Liepāja wins in Montenegro, to face Austria Vienna in UEFA Conference League qualifiers
Latvian club Liepāja secured a victory in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round in Montenegro, beating Dečič 2-1 and advancing 3-1 on aggregate, earning a spot in the second round against Austria Vienna.
Liepāja's footballers played the second leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round in Montenegro on Wednesday against Dečič from Tuzi. The Latvian team won 2-1 away, and with a 3-1 aggregate score, they advanced to the second round of the qualifiers.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Davor Kontić fired a powerful long-range shot into Liepāja's net. In first-half stoppage time, Kivons Leidsmans scored from close range after a pass by Bart Strālman to equalize. About 15 minutes into the second half, Felipe Cardoso put Liepāja ahead 2-1, and they held on to the lead until the end.
In the first leg, played in Liepāja, the home team won 1-0 despite playing a man down. In the second qualifying round, Liepāja will face the Austrian side Austria Vienna.
Regarding other Latvian clubs, RFS will play at home on Thursday, after winning the first leg 2-1 away against Glentoran from Northern Ireland. Latvian Cup winners Auda will start their campaign in the second round, where they will face Romanian club FCSB from Bucharest.
Liepāja currently sits fourth in the Latvian top league, with the nearest rivals only a few points behind. Dečič, the 2024 Montenegrin champion, ended the season as fourth-place finishers and cup runners-up, entering European club competitions for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
