As August begins, so does the next stage of qualifying for the biggest women’s football tournament in Europe!
Keep reading as we’ve got everything you need to know about this second qualifying round, including the all important results and how each team can qualify for either the third round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, or the second edition of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup!
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Who is involved in this second qualifying round?
- 44 teams in total, 39 of which are entering directly.
- The other 5 teams are the winners from the previous round who continue on the Champions Path. They are joined by a further 20 champions from associations ranked 8-10 and 12-28 and 3 champions from associations 30-31 and 37.
- The second qualifying round also introduces the ‘League Path’ which sees 16 teams enter the qualification stage on a parallel route to the Champions Path. This includes teams like Ajax, Juventus and Hammarby.
- These teams consist of 12 runners-up from associations 6-17 and the 4 third-placed teams from associations 4-7.
How does qualification work for the next round?:
- The 11 teams who win the mini-tournaments will enter the third round automatically and join a further 7 teams who have qualified for the third round directly.
- However, the teams who finish second and third in each mini-tournament at this stage secure their place in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup qualifying rather than being completely eliminated from European competition.
- Runners up in each mini-tournament will enter into the Europa Cup second qualifying round.
- Third-placed teams in each mini-tournament will enter into the Europa Cup first qualifying round.
League Path
Mini-tournament 1 hosted by Rangers:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Ajax (NED) 2 – 0 Brøndby (DEN)
– The Dutch side scored two goals early in the first-half through Snoeijs (12′) and van Koppen (20′), the game continued without a response from Brøndby to send Ajax comfortably into Saturday’s final.
Slavia Praha (CZE) 1 – 2 Rangers (SCO) AET
– An extra-time winner (and the round’s one of only two red cards) saw an incredible fight from behind to secure Rangers’ place in Saturday’s final.
– After a goalless first-half, Slavia took the lead through Briede (56′) and looked to be holding on for the winner until Doherty forced the game into extra-time after her goal in the 82nd minute.
– Just before the break in extra time, Eilidh Austin put the Scottish side in the lead with the assist from Hendle.
– Hendle unfortunately then received two yellow cards in quick succession after a foul on Kroupová and was sent off with just over 5 minutes of extra time remaining.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Slavia Praha 1 – 1 Brøndby (3-5 on penalties)
– Although a tight 1-1 scoreline in the end, Brøndby certainly weren’t short of chances, especially in the first half where they had registered five chances in front of goal in the first 10 minutes.
– The Danish side continued to dominate throughout the rest of the half, with the Czech side enjoying their first real chance of the game through Kravchuk in the 36th minute. No magic could be found, however, and it was goalless going into the break.
– Brøndby started the second-half well and made the most of their early corner which was taken and converted into the first goal of the game by Mila Bischoff (52′).
– With ten minutes left on the clock, Slavia Praha sprung into action and efforts from Mikolajová, K. Dubcová and Bartovičová all came close of the mark.
– It was in this rare period of possession that the equaliser came courtesy of Tereza Szewieczková following Krejčiříková’s corner in the 89th minute.
– Throughout the period of extra time, both sides only had one real clear-cut chance to put the game to bed before penalties but unfortunately neither side could produce that final bit of magic.
– In the shootout: Brøndby stepped up first and Thestrup converted, as did Dubcová for 1-1. Karlsen and Mikolajová followed suit for 2-2. Madsen then made it 2-3 to Brøndby, however Briede missed for it to remain 2-3.
– Amy Rodgers added to the tally for 2-4 and goalscorer Szewieczková netted for 3-4. Finally, Halldórsdóttir stepped up to convert for 3-5 and the shootout ended, granting a path to the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup to the more dominant team on the night.
Final:
Ajax 2 – 1 Rangers
– With nothing to separate the two sides in terms of chances, Eilidh Austin was nearly the savior for Rangers once more but a last minute Ajax penalty proved to be the decider.
– The first-half was a mixed bag of chances for both sides with Ajax having the best standout chances of the half through Knol and Snoeijs but unfortunately their efforts curled wide.
– After the restart Ajax were on the front foot again and would have gone ahead if it wasn’t for a fantastic goal-line clearance.
– It wasn’t until the 65th minute that Nadine Noordam managed to break through the Rangers’ defence. The initial strike came in from Snoeijs and while keeper, Fife, parried the ball away, Noordam was there to tap home for 1-0.
– As the game entered its final stages, Rangers were able to take advantage of tired legs and careless passes, as they were finally able to launch an attack on the Dutch goal.
– In the 89th minute, Docherty delivered an impressive corner which found Eilidh Austin at the edge of the 6 yard box, the defender’s head connected perfectly as she glanced it over the keeper and into the far corner for a late equaliser much to her teammates (and the crowd’s) relief.
– However, disaster struck for the Scottish side in the final minute of stoppage time as goalscorer Austin was deemed to have fouled Smits in the box and a penalty was awarded to Ajax. Moments later, Captain Sherida Spitse stepped up to the spot and sent it the ball into the bottom right-hand corner for the 2-1 in the 90+2′, just as the final whistle blew.
Mini-tournament 2 hosted by Juventus:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Hammarby (SWE) 4 – 0 Apolonia (ALB)
– A very comfortable victory for the Swedish side who dominated possession from the off.
– The goals scored saw two in each half from 3 different goalscorers and an unfortunate own goal: Rosendal (41′), Sørum (45′ penalty), Janzen (57′), Silva Santos 73′ (og).
Juventus (ITA) 2 – 1 Torreense (POR)
– The Portuguese side will feel incredibly unlucky not to walk away with the win as they registered more shots on target than their opponents, hitting the woodwork twice before finally scoring a consolation goal in the 90th minute through Lakip.
– It was a close, yet goalless, first-half and Juventus took their chance quickly after the restart through Carbonell (46′) which settled the game slightly. Not long after, Ana Capeta sealed the win just beyond the hour mark (66′) with what was to be the game winner.
– An incredibly close game right at the death but ultimately, Juventus were able to make the most of their chances.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Torreense 5 – 2 Apolonia
– The Portuguese side certainly aired their frustrations after an unlucky semi-final match as they put 5 past Apolonia from 4 different goalscorers.
– Within three minutes Torreense had taken the lead through Janaina Weimer.
– Apolonia had a rare chance just before the 20th minute but it was Torreense who doubled their lead five minutes later (25′) for 2-0. The Albanian defence held firm, however, and stopped any further attempts on goal finding the back of the net before the half-time whistle.
– After the restart, Apolonia came forward once more and were unlucky not to convert before Weimar scored her brace for 3-0 (53′). A frantic couple of minutes followed where Weimar had another effort on goal and Daniela Silva hit the woodwork before Apolonia forward Owusu made it 3-1 (56′) against the run of play.
– Torreense were straight back on the front foot and ten minutes later they were in front of goal again. This time it was Hayes who stood over the penalty spot and confidently converted for 4-1.
– With less than 10 minutes to go, Bárbara Latorre found Torreense’s 5th goal (83′) before Georgina Ameyaa got one back for Apolonia once again on the counter for the final score of 5-2.
Final:
Juventus 3 – 1 Hammarby (AET)
– A rare game in this round that was streamed live on Juventus’ Youtube channel, it was either team’s for the taking until the introduction of new signing Remina Chiba as the epitome of a super sub.
– Around the thirty minute mark, the teams had settled in a steady pace with neither team creating any clear-cut chances. However, Hammarby took their chance after Koivisto’s corner created chaos in the box, and while Juventus couldn’t clear their lines, Hammarby soon found themselves 0-1 up after Rehnberg tapped in before keeper De Jong could get down to it.
– Hammarby then enjoyed a period of good possession and gaining a lot of joy down the wings as Reidy came close to making it 0-2.
– Ten minutes later and Juventus were more switched on, winning the ball back before Hammarby could break and giving themselves more time in and around the Swedish box. After two blocked efforts, new summer signing Alba Redondo was able to head the ball skilfully into the back of the net after a lovely flick on by Tatiano Pinto for 1-1.
– The second-half produced only a handful of chances for both sides, with Bonansea coming the closest for Juventus but her shot went just wide. Frustration clearly settling in as the period of extra time began.
– Juventus, interestingly, looked like a different outfit as they entered into extra-time, with the introduction of new summer recruit Chiba having injected some energy into the attack. Within minutes, Chiba received the ball out wide, took a touch on the edge of the box and sent a rocket of a strike into the top corner. There was nothing keeper Andersson could have done to stop it for 2-1.
– Then, moments before the whistle for half-time in extra time, Chiba was back on the scoresheet. This time turning in a header from a lovely cross in from the left by Carbonell. Ideally, Andersson should have positioned herself better to keep the shot out as the header didn’t have too much power behind it at all. Although she did get a hand to it, it wasn’t powerful enough to deflect it away and ultimately Juventus took the lead with 3-1.
– In the final moments of the second period, both Nyhagen and Peterson had one last try at bringing Hammarby back into the game but unfortunately it was just too late in the game.
Mini-tournament 3 hosted by Eintracht Frankfurt:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Vålerenga (NOR) 0 – 1 Malmö (SWE)
– A single goal through Älvali Lindström (33′) just after the thirty minute mark was the only difference between the two sides in this incredibly close match-up.
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 8 – 0 Omonia (CYP)
– Both teams finished third in their respective leagues last season but on the pitch told a vastly different story.
– Frankfurt were an incredibly comfortable 5-0 up at half-time through a quick start by Raso (3′), and two braces courtesy of Mülhaus (9′, 41′) and Memeti (34′, 44′).
– The second-half was slightly slower with only the three goals finding the back of the net: Freigang (69′), Açikgöz (90′) and finally Krumbiegel (90+2′).
– Unfortunately for the Cypriot side they didn’t register a single shot on target but they did importantly block a further four chances which could have seen Frankfurt into double figures.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Vålerenga 2 – 0 Omonia
– A goal in each half earned redemption for the Norwegian side after failing to score in the semi-finals. With 10 times as many attempts on goal as their opponents, ideally the scoreline should have been higher but qualification is still qualification.
– After a dominant start, Vålerenga found the back of the net through a well-taken penalty from Eline Hegg in the 11th minute for 1-0. The pressure continued and the Norwegian side could have been two or three goals clear if the shots had been more clinical.
– In first-half stoppage time, Omonia had their first opportunity of the game but unfortunately Iordachiusi’s strike followinh Charalambous’ corner couldn’t find its mark.
– Vålerenga were coming closer and closer to a second as the second-half progressed but it wasn’t until midfielder Arnesen found the back of the net in the 78th minute that the game was decided.
Final:
Frankfurt 2 – 0 Malmö
– Despite not quite being the 8 goal thriller of their semi-final, thanks to a strong Malmö defence, regardless a Freigang brace was enough to see the German side through to the next round.
– The first-half was completely dominated by the German side with Malmö only registering one attempt on goal throughout the constant wave of Frankfurt attacks.
– It wasn’t until the clock was running down for half-time could Laura Freigang finally break through thanks to a well-delivered Acikgöz corner. Freigang then registered another two attempts on goal before the whistle blew for the break.
– The second-half began and Frankfurt continued to dominate with a rare chance for Malmö courtest of Courtney Nevin before Lindström was caught offside moments later.
– In the 76th minute, Raso and Freigang teamed up for the latter to net her brace and what was to be the last real chance of the game for either team and the game ended 2-0.
– An overall good defensive display by the Swedish team but ultimately Frankfurt’s attacking power was just too great.
Mini-tournament 4 hosted by St. Pölten:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Sporting CP (POR) 5 – 0 SeaSters Odessa (UKR)
– Another dominant performance by the Portuguese side who netted three goals in the first-half and two in the second, the final goal coming in the last minute of regular time to see the team safely through to Saturday’s final.
– Goalscorers: Ana Dias (20′), a brace for Bonsegundo (39′, 45+2′), Hernandez Gray (78′) and finally Telma Encarnação (90′).
St. Pölten (AUT) 4 – 3 Young Boys (SUI)
– In an incredibly tight, end-to-end game it was hosts St. Pölten who came out on top despite Young Boys fighting right until the end.
– The hosts went 3-0 up starting with an early penalty through Vágó (7′) followed by Laino (23′) and Aagaard (39′) before Frey (41′) got a goal back for the Swiss side and the teams went into the break at 3-1.
– Young Boys started quickly in the second half with Jelčić’s first goal of the afternoon just before the hour mark (58′) for 3-2.
– Rukavina (63′) then established a more comfortable cushion at 4-2 for the Austrian side before Young Boys had one last push with Jelčić securing a brace in the 85th minute for the final score of 4-3.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Young Boys 1 – 3 SeaSters
– After a goalless, yet tightly contested first-half, SeaSters had a fortunate start to the second-half when Young Boys’ Josten gave away a penalty which Kalinina coolly converted for 0-1 (49′).
– The Swiss side then continued to add pressure but against the run of play SeaSters doubled their lead through Diana Tkachuk (54′). The defender then bagged her brace moments later (61′) for 0-3 with another quick counter-attack.
– The pressure finally paid off for Young Boys, however, as Ramona Bachmann found the back of the net for 1-3. The game then continued end-to-end but the final scoreline remained with SeaSters taking the win.
Final:
St. Pölten 1 – 1 Sporting CP (4-1 on penalties)
– In what was one of the tightest finals on Saturday, both teams struggled to find a way through and only scored through two standout players in extra added time before bracing themselves for penalties.
– The first-half held very little in terms of chances with St. Pölten starting the better of the two before Sporting found their rhythm before the break but it wasn’t enough to find the back of the net.
– After the restart, the game continued in pretty much the same way with St. Pölten looking to have the better of the opportunities through Vágó around the 70 minute mark before Sporting had one final chance before the 90 minutes was over through Encarnação.
– Finally, in the 94th minute, St. Pölten hit the woodwork and were excruciatingly close to their goal before Vágó finally broke the deadlock from the rebound!
– Considering how the game had gone so far, that looked to be the match winner but Telma Encarnação had other ideas. After initially being judged offside moments before, Encarnação made sure to put the ball in the back of the net in the 112th minute to bring the game back level.
– St. Pölten got the shootout underway and converted through Laino, Encarnação was up next for Sporting and she too netted for 1-1.
– Rukavina stepped up and made it 2-1 before Sporting’s Hernandez Gray missed her effort.
– Goalscorer Vágó also netted for 3-1, whereas Sporting’s Pimenta had her shot saved by keeper Schlüter to remain 3-1.
– Jennifer Klein then stepped up to win it for St. Pölten and she confidently put it away for 4-1 and a place in the third qualifying round.
Champions Path
Mini-tournament 1 hosted by Mura:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Austria Wien (AUT) 3 – 2 Hajduk Split (CRO)
– The Austrian side got off to a lightning-quick start with two goals in the first five minutes from Pfanner (1′) and Uka (4′) before Pfanner netted her brace in the 18th minute.
– Hajduk then took the momentum after the restart with two goals in two minutes through Čanjevac (45′) and Kalaš (47′) but Austria Wien refused to concede anymore goals and the game ended 3-2.
Mura (SVN) 1 – 3 Farul Constanta (ROU)
– An incredible come back for the Romanian team who scored all three of their goals in extra-time to book themselves a place in the final of the round.
– In this end-to-end game, Mura looked to take the win after a single breakthrough by Zver in the 63rd minute.
– Despite multiple chances on goal, it wasn’t until Mura’s defender Paneska was shown a red card in the 90+8th, and gave away a vital penalty (converted by Florentina), that the Romanian side forced the game into extra time.
– Within minutes of the restart, O’Sullivan (96′) had taken the lead for Farul Constanta with Boycheva sealing the win in the final minute of added time (120+3′), scoring from a direct free-kick.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Mura 0 – 2 Hajduk
– The Croatian team solidified their claim to a place in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup by capitalising on their semi-final momentum and netting twice in the second half.
– Živković finally broke the deadlock on the hour mark for 0-1 which seemed to light a fire for Mura as they enjoyed a decent spell of possession.
– The game then increased in physicality with four yellow cards given out over the next 10 minutes, culminating in a red card shown to Mura’s Kavaš in the 76th minute.
– The gap out wide then allowed Hajduk to increase pressure on the Slovenian goal until Ana Bakalar sealed the win with the Croatian side’s second of the afternoon in the 88th minute.
Final:
Austria Wien 5 – 0 Farul Constanta
– After leaving it late in their semi-final win, it seemed Farul Constanta’s luck had run out conceding five to a very impressive Austrian side.
– Unfortunately, the Romanian side seemed to get caught out at the pace to the start of each half which is where all five of Austria Wien’s goals occurred.
– Hanshaw (2′) and Uka (4′) got the Austrian side off to an impressive start once more and even more impressively, Uka scored once again in the 4th minute as she did in their semi-final.
– Farul Constanta, however, were thrown off by this start and registered no attempts on goal during the first 45 minutes but did successfully defend against 14 Austrian attempts on goal (including one attempt off the woodwork) to keep the scoreline at 2-0 going into half-time.
– The second-half was one more Austria Wien’s to lose as their relentless pressure on the Romanian goal continued. However, their next goal came from Uka once again, this time from a penalty given around the hour mark for 3-0 (61′).
– Five minutes later and Elisa Pfattner had added her name to the scoresheet for 4-0 (66′).
– Finally, defender Yvonne Weilharter made it an impressive 5-0 in the 75th minute.
– With five minutes left on the clock Farul Constanta finally registered their first attempt on goal through Craiovan but her shot was blocked by keeper Pal. There was one final chance for the Romanian side in the 90+2nd minute through Colibaba but her effort went wide of the mark.
– A dominant display by Austria Wien worthy of a place in the third round.
Mini-tournament 2 hosted by Ferencváros:
Semi-Finals Wednesday 5th August:
Brann (NOR) 5 – 0 Mitrovica (KOS)
– A strong outing for the Norwegian side who comfortably defeated one of the first round qualifying winners, Mitrovica, early on in Budapest.
– Zomers netted a brace (6′,35′) while Eikeland (13′), Aahjem (28′) and Halbmayr (74′) all found the back of the net for a standout 5 goal victory.
Ferencváros (HUN) 2 – 3 PAOK (GRE) AET
– An incredibly close match-up between these two sides and yet another semi-final which was forced into extra time.
– The game started quickly with Andreevska (7′) for PAOK breaking the deadlock before Csányi reacted a minute later (8′) to bring the game back level.
– Argyriou then restored PAOK’s lead in the 17th minute which saw the Greek side enjoying the momentum until Kubassova brought the game level once again just before half-time (42′).
– As the regulation 90 ended, the game remained at a stalement, extra time got underway and forward Ilektra Tzourtzevits made sure to leave her mark on the competition by scoring the winner in the 93rd minute.
– Ferencváros attempted a late comeback in the dying moments of the game but left it too late and ultimately couldn’t find any further opportunities to trouble Neuhaus in goal.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Ferencváros 1 – 2 Mitrovica
– Both teams left it late to try and claim the winner as all goals occurred in the final 20 minutes.
– After an incredibly tight game, with both teams level on scoring opportunities, Ferencváros finally broke the deadlock through midfielder Czellér (68′).
– The lead wasn’t theirs for long, however, as Aurora Mulliqi netted an impressive brace with four minutes (76′,80′) to secure Mitrovica’s place in the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup first round of qualifying.
Final:
Brann 3 – 2 PAOK
– PAOK came so close to forcing the game into extra time but two goals in two minutes in stoppage time saw Brann do just enough to keep their lead and a place in the third round.
– Interestingly in this close match-up, neither side created many chances on goal at all in the first-half, with both goals being their own clear-cut chances of the first 45 minutes.
– It was Minela Gačanica who broke the deadlock in the 11th minute for PAOK in their first attack forward for 1-0. Then it was Zomers who equalised for Brann in the 23rd minute when the Norwegian found their first bit of rhythm in the game.
– Zomers then got the second-half off to a flying start by giving Brann the advantage moments after the whistle was blown (52′) for 2-1.
– As the game progressed, both teams settled into short periods of possession, Brann looked the more likely to score of the two but neither came close to adding to their tally until the final moments of stoppage time.
– In those eight extra minutes, Alfredsen and Isaksen both had their shots blocked for Brann before Nea Lehtola found the back of the net for a comfortable 3-1 win (90+6′).
– However, PAOK were given the slight chance to get back into the game when they were awarded a penalty a minute later which Maria Mitkou converted for 3-2 (90+7′). Unfortunately for the Greek side, the referee blew their whistle once the ball was back in play, seeing Brann through to the third round and PAOK to the Women’s Europa Cup qualifying.
Mini-tournament 3 hosted by Aktobe:
Semi-Finals Tuesday 4th August:
Dinamo-BSUPC (BEL) 0 – 3 Servette (SUI)
– Three goals in six minutes just after the restart was all the Swiss side needed to comfortably progress through to Saturday’s final: Nein (54′), Strik (58′) and Hernández (60′)
Breiðablik (ISL) 1 – 1 Aktobe (KAZ)
(0-2 on penalties)
– Two quick first-half goals was all that could be taken from 90 minutes for these two teams as they were forced into extra time and penalties..
– Babshuk (12′) put Aktobe in front, followed closely by Duong (16′) for the Icelandic side before the match was forced to extra time (which remained goalless) and then finally, penalties.
– In the penalty shootout, Albertsdóttir, goalscorer Duong, Halldórsdóttir and van Bemmel all missed their penalties for Breiðablik.
– For Aktobe, Litvinenko and Babshuk both converted their penalties while their third was missed by Rees.
– The disappointing shootout ended 0-2 to Aktobe who progress to the final.
Friday 7th August
Third-place match:
Breiðablik 3 – 2 Dinamo-BSUPC AET
– It was a bittersweet start to this third-placed match for the Belarussian side as within two minutes of scoring through Pilipenko (14′), their forward, Hanna Siniauskaya, was given a straight red card for violent conduct (16′).
– Even though the Icelandic side had the numerical advantage, they struggled to get passed Dinamo’s defence and only won the game in the final moments of added time.
– Breiðablik’s Tómasdóttir scored not long into the second half (53′) to make it 1-1 before Dinamo took the lead once again through Pilipenko (62′).
– As the clock ran down, it was end-to-end as both teams fought to finish the game in regulation time, however, Albertsdóttir scored in the 6th minute of stoppage time to force the game into extra time.
– Luckily for Breiðablik, Albertsdóttir was there once more to net the winner, (back on form after missing her penalty in the semi-final game) assisted by their first goalscorer of the afternoon Tómasdóttir, to progress into the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup qualifying.
Final:
Servette 4 – 0 Aktobe
– The Swiss side became the first to progress into the third qualifying round of the UWCL with another impressive goal-heavy victory against Aktobe in sweltering 35º heat.
– The Aktobe defence held firm until forward Magdalena Sobal made it 1-0 in the 20th minute and continued to dominate chances on goal for the rest of the match.
– The Kazakhstani team weren’t without their chances, however, with
Dülber have their most clear-cut chance just before the hour mark.
– Servette, however, doubled their lead not too long after through Hernández (67′). Martínez then added to the tally with five minutes left on the clock for 3-0 before striker Nein added their fourth and final in the first minute of stoppage time.
– Substitutes Kubessova and Karazhanova had two final chances in the dying moments for Aktobe but it just wasn’t to be on the night.
Mini-tournament 4 hosted by Racing Union Luxembourg:
Semi-finals Wednesday 5th August:
SFK 2000 Sarajevo (BIH) 2 – 3 PSV Eindhoven (NED)
– Another end-to-end battle for a place in the final with PSV doing just enough to see off tough competition from the Bosnian side.
– Kršo (31′) opened the scoring for Sarajevo before PSV answered shortly afterwards through Ripa (38′).
– In the final minute of the first-half, Janice Cayman scored her first of the afternoon to make it 1-2. Cayman then added to her tally in the 74th minute with what was to be the game winner.
– Sarajevo did get a goal back through Spasojević moments later (78′) for 2-3 but unfortunately wasn’t enough to take anything from the game.
Racing Union Luxembourg (LUX) 0 – 2 HJK Helsinki (FIN)
– A goal in each half was enough to see the Finnish side through to the final in this this match where they dominated throughout.
– Jenna Topra broke the deadlock just before half-time (42′) as a result of a direct free-kick which Bethea assisted.
– The rest of the game then produced only a handful of half-chances for each side before midfielder Kiviranta doubled Helsinki’s lead with ten minutes left on the clock (80′).
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Sarajevo 4 – 1 Racing Union
– The Bosnian side capitalised on their opportunities in this third-placed match for a comfortable win over Racing Union.
– For the first 40 minutes, the game was peppered with chances for both sides but it wasn’t until a penalty was given Sarajevo’s way did the deadlock finally break. Moments after Spasojević converted her penalty (38′), Pezelj doubled her side’s lead (41′) before Terzić added a third in added time (45+2′) to take Sarajevo into a comfortable 3-0 lead into half-time.
– After the break, Racing Union started brighter and had multiple chances on goal before Dos Santos got a goal back in the 58th minute for 3-1.
– The game then came full circle as Spasojević netted her brace and the final goal of the game to send Sarajevo comfortably through to the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup qualifiers.
Final:
PSV 3 – 1 HJK
– This game was end-to-end and was the perfect example of a team making the most of their chances.
– Although the Dutch side dominated throughout the first-half, they only created a handful of clear-cut chances. Two of those resulting in two goals in three minutes thanks to forward Liz Rijsbergen (33′, 36′).
– The second-half ultimately started the same way with PSV dominating possession and opportunities, however, against the run of play HJK were able to close the gap through Holmström just after the hour mark (62′).
– Not content with a brace, Rijsbergen found the back of the net a mere one minute later (63′) for her hattrick and what was ultimately to be the match-winner.
– Although, it was possible for PSV to have extended their lead even further as they were awarded a penalty in the 76th minute but keeper Laihanen made sure to deny the effort.
– The final fifteen minutes saw a handful of chances for both teams and HJK goalscorer Holmström had one final roll of the dice in the final minute of stoppage time but it wasn’t to be and the game finished 3-1 to PSV.
Mini-tournament 5 hosted by OH Leuven:
Semi-finals Wednesday 5th August:
Metalist 1925 Kharkiv (UKR) 1 – 2 Fenerbahçe (TUR)
– Despite the Ukrainian side taking the lead within the first fifteen minutes through Hiryn (15′) the momentum swiftly turned in Fenerbahçe’s favour with their constant pressure on the Kharkiv goal.
– Just before half-time, Fenerbahçe had their break-through through Ece Türkoğlu (42′) before Maria Alves scored the match-winner just after the hour mark (62′).
OH Leuven (BEL) 4 – 0 TSC Bačka Topola (SRB)
– The Belgian side proved once more why they made it to last season’s round of 16, with a comfortably win over Serbian side TSC.
– With almost triple the attempts on goal than their opposition, the deadlock was finally broken in the 33rd minute through Conijnenberg.
– An unfortunate own goal through Marjanović minutes after the restart (49′) doubled Leuven’s lead, followed by Conijnenberg’s second (66′) and defender Janssen’s final minute goal (90+2′), after turning in a corner kick, rounded off the evening.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Metalist 1925 3 – 2 TSC (AET)
– Metalist certainly didn’t make it easy for themselves to secure a place in Europa Cup qualifying, having to take the lead on three separate occasions to finally win in extra time.
– The game was end-to-end from the off as both sides fought to break the deadlock, however, that honour went to Daryna Apanaschenko in the 30th minute.
– The Ukrainian side, despite both teams continuing to battle for the winner throughout the regulation 90 minutes, looked to take that single goal lead as victory until TSC’s Sovány finally found a moment of magic to bring the game level in stoppage time (90+1′).
– The game was then forced into extra time and Apanaschenko was there once more for Metalist as she found the back of the net in the 97th minute for 2-1.
– As the second period of extra time started, TSC brought themselves level once more through Tara Kocić after a well-taken corner (108′).
– However, there was one last roll of the dice for Metalist as even though goalscorer Apanaschenko had been substituted, defender Shaynyuk stepped up to make sure Metalist took the win in the 111th minute.
Final:
OH Leuven 1 – 1 Fenerbahçe (4-2 on penalties)
– A game that gave very little in terms of goals which ended in the fairest decider in this case, penalties.
– Fenerbahçe looked to get off to a good start when Konya Plummer found the back of the net within the first ten minutes. The rest of the half continued with pretty much one-way traffic in favour of Fenerbahçe and they entered the break with the same single goal lead.
– The Belgian side knew they had to start the second-half differently and within ten minutes, forward Jada Conijnenberg had brought Leuven back level (56′).
– Unfortunately for the sides, the rest of the half threw up very little in terms of chances and the regulation 90 finished at 1-1.
– The first period of extra time contained no chances in front of goal at all, with Leuven having the slightly better luck in the final 15, however, the score remained the same.
– Unsurprisingly, the penalty shootout continued in the same way as the game. OH Leuven netted their first two chances without issue (Biesmens and Conijnenberg) while Fenerbahçe converted through Abideen but missed through Türkoğlu for 2-1.
– Kuijpers also missed for OH Leuven but Uraz and Papatheodorou netted to bring it back to 3-2.
– Devastatingly for Fenerbahçe, Şeker missed her chance and Leuven’s defender Gielen smoothly converted for 4-2 and the end of the shootout.
Mini-tournament 6 hosted by Apollon LFC:
Semi-finals Wednesday 5th August:
Apollon LFC (CYP) 3 – 3 Czarni Sosnowiec (POL) AET: 2-4 penalties
– After a game that was neck-and-neck from the very beginning, it seemed like penalties was the fairest way to separate the two sides after a goalless period of extra time.
– Mooney broke the deadlock early for Apollon (11′) before Miłek (18′) brought the game back level at 1-1.
– Hudson (40′) and Witkowska (45+1′) were the next pair to score keeping the game level at 2-2.
– After the restart, Freda scored for Apollon (50′) and with the largest gap between goal pairs all game, midfielder Sarapata (79′) scored the equaliser for the final time to make it 3-3.
– In extra-time, Czarni were the more dominant in both periods but failed to find the back of the net and the game was forced to penalties.
– Apollon didn’t get off to the best start, however, as Hardy and Hudson both missed their penalties, while Miksone and goalscorer Sarapata converted theirs for 0-2.
– Despite Ficzay and Prvulovic converting their opportunities for Apollon, Czarni didn’t miss a single chance and the shootout ended 2-4.
Vllaznia (ALB) 1 – 2 Spartak Myjava (SVK)
– A game that wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests as the Slovakian side claimed victory in a game they dominated since the first whistle.
– Despite the relentless pressure from Spartak Myjava, Vllaznia’s defence held strong and kept Spartak Myjava out until right before half-time when they took the lead through Bogorová (42′).
– In the second-half, Vargová doubled the side’s lead as a result of a free-kick and they looked to keep a comfortable clean sheet. However, Vllaznia had one moment of magic left in the game as Doci scored in the 74th minute to create a very tense final 15 minutes.
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Vllaznia 1 – 2 Apollon LFC (AET)
– Interestingly, both teams set up defensively for this third-place tie, leaving very little up front in ways of an attacking outlet and the game was forced to extra-time.
– After a tough semi-final match, Vllaznia knew they had to start strong and midfielder Megi Doci delivered in the 6th minute for 1-0.
– The game then became end-to-end with Doci coming close to doubling the lead before half-time as her shot hit the woodwork.
– After the restart, the game continued in pretty much the same way with Apollon moving ever closer to the equaliser which they finally achieved through semi-final goalscorer Krystyna Freda in the 74th minute, bringing the score to 1-1.
– The period of extra time then began and Apollon seemed to have new lease of life. Goalscorer Freda had a further two shots on target before netting the eventual winner in the 99th minute.
– Vllaznia weren’t without their chances in the final 15 minutes but it was the Cypriot side who were the more clinical in the end.
Final:
Spartak Myjava 2 – 4 Czarni
– A fantastic start to the competition for Polish side Czarni after coming through the first qualifying round to beat Sparkak Myjava comfortably in this mini-tournament final.
– Standout player Sarapata was on the scoresheet once again in the 10th minute after turning in a well-taken corner by Burzan for 0-1.
– Moments later and Spartak’s semi-final goalscorer Bogorová also found the back of the net, however, this time in the form of a penalty (14′).
– The game then entered a transitional period that saw Sarapata have an effort on goal before Spartak Myjava’s striker Stanović gave them the lead for the first time (22′).
– Five minutes later and Czarni had been awarded their own penalty which Karlina Miksone coolly converted for 2-2 (27′).
– Just before half-time, Czarni were once again in the lead through Weronika Wójcik as a result of a well-taken free-kick by Katowicz.
– The Polish side then continued their pressure on the Spartak goal but the Slovakian side weren’t without their chances too, peppered throughout the second-half.
– With one minute left on the clock, Patrycja Sarapata found herself through on goal again and netted to consolidate a very strong afternoon for Czarni with the game finishing 2-4 in their favour.
– After this win, Czarni are making history, not only becoming the only team this season to progress from the first qualifying round through to the third qualifying round but this is also the furthest they’ve ever progressed in the competition under the new format. Congratulations!
Mini-tournament 7 hosted by HB Køge:
Semi-finals Wednesday 5th August:
Gintra (LTU) 1 – 2 Hearts (SCO)
– Despite the Lithuanian side taking the lead just before half-time through Yancey (43′), Hearts responded quickly in the second-half with Dolan (56′) and Jardine (66′) scoring within 10 minutes of one another to secure the win.
HB Køge (DEN) 4 – 1 Riga FC (LAT)
– Riga got off to a flying start through a well-delivered Oi corner which Brima turned in the back of the net for 0-1 in the fifth minute.
– Just under 20 minutes later and the Danish side benefitted from their own well-taken corner as Schultz made it 1-1.
– The game then became end-to-end in the second-half with both teams battling for the winner and unfortunately for Riga, Køge were the ones to make the most of their chances.
– Nadim put the Danish side in the lead with just over 20 minutes to go on the clock, followed by Thygesen (79′) and finally Taketa, who netted their fourth and final goal in stoppage time (90+2′).
Saturday 8th August
Third-place match:
Gintra 4 – 1 Riga
– A game of two very different halves as Riga once more suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of a goal-heavy second half.
– The goals came quickly as Ribeiro put Gintra in front after turning in Pereviznyk’s corner in the fourth minute, followed two minutes later after a corner at the opposite end of the pitch where Brima equalised for Riga (6′).
– The game then continued end-to-end where it looked as though Riga would take the lead as Mitani, Oi, Preijere, Brima, Gaugare all had efforts blocked before the whistle blew for half-time.
– In almost a mirror of the semi-final game, Riga fell foul to a quick second-half start that saw Gintra score a further two goals in three minutes (52′, 55′) through defender Amorim and midfielder Pereviznyk for 3-1.
– As the game wore on, Riga only had a handful of chances as Gintra found their rhythm and added their fourth and final of the afternoon through another well-taken corner from Julia Dias, turned in by Makeila Yancey (83′).
– In stoppage time, Riga had one last chance to get a goal back through Brima but it went wide and Gintra claimed victory.
Final:
HB Køge 2 – 1 Hearts
– A game that was fought right until the very end when a heartbreaking stoppage time winner knocked an impressive Hearts side out of the competition.
– The Scottish side actually took the lead through Jardine in the 13th minute despite HB Køge having three attempts on goal and hitting the woodwork in the lead up.
– The rest of the half saw HB Køge come frustratingly close to an equaliser with 6 shots being blocked and a further 4 going wide, compared to only 3 chances in front of goal for Hearts.
– The second-half picked up right where the first-half stopped with HB Køge putting Johnstone’s goal under incredible pressure before finally finding the equaliser on the hour mark through Jereko (60′).
– The dominant performance remained for the Danish side who limited Hearts to any further chances, their only chance coming from Johns and Jardine in the 85th minute after a chaotic game of pinball in the box.
– The pressure then paid off as HB Køge’s Mille Gejl was able to finally get through the strong Hearts defence to turn in the match-winner from a corner in the first minute of stoppage time.
– A deserved win for the Danish side after an incredibly strong performance but Hearts’ defence should also be commended.
Check back throughout Saturday 8th to find out who has made it through to the third qualifying round of the UWCL and who has qualified for the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup!
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