Vilnius 'Žalgiris' Advances, Estonia and Andora Enjoy Successful Start in Conference League

Vilnius 'Žalgiris' secured a 2:1 home victory (5:2 aggregate) over Montenegro's 'Petrovac' on Tuesday to advance in the UEFA Conference League. Goals came from Serbian midfielders Nikola Petković and Nemanja Mihajlović. In the next round, the Lithuanian champions will face Tbilisi 'Dinamo' from Georgia.

Estonia had a highly successful first round, with all three teams progressing. Tallinn 'Levadia' and Paide notched comfortable wins, while Nõmme 'Kalju' endured a more dramatic encounter. 'Kalju' played to a 2:2 draw (3:2 aggregate) against Belfast's 'Linfield'. The match saw Ethan Lee equalize the aggregate score in the 11th minute, but a red card to a 'Linfield' defender for a last-man foul in the 26th minute gave 'Kalju' a penalty. Oleksandr Musolitin's initial shot was saved, but the Ukrainian midfielder scored on the rebound. Kieran Offord restored 'Linfield's lead early in the second half, but substitute Mihails Orlov scored in stoppage time to secure the draw and aggregate win for 'Kalju'.

Andoran sides 'FC Santa Coloma' and 'Atlètic Club d'Escaldes' also advanced. 'FC Santa Coloma' defeated Wales' 'Penybont' 4:0 on aggregate, while 'Atlètic Club d'Escaldes' beat Montenegro's 'Mornar' 4:2. In the next round, 'FC Santa Coloma' will face Rapid Vienna, and 'Atlètic Club d'Escaldes' will meet Liechtenstein's 'Vaduz'.