© EuroFootball.com
On Sunday, the second stage of the Intertoto Cup ended with eight exciting matches, in which the away teams performed better in the second meetings - only the Swiss team "Young Boys" managed to celebrate advancement by playing at home, while on Saturday two teams succeeded.
The German club "Hamburger" convincingly defeated the Macedonian team "Pobeda" twice with a score of 4-1, securing a confident step forward. French teams had a tougher time - "Saint-Ettiene" narrowly defeated the Swiss team "Xamax" after a fierce battle, and "Lens" won with a minimal advantage against "Lech" in Poland.
"Young Boys" once again defeated the Belgian team "Lokeren" at home, while the Czech team "Liberec" and the Croatian team "Slaven" secured victories away from home and tickets to the third stage. The Belgian team "Gent" eliminated the Czech team "Zlin" despite a draw, while "Varteks" from Croatia advanced with the same result.
One of the most interesting matches in the third stage should be between the Swedish team "Goteborg" and the German team "Wolfsburg." Another surprise could come from "Ecomax", facing "Saint-Ettiene", while intriguing duels can be expected from the matches between "Roda" and "Slovan", with favorites clear elsewhere.
Today in Nyon, Switzerland, the draws for the semifinals and final of the tournament were also held. Lithuanian representative Vilnius "Žalgiris" would meet "Ecomax" or "Saint-Ettiene" in the semifinals in case of success in the third stage. Other potential semifinal matchups include "Deportivo" - "Newcastle", "Lazio" - "Marseille", and "Borussia" - "Hamburger".
Results of Sunday's matches:
- "Young Boys" (Switzerland) 2 - 1 "Lokeren" (Belgium) (Aggregate score 6-2, first leg 4-1)
- "Beitar" (Israel) 1 - 2 "Liberec" (Czechia) (2-7, 1-5)
- "Gloria" (Romania) 0 - 1 "Slaven" (Croatia) (2-4, 2-3)
- "Pobeda" (Macedonia) 1 - 4 "Hamburger" (Germany) (2-8, 1-4)
- "Xamax" (Switzerland) 1 - 2 "St-Etienne" (France) (2-3, 1-1)
- "Lech" (Poland) 0 - 1 "Lens" (France) (1-3, 1-2)
- "Zlin" (Czechia) 0 - 0 "AA Gent" (Belgium) (0-1, 0-1)
- "Inter Turku" (Finland) 2 - 2 "Varteks" (Croatia) (5-6, 3-4)
Pairings for the third stage:
- Rome's "Lazio" (Italy) - "Tampere" (Finland)
- Bern's "Young Boys" (Switzerland) - "Marseille" (France)
- "Dubnica" (Slovakia) - "Newcastle" (England)
- "Leiria" (Portugal) - "Hamburger" (Germany)
- "AA Gent" (Belgium) - "Valencia" (Spain)
- "Egaleo" (Greece) - Vilnius "Žalgiris" (Lithuania)
- Dortmund's "Borussia" (Germany) - Olomouc's "Sigma" (Czechia)
- "Roda" (Netherlands) - Liberec's "Slovan" (Czechia)
- Cluj's "Ecomax" (Romania) - "Saint-Etienne" (France)
- La Coruna's "Deportivo" (Spain) - Koprivnica's "Slaven" (Croatia)
- "Goteborg" (Sweden) - "Wolfsburg" (Germany)
- Varazdin's "Varteks" (Croatia) - "Lens" (France)
Pairings for the semifinals:
- A: Winner of pair 10 - Winner of pair 3
- B: Winner of pair 11 - Winner of pair 12
- C: Winner of pair 1 - Winner of pair 2
- D: Winner of pair 6 - Winner of pair 9
- E: Winner of pair 5 - Winner of pair 8
- F: Winner of pair 7 - Winner of pair 4
Pairings for the final:
- F: Winner of pair F - Winner of pair E
- D: Winner of pair D - Winner of pair B
- A: Winner of pair A - Winner of pair C
