Tallinn's Levadia stuns Gothenburg in UEFA Conference League
Estonian club Tallinn's Levadia defeated Swedish side IFK Göteborg 2-1 away from home, spoiling the latter's return to European competitions after a six-year absence.
Tallinn's Levadia continues to impress in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. After two emphatic 5-0 wins over Welsh side Caernarfon, the Estonian team faced Swedish giants IFK Göteborg in the second round first leg and came away with a 2-1 victory.
The match was played at a packed Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, where the hosts were eager to mark their return to European football after a six-year hiatus. However, the celebration was cut short as Levadia took control in the first half. Brazilian midfielder Wendel was the star, scoring in the 33rd minute and again in the first minute of first-half stoppage time to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Göteborg struggled to break through until late in the game when Nigerian defender Eibraham Nwankwo clumsily put the ball into his own net, reducing the deficit to 2-1. Levadia had a chance to restore their two-goal advantage when Gambian striker Bubakar Tambedou raced through on goal, only to be brought down by Göteborg captain August Erlingmark, who was shown a last-man foul.
The return leg will be played on July 30 in Tallinn. The winner of this tie will face either Belgium's Gent or Ukraine's Cherkasy in the third qualifying round.
