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"Ecomax" Cluj will arrive in Vilnius for the second time this season. The Romanians played a 2-2 draw with a French club in the Intertoto Cup quarterfinals this Sunday and thanks to two goals scored in the opponents' arena, they reached the semifinals, where they will face Vilnius. The first leg of the third round match in Romania also ended in a 1-1 draw. Unexpectedly successful in the third prestigious European club football tournament, "Ecomax" club eliminated Vilnius "Vėtra" in the first stage, and in the second stage, and the famous. Meanwhile, "Žalgiris" defeated teams from Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland), Daugavpils Dinaburg (Latvia) and Athens Egaleo (Greece) on their way to the semifinals. If successful, the Lithuanian club would face the winner of the Wolfsburg-Lens duel in the final. Final score: (France) 2 - 2 Cluj "Ecomax" (Romania) First leg 1-1, aggregate score 3-3 25' [0 - 1] Cristian Ambrozie Coroian (penalty kick) 51' [1 - 1] Julien Sable 66' [1 - 2] Cosmin Tilinca 90' [2 - 2] Mouhamadou Dabo 23' Herita Ilunga sent off the field ("Saint-Etienne") 53' Giorgy Laszlo Balint sent off the field ("Ecomax") The hosts started the match unsuccessfully. In the 23rd minute, Saint-Etienne defender Herita Ilunga handballed Adriano Ancos shot ball and the referee not only awarded a penalty kick, but also sent the footballer off the field. Romanian goalkeeper Cristian Coroian successfully converted the penalty and put the Romanians ahead. At the end of the half, the hosts had several chances to score, but Julien Sable, Frederic Piquionne, and Damien Perquis missed. Saint-Etienne started the second half much more successfully and, in the first minute, had an excellent opportunity to score a goal, but team captain J. Sable's shot hit the crossbar. However, J. Sable reached his target in the 51st minute, when after a ricochet, he managed to beat the Romanian goalkeeper and restore balance. Two more minutes and "Ecomax" was down to ten - the referee sent Laszlo Balint off the field for rough play. The tormentors of "Vėtra" also soon had a real chance to score a goal, but A. Ancos shot ball was deflected by the French defender from the goal line. On the other side of the field, goalkeeper Petru Turcas parried a dangerous shot from defender Vincent Hognon. The end of the match was finally determined in the 66th minute. The shot from 35 meters by an "Ecomax" player shook the crossbar, and the first to reach the ball, Cosmin Tilinca, easily scored his 7th goal in the Intertoto Cup matches. In the final minute of the match, supported by 30,000 spectators, the French club once again equalized the score - the 18-year-old Senegalese goalkeeper Mouhamadou Dabo scored from a distance. Despite this goal, the Romanians celebrated a draw, which opened their way to the semifinals. The first match between Žalgiris and Cluj's "Ecomax" will be played next Wednesday, July 27 in Vilnius, and the second leg in Romania will be held a week later on August 3."
