WARSAW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Polish team Legia secured their spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage after defeating FC Midtjylland 6-5 in a penalty shootout at their home ground in Warsaw on Thursday evening.
In the first leg, Midtjylland drew with Legia 3-3 after an exhilarating match. The rematch proved equally competitive as both teams launched aggressive attacks from the outset and the first half ended without any goals.
Legia took the lead eight minutes into the second half. Thomas Pekhart converted a precise cross from Pawel Wszolek with a powerful header, sending the ball from the center of the box to the top right corner. Midtjylland's goalkeeper, Jonas Lossl, couldn't stop the shot.
The visitors retaliated in the 70th minute when Paulinho's long-range left-footed shot caught Kacper Tobiasz off guard. The Danish side nearly took the lead later, but substitute Aral Sismir's attempt hit the post. In the final moments, Legia's striker Blaz Kramer had a chance to seal the win, but the Slovenian missed a close-range shot.
Neither team managed to score in extra time, pushing the match to a penalty shootout to determine who would advance to the UEFA Europa Conference League.
For Legia, Slisz, Muci, Pankov, Kramer, and Josue successfully converted their penalties, while Cho Gue-sung, Juninho, Romer, Sorensed, and Dyhr did the same for the visitors. Maciej Rosolek then scored, making it 6-5 for the hosts, and Kacper Tobiasz saved Stefan Gartenmann's penalty, ending the match.
"Our team fought from the beginning of the match; we won many duels. During the penalty shootout, I wasn't sure that we would qualify. I have immense respect for my players and am truly proud of their performance. We continue to grow as a team," Legia's coach, Kosta Runjaic, commented after the game. ■
