Ten first-leg matches in the Europa League's third qualifying round were played on Thursday, August 6, as clubs eliminated from Champions League qualifying sought an advantage ahead of the return fixtures. The second legs are scheduled for next Thursday, August 13, with the winners advancing to the playoff round to join the clubs already confirmed for the competition.
Draws in Finland and Gibraltar
KuPS of Finland drew 1-1 with Romania's CS U Craiova at VÄRE Areena in Kuopio. Jaime Moreno Ciorciari scored for the home side, while Ștefan Baiaram replied for the visitors. The return leg is set for August 13 at 2pm in Craiova.
In Gibraltar, Lincoln Red Imps and Cyprus's Omonia drew 1-1 at the Europa Sports Complex. Christian Rutjens scored for the home side and Mateo Marić equalised for Omonia. The decider will be played in Strovolos, Cyprus, on August 13 at 2pm.
Away wins for CSKA Sofia, Beşiktaş and Anderlecht
CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria beat Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, Georgia, with goals from Max Ebong, Santiago Godoy and Joël Zwarts. The return leg is in Sofia on August 13 at 3pm.
Turkey's Beşiktaş edged Hradec Králové 1-0 at the FINEP Arena in the Czech Republic, with Semih Kılıçsoy scoring the only goal. The second leg is in Istanbul on August 13 at 2pm. Belgium's Anderlecht beat Greece's PAOK 1-0 at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki through Mihajlo Cvetković, with the return set for Anderlecht on August 13 at 3:30pm.
Home wins for Jagiellonia, Lech Poznań, Thun and Salzburg
Poland's Jagiellonia Białystok beat Scotland's Rangers 2-1, with Kajetan Szmyt scoring twice and Guilherme Montóia replying for the Scottish side. The return is in Glasgow on August 13 at 3:30pm.
Lech Poznań beat Klaksvík of the Faroe Islands 1-0 through Yannick Agnero, with the second leg in Tórshavn on August 13 at 2:30pm. Switzerland's Thun routed Iceland's Víkingur 3-0 at the Stockhorn Arena, with goals from Jan Bamert, Brighton Labeau and Fabio Saiz Pennarossa; the return is in Reykjavik on August 13 at 2pm. Austria's RB Salzburg beat Cyprus's Pafos 1-0 through Haris Tabaković, with the second leg in Limassol on August 13 at 2pm.
Benfica rout Hearts
Portugal's Benfica delivered the biggest scoreline of the round, beating Scotland's Hearts 6-1 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Rafael Pereira da Silva, Tomás Araújo, Vangelis Pavlidis, Gianluca Prestianni, Jhon Durán and Andreas Schjelderup scored for the Portuguese side, while Tom Renaud netted a consolation goal for Hearts. The return leg is in Edinburgh on August 13 at 3:45pm.
