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Qualifying matches ended on Thursday in the UEFA Cup. In the second stage of the reply matches, almost no surprises were recorded, and practically all the clubs considered favorites reached the main tournament's first stage matches.
The Liepaja "Metalurgs" club, coached by B. Zelkevicius, failed to advance among the Lithuanian clubs, and for the second time, they lost to the "Genk" team from Belgium - suffering a crushing 0-3 defeat. M. Kalonas played from the 25th minute in the losing team, while D. Miceika played the entire match.
The St. Petersburg "Zenit" team fought hard to qualify for the first stage matches, with R. Poskus playing from the 56th minute. They drew 1-1 at home against Pasching "Superfund" after the first match ended 2-2, eliminating the opponent thanks to the away goals rule.
The Samaros "Krylja Sovetov" team, still without N. Barasa, once again defeated the Borisovo "BATE" club by 2-0 and advanced easily. Meanwhile, "Halmstads" with T. Zvirgzdaukas playing the entire match, won 4-2 away against "Linfield" and also advanced to the next stage after a draw in the first match.
The "Kaunas" and "Hearts" clubs owned by V. Romanov withdrew from the cup, with the "MTZ-Ripo" losing to "Teplice" 1-2 on aggregate, conceding a goal in the last minute of the away leg. On the other hand, "Atlas" tormentor "Rhyl" lost twice to Stavanger "Viking", while "Ekranas" defeated "Cork City" in the first qualifying round, continuing their successful journey by eliminating "Djurgarden" with an away goal.
