UEFA Europa League Qualifying Wrap: Rubin gain advantage over Jagodina, Utrecht stunned

Rubin Kazan were given a scare as they beat Jagodina 3-2 in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

The Russian club were two goals to the good after 21 minutes following strikes from Aleksandr Prudnikov and Bebras Natcho.

Midfielder Dario Damjanovic pulled one back for the Serbians, Salomon Rondon netting the third for the visitors, before Milos Lepovic scored in the 92nd minute to keep the tie alive.

Differdange of Luxembourg sprung perhaps the biggest shock as a double from French attacker Omar Er Rafik gave them a 2-1 success over Dutch side Utrecht, who had taken the lead through Jacob Mulenga.

St. Johnstone stunned Rosenborg to take a one-goal lead back to Scotland. Defender Frazer Wright’s 18th-minute effort enough to earn Tommy Wright’s men the win in Norway.

Hibernian could not replicate compatriots St. Johnstone’s heroics at Malmo, Jiloan Hamad and Magnus Eriksson firing the Swedish side to a 2-0 win.

A David Lafata double was not enough to given Sparta Prague a first-leg lead as Nasiru Mohammed and Rene Makondele earned a draw for Swedish club Hacken.

Macedonian side Turnovo netted an away goal in Croatia, but still fell 2-1 to Hajduk Split courtesy of strikes from Marko Bencun and Mario Maloca.

Trabzonspor secured success in the most entertaining encounter of the night, the Turkish club coming through 4-2 against Derry City.

An own goal from Barry Molloy and an effort from Giray Kacar spared the hosts’ blushes after Derry had levelled the match at 2-2 through David McDaid and Patrick Kavanagh.

Standard Liege defeated Icelanders KR Reykjavik 3-1, defender Kanu, 19-year-old Michy Batshuayi and Paul-Jose Mpoku netting for the Belgians.

Irtysh Pavlodar and Kukes were on the right side of five-goal thrillers with Siroki Brijeg and Sarajevo respectively.

Maccabi Haifa breezed past Khazar Lankaran 2-0 in Israel, and Tromso and Chornomorets Odessa can both take two-goal leads into the second leg of their ties after defeating Inter Baku and Dacia respectively.

Two goals from Omer Damari gave Hapoel Tel-Aviv a 4-1 win away at Bulgarian side Beroe, while Lech Poznan saw off Honka Espoo 3-1 in Finland.

Stromsgodset claimed a 2-2 draw with Debrecen, Peter Kovacs equalising in injury time

Mladost Podogrica and Senica produced the same result, while Shakhtyor and Milsami, Zrinjski and Botev Plovdiv, Valletta and Minsk FC and Astra and Omonia all cancelled each other out.

Rijeka and Slask Wroclaw on Thursday night. Croatia’s Rijeka thrashed Prestatyn Town 5-0 and Slask beating Rudar Pljevlja 4-0.

Ventspils and Hodd were single-goal winners over Jeunesse Esch and Aktobe, Qarabag came from a goal down to beat Piast Gliwice 2-1, Skonto pulled off the same feat against Slovan Liberec and Lokomotiva Zagreb defeated Dinamo Minsk 2-1 in Belarus.

Sekou Sanogo Junior and Enrico Schirinzi scored as Switzerland’s FC Thun ran out 2-0 victors over Georgia’s Chikhura Sachkhere.

Anorthosis Famagusta beat Gefle 3-0, Petrolul Ploiesti hammered Vikingur by the same score and Dila Gori take a three-goal lead into their trip to Aalborg after dispatching of AaB.

Elsewhere in the round, Linfield, Zalgiris Vojvodina, Crvena Zvezda and Olimpija Ljubljana were all victors over Skoda Xanthi, Pyunik, Honved, IBV and Zilina.

Levadia Tallinn played out a goalless draw with Pandurii on Tuesday, while Gothenburg’s clash with Trencin, and Breidablik’s meeting with Sturm Graz also failed to produce a goal.