2 – 2
“Darko Hrka turned the ball into his own net from a corner, gifting Egnatia a 1-0 lead and stunning the Celje faithful who had expected their side to be on the front foot.”
Pivotal“Mario Kvesic restored parity for Celje, levelling at 1-1 and swinging momentum back towards the home side who had dominated the statistical picture despite falling behind.”
Pivotal“Mario Kvesic stepped up to convert a penalty in extra time, giving Celje a 2-1 advantage and appearing to put them firmly in control of the tie heading into the final fifteen minutes.”
Pivotal“Substitute Geralb Smajli, on the pitch for barely sixteen minutes, equalised for Egnatia in the 114th minute to make it 2-2 and force a penalty shootout, stunning Celje who had been within six minutes of advancing.”
Pivotal
Celje
Egnatia Rrogozhinë
Celje
Celje wins on penalties
Celje controlled large portions of this Champions League qualifier, finishing with 57% possession and nearly double Egnatia's shot count, yet were repeatedly pegged back by a stubborn Albanian side who refused to fold. The Slovenians took a shock blow when Darko Hrka turned the ball into his own net from a 14th-minute corner, only for Mario Kvesic to level before half-time and restore parity. Celje pushed ahead again through Kvesic's extra-time penalty, but Egnatia substitute Geralb Smajli — introduced just sixteen minutes earlier — dramatically equalised in the 114th minute to force a shootout. In the shootout, Celje were clinical while Eneo Bitri's miss proved fatal for Egnatia, sending the Slovenians through 4-1 on penalties. For Celje, the result continues a significant Champions League campaign and underlines their quality despite the nerves at the end; for Egnatia, a gallant effort ultimately undone by a single costly miss when it mattered most.
How entertaining was this match?
Eneo BitriPenalty Miss - Eneo Bitri 1-0
Svit SeslarPenalty Goal - Svit Seslar 1-0
Corner
On Albano Aleksi，Off Guillem Jaime
On Albano Aleksi，Off Guillem Jaime
assist: Edison Ndreca
Yellow Card - Artemijus Tutyskinas
Goal - Geralb Smajli 2-2
Corner
Corner
Yellow Card - Alpha Richard Diounkou Tecagne
On Geralb Smajli，Off Eljon Sota
On Jurguens Montenegro，Off Altin Kryeziu
Goal - Penalty - Mario Kvesic 2-1
Match Ends！ 1-1
Guillem JaimeYellow CardYellow Card - Guillem Jaime
Ildi GrudaYellow CardYellow Card - Ildi Gruda
On Ivan Calusic，Off Papa Daniel
Corner
On Andrej Kotnik，Off Armandas Kucys
Corner
On Andrej Kotnik，Off Armandas Kucys
Fernando MedeirosYellow CardYellow Card - Fernando Medeiros Da Silva
Yellow Card - Yaya Dukuly
On Yaya Dukuly，Off Mark Zabukovnik
On Rudi Pozeg Vancas，Off Milot Avdyli
Yellow Card - Papa Daniel
Corner
On Ildi Gruda，Off Daniel Adjessa
On Edison Ndreca，Off Andrey Yago
On Ildi Gruda，Off Daniel Adjessa
Corner
Corner
First Half Ends！1-1
Goal - Mario Kvesic 1-1
Goal - Own Goal - Darko Hrka 0-1
Goal - Daniel Adjessa 0-1
Corner
Kick-off! Referee：Joey Kooij
After a breathless 3-3 first leg in Albania, Celje and Egnatia Rrogozhinë return to Stadion Z'dežele with everything to play for in this Champions League second qualifying round decider. The tie has already delivered goals, drama, and controversy, and Tuesday's second leg promises more of the same as both sides chase a place in the third qualifying round.
