FC Ulisses 1
Morozov 71;
Birkirkara 3
Miccoli 22; Mazzetti 44; Fenech 80 pen;
(Birkirkara through 3-1 agg)
Fabrizio Miccoli left an instant mark on his full debut for Birkirkara yesterday as the veteran Italian striker led the Stripes into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League with a 3-1 victory against FC Ulisses, in Yerevan.
Miccoli pounced on a defensive howler from the Ulisses defence to hit the opener before setting up Maurizio Mazzetti for the second goal just before half-time.
Ulisses re-opened the tie in the second half and Terrence Vella’s dismissal might have put Birkirkara in danger of losing control.
However, they kept their cool and wrapped up the win with a Paul Fenech penalty goal that completed a 3-1 aggregate victory which means a lucrative tie against West Ham, starting next week.
Miccoli and Edin Murga were both given the nod by coach Giovanni Tedesco to make their first start while Ini Atkpan filled the void left by injured keeper Justin Haber.
The visitors struck on 22 minutes.
Ivan Mamakhanov hit the ball badly and into the path of Miccoli who blasted home with goalkeeper Arsen Beglaryan out of his position.
Miccoli almost struck again from a free-kick soon after but the ball came off the bar.
The hosts threatened with a scorching Artak Aleksanyan drive but Atkpan dived full stretch to keep his net intact.
Ulisses held the upperhand but it was the Stripes who made it 2-0 before the break when from a Miccoli delivery, Mazzetti headed in.
Birkirkara maintained the initiative on the restart and on 49 minutes Murga hit a firm drive that was tipped over by the keeper.
From the corner, Mazzetti nodded the ball into the path of Liliu whose header was somehow kept out by Beglaryan.
Birkirkara looked in control but 19 minutes from time the hosts pulled a goal back.
Morozov was first to a corner and he stabbed the ball into the net from close in.
Then, Vella, who had just replaced Murga, was shown a straight red card after an off-the-ball incident.
But the Stripes held composure and ten minutes from time Plut, who had come on for Miccoli, was brought down in the area by Mamakhanov. From the penalty, Fenech sent Beglaryan the wrong way to seal victory.
Ulisses also ended with ten men when Aleksanyan was dismissed after a rash tackle on Camenzuli.
FC Ulisses
A. Beglaryan, I. Mamakhanov, R. Dugalic, K. Morozov, L. Dzharkava (70 Z. Dzhanashiya), I. Paderin, D. Khurtsidze, I. Geperidze, A. Aleksanyan, G. Khubua, J. Tshibamba (52 N. Piliev).
Birkirkara
I. Atkpan, M. Mazzetti, N. Vukanac, P. Fenech, R. Camenzuli, J. Zerafa, R. Muscat, Z. Muscat, F. Miccoli (63 E. Agius), E. Murga (71 T. Vella), Liliu (67 V. Plut).
Referee: Nicolas Laforge (Belgium).
Red cards: Vella 75; Aleksanyan 81.
First qualifying round, second legs – Next pairings
| AIK Stockholm vs VPS | 4-0 (agg: 6-2) |
| Aberdeen vs Shkendija | 0-0 (agg: 1-1) |
| (Aberdeen through on away goals rule) | |
| Apollon Limassol vs Saxan CL | 2-0 (agg: 4-0) |
| Bala Town vs FC Differdange | 2-1 (agg: 3-4) |
| Beitar Jerusalem vs Ord. Shymkent | 2-1 (agg: 2-1) |
| Beroe vs Atlantas Klaipeda | 3-1 (agg: 5-1) |
| Cukaricki vs Domzale | 0-0 (agg: 1-0) |
| Dacia Chisinau vs Renova | 4-1 (agg: 5-1) |
| Elfsborg Boras vs FC Lahti | 5-0 (agg: 7-2) |
| F91 Dudelange vs UCD | 2-1 (agg: 2-2) |
| (UCD through on away goals rule) | |
| FC Tskhinvali vs Botosani | 1-3 (agg: 4-2) |
| FC Ulisses vs Birkirkara | 1-3 (agg: 1-3) |
| FC Vaduz vs La Fiorita | 5-1 (agg: 10-1) |
| FH Hafnarfjordur vs Seinaejoen JK | 1-0 (agg: 2-0) |
| FK Qabala vs Dinamo Tbilisi | 2-0 (agg: 3-2) |
| FK Spartaks vs Buducnost | 0-0 (agg: 3-1) |
| Ferencvaros vs Go Ahead Eagles | 4-1 (agg: 5-2) |
| HB Torshavn vs Traku FK | 1-4 (agg: 1-7) |
| Hajduk Split vs JK Sillamae Kalev | 6-2 (agg: 7-3) |
| Inter Baku vs Laci | 0-0 (agg: 1-1) |
| (Inter Baku through on away goals rule) | |
| Jag. Bialystok vs Kruoja Pakruojis | 8-0 (agg: 9-0) |
| Juvenes Dogana vs Brondby IF | 0-2 (agg: 0-11) |
| KR Reykjavik vs Cork City | 2-1 (aet; agg: 3-2) |
| Kairat Almaty vs Red Star | 2-1 (agg: 4-1) |
| Koper vs Vikingur Reykjavik | 2-2 (agg: 3-2) |
| Litex Lovech vs FK Jelgava | 2-2 (agg: 3-3) |
| (FK Jegava through on away goals rule) | |
| Lusitanos vs West Ham United | 0-1 (agg: 0-4) |
| Mladost Podgorica vs FK Neftchi | 1-1 (agg: 3-3) |
| (Mladost through on away goals rule) | |
| NK Lokomotiva vs Airbus UK | 2-2 (agg: 5-3) |
| NSI Runavik vs Linfield | 4-3 (agg: 4-5) |
| Nomme JK Kalju vs Aktobe | 0-0 (agg: 1-0) |
| Odd Ballklubb vs FC Sheriff | 0-0 (agg: 3-0) |
| Omonia Nicosia vs Dinamo Batumi | 2-0 (agg: 2-1) |
| Partizani vs Stroemsgodset | 0-1 (agg: 1-4) |
| Rabotnicki vs Flora Tallinn | 2-0 (agg: 2-1) |
| Randers FC vs Sant Julia | 3-0 (agg: 4-0) |
| Rosenborg vs Vikingur | 0-0 (agg: 2-0) |
| Slask Wroclaw vs NK Celje | 3-1 (agg: 4-1) |
| S. Bratislava vs College Europa | 3-0 (agg: 9-0) |
| Shamrock Rovers vs FC Progress | 3-0 (agg: 3-0) |
| Spartak Trnava vs Olimpik Sarajevo | 0-0 (agg: 1-1) |
| (Spartak Trnava through on away goals rule) | |
| St Johnstone vs Alashkert FC | 2-1 (agg: 2-2) |
| (Alashkert FC through on away goals rule) | |
| St Patrick’s Athletic vs Skonto Riga | 0-2 (agg: 1-4) |
| Sutjeska vs Debrecen | 2-0 (agg: 2-3) |
| Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs Glenavon | 3-0 (agg: 5-1) |
| Torpedo Zhodino vs Kukesi | 0-0 (agg: 0-2) |
| Valletta vs Newtown AFC | 1-2 (agg: 2-4) |
| Vojvodina vs MTK Budapest | 3-1 (agg: 3-1) |
| Zeljeznicar vs Balzan | 1-0 (agg: 3-0) |
| Zilina vs Glentoran | 3-0 (agg: 7-1) |
| Zrinjski Mostar vs Shirak | 2-1 (agg: 2-3) |
Second qualifying round
Kukesi vs FK Mladost Podgorica
Beroe vs Brondby
Shamrock Rovers vs Odd Ballklubb
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb vs PAOK
KR Reykjavik vs Rosenborg
Hapoel Beer Sheva vs FC Thun
Slovan Bratislava vs UCD
AIK Stockholm vs FC Shirak
Kairat Almaty vs Alashkert FC
Ferencvaros vs Zeljeznicar
Legia Warsaw vs FC Tskhinvali
Vojvodina vs FK Spartaks
FC Vaduz vs Nomme JK Kalju
Dacia Chisinau vs Zilina
Jagiellonia Białystok vs Omonia Nicosia
FK Jelgava vs Rabotnicki
Mlada Boleslav vs Stromsgodset
FH Hafnarfjordur vs Inter Baku
FK Cukaricki vs FK Qabala
Cherno More Varna vs Dinamo Minsk
Inverness vs FC Astra Giurgiu
Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs Wolfsberger
HNK Rijeka vs Aberdeen
Spartak Trnava vs Linfield
Trabzonspor vs Differdange
West Ham United vs Birkirkara
FC Copenhagen vs Newtown AFC
Charleroi vs Beitar Jerusalem
Apollon Limassol vs HB Torshavn
Slask Wroclaw vs IFK Goteborg
Randers FC vs Elfsborg Boras
Koper vs Hajduk Split
Skonto Riga vs Debrecen
First legs: July 16. Second legs: July 23.