Anderlecht fight back to eliminate Hammarby and reach Europa League third qualifying round

Anderlecht recovered from an early setback to defeat Hammarby 3-1 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, securing a 4-2 aggregate victory and a place in the next stage of the competition.

After earning a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Stockholm, the Belgian side endured the worst possible start at home, conceding inside the opening two minutes. Victor Lind struck the post with his effort, and Paulos Abraham reacted quickest to convert the rebound and hand Hammarby an early lead.

Both teams created chances during an entertaining first half, but neither could find another breakthrough before the interval, leaving the tie finely balanced heading into the second period.

Anderlecht responded immediately after the restart and restored parity less than two minutes into the second half. A deep delivery from the left was headed back across goal by Ali Maamar, allowing Danylo Sikan to nod home from close range and level both the match and the aggregate score.

With extra time looming, the hosts finally turned the tie in their favour 10 minutes from the end. Lukas Anbros cut inside and forced a save from goalkeeper Warner Hahn, but Mihajlo Cvetkovic reacted first to the rebound to fire Anderlecht into the lead on the night.

The Belgian side wrapped up victory in the closing moments after a costly defensive mistake from Hammarby. Hahn’s misplaced pass out from the back left Ibrahima Fofana under intense pressure from Tristan Degreef, who won possession inside the penalty area before calmly finishing to make it 3-1.

The result sees Anderlecht advance to the Europa League third qualifying round, where they will face Greek outfit PAOK for a place in the play-off round.

Meanwhile, Hammarby drop into the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, where they will take on Polish side Raków Częstochowa in their bid to remain in European competition.