MINSK, 22 August (BelTA) – FC Neman Grodno suffered a defeat in their first match of the UEFA Conference League qualifying playoffs, BelTA has learned.
On 21 August in Szeged, Hungary, Igor Kovalevich's team lost 0-1 to Spain's Rayo Vallecano in a hard-fought match played in pouring rain. The Spanish team immediately seized the initiative. The Belarusians defended calmly and attempted to mount counterattacks. The score remained unopened in the first half. Immediately after the break, Neman pushed forward and Anton Suchkov found himself in a scoring position but was unable to beat goalkeeper Augusto Batalla. The game continued on a back-and-forth course, with the opponents exchanging attacks, and in the 77th minute of the match, Álvaro García finally beat Maxim Belov to score.
The second leg for a spot in the main stage of the European third most prestigious club tournament will take place in Madrid on 28 August. In the last Spanish championship, Rayo Vallecano finished in eighth place. This past Friday, in the opening match of the new domestic season, the Madrid club confidently defeated the players of Girona away with a score of 3-1.
FC Neman Grodno has reached the decisive qualifying stage of European tournaments for the first time. On their path to the playoffs, Igor Kovalevich's team overcame Yerevan's Armenian Urartu (2-1 and 4-0), Slovakia's Košice (3-2 and 1-1), and the Faroese KÍ Klaksvík (0-2 and 2-0, winning 5-4 on penalties). This season, Neman has already earned almost €1.5 million, and should they advance to the main stage of the Conference League, they will receive an additional €3 million.
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