Return matches of the second qualification round of the Champions League and Europa League played
Cherno More was stronger only in word
Pragmatic BATE
After Irish Dundalk was defeated at Borisov-Arena by a small 2:1 margin, BATE’s fans anxiously awaited the return match. Despite a nail-biting game for the fans, BATE achieved a satisfying 0:0 result, bringing the team to the third qualification round of the Champions League. Changing weather and faults with the team kit did not hamper our footballers.
Attacking the opposition goal 18 times, BATE only managed to hit the goal mouth twice, while also earning several yellow cards in the process. The match ended in such a way that BATE footballers can join the Scot Bill Shankly in his famous saying: ‘We smashed them — 0:0’.
BATE will continue its journey to the group round of the Champions League with the next match against the Hungarian team, Videoton.
Dinamo’s explosive performance
There is the impression that the Bulgarian club, Cherno More, was preparing for its return match against Dinamo Minsk in a crowd of journalists rather than on the football field. They reportedly boasted that the team outstripped Dinamo in the second qualification round of the Europa League, successfully winning the group. They commented that ‘Dinamo failed to surprise’ and that they ‘would easily send the Minsk team home’. However, a winner is always defined on the field. The Dinamo players punished the Bulgarians for their over-confident remarks and, after the match, Cherno More had no comment: Dinamo won 4:0 and made it through to the next round of the Europa League.
There is no cause for complacency however, as the Swiss Zurich team, hardly a comparison to Cherno More, will be Dinamo’s next rival.
Shakhtyor’s knock-out
Shakhtyor went to Austria as a weak team: losing the home match 0:1. No one had high hopes of a positive result in the return match against the Austrians, including the footballers themselves. The result was a further disappointment: Wolfsberger won 0:2.
Austrian Michael Zollbauer scored the first goal in the 19th minute and, in the 90th minute, the Swede Philip Hellquist found the net. As a result, the Austrians will play against Dortmund’s Borussia in the third round.
