÍ now needed to score five, they still had he belief in the second half and created a host of scoring opportunities of which many were squandered.
But when Andy Waterworth equalized to 3-3 after 68 minutes, it would take a miracle from NSÍ to go through as they now needed to score six.
NSÍ did win tonight's game though as Justinussen scored with another header in the 85th minute.
It was close for NSÍ, but unfortunately much of the damage had been done in the first leg.
UEFA Europa League - 1st qualifying round - 2nd leg
09 July - Lerkedal stadium, Trondheim
Rosenborg BK - Víkingur 0-0
Víkingur got yet another exceptional result in Europe after holding Norwegian outfit Rosenborg to a 0-0 draw.
Rosenborg had a clear majority of possession, but failed to create many scoring opportunities, however.
The closest Rosenborg came to scoring in the first half was when Fredrik Midtsjø’s long range drive clipped the post midway through the half.
Corners and crosses never bothered Víkingur, except in one incidence early in the second half when goalkeeper Geza Turi fumbled, but Rosenborg’s Tomás Malec failed to take advantage.
After the match the Norwegian coach complaint about how rough Víkingur played. Well, the fact was at least that Rosenborg got 5 yellow cards while Víkingur got only 3. Rosenborg also made more free kicks; 19 - while Víkingur only made 16!
Just a shame that Víkingur conceded two late goals in the first leg.