Europa League Qualifying: Anderlecht, Benfica and CSKA Sofia progress to third round

The UEFA Europa League second qualifying round concluded on Thursday, with nine clubs moving a step closer to securing a place in this season’s league phase.

Among the standout results, Anderlecht overturned an early setback to defeat Hammarby 3-1 on the night, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory and booking their place in the third qualifying round.

The Belgian side, who were knocked out by Swedish opposition at the same stage last season, suffered a nightmare start when Paulos Abraham fired Hammarby ahead inside the opening two minutes.

The visitors created several opportunities to extend their advantage before halftime but failed to capitalize. Anderlecht responded after the break through Danylo Sikan, who levelled the score before the hosts completed the turnaround. Substitute Mihajlo Cvetkovic struck the decisive goal with nine minutes remaining, and Tristan Degreef added a late third to wrap up an impressive comeback.

For Hammarby, the defeat marks another second qualifying round exit, matching their only previous Europa League appearance six years ago.

PAOK Await Anderlecht

Anderlecht will now face PAOK, who comfortably defeated Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 thanks to a brace from Giannis Konstantelias, completing a 5-2 aggregate success.

The result extended Dynamo Kyiv’s poor record in Greece, with the Ukrainian club now winless in their last five European away matches on Greek soil since defeating PAOK in the European Cup half a century ago.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Complete Comfortable Victory

Earlier in the day, Maccabi Tel Aviv completed the formalities against Sheriff Tiraspol, recording a 1-0 victory in Georgia after already winning the first leg 5-0.

The Israeli side advanced comfortably with a commanding 6-0 aggregate scoreline.

Benfica Produce Stunning Comeback

One of the night’s biggest turnarounds came in Portugal, where Benfica bounced back from last week’s shock defeat against St. Gallen in emphatic fashion.

Inspired by four goals from Vangelis Pavlidis, Benfica cruised to a 5-0 victory, overturning the first-leg deficit to progress 6-2 on aggregate.

St. Gallen’s hopes faded further after Jozo Stanic was sent off following a second yellow card midway through the second half.

The defeat was the Swiss club’s joint-heaviest in European competition, matching the six-goal collapse they suffered against Cercle Brugge in the UEFA Europa Conference League two years ago.

Pafos Complete Dramatic Fightback

Another remarkable comeback came from Pafos, who erased a two-goal first-leg deficit to eliminate Hajduk Split with a 4-0 extra-time victory.

Hajduk looked set to progress until David Goldar headed home in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to force extra time. Biel then put the Cypriot side ahead in the tie before a late fourth goal sealed an unforgettable comeback.

CSKA Sofia End Qarabag’s Long Qualifying Run

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening came in Bulgaria, where CSKA Sofia eliminated Qarabag after a tense penalty shootout.

Following two goalless legs, the Bulgarian Cup holders converted all five of their spot-kicks. Matheus Silva missed the decisive penalty for Qarabag, ending the Azerbaijani champions’ hopes.

The defeat was particularly significant, as Qarabag had not lost a Europa League qualifying tie since their playoff defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt 13 years ago. Regular participants in the competition’s group stage, the Azerbaijani side had built one of the tournament’s most consistent qualifying records.

CSKA Sofia are now just two rounds away from reaching the Europa League proper for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.

Besiktas, Hradec Kralove and Ferencvaros Also Advance

Besiktas secured a professional 2-0 away victory over FC Midtjylland, completing a 3-0 aggregate triumph.

For the second consecutive week, Midtjylland were reduced to ten men, a setback that proved costly as Besiktas struck twice within six second-half minutes to put the tie beyond doubt.

The Turkish club will now face Hradec Kralove, who defeated Tromso 3-1 to advance 4-1 on aggregate. Despite falling behind early, the Czech side responded almost immediately before adding two second-half goals to record their seventh victory in European competition.

Meanwhile, Ferencvaros survived a late scare to eliminate Twente.

The Hungarian champions built a two-goal lead before Twente scored twice in the space of four minutes to level the match. However, the Dutch side could not find the goal needed to force extra time, with Ferencvaros progressing 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw.

The elimination extended Twente’s disappointing European record, marking their fourth consecutive defeat in a two-legged continental tie.

Third Qualifying Round Set

The Europa League third qualifying round will feature the nine winners from this stage, alongside 14 clubs dropping into the competition from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers and three direct entrants.

The winners of the next round will be guaranteed European league-phase football this autumn, moving one step closer to a place in the UEFA Europa League proper.