ML Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova

Universitatea Craiova announced themselves in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in emphatic fashion, thumping ML Vitebsk 4-1 in Hungary to seize control of their first-round tie. Assad Al-Hamlawi's brace from the penalty spot was the headline act on a dominant afternoon for the Romanian champions. Ștefan Baiaram set the tone early, opening the scoring in just the 4th minute. Vitebsk hit back through Valeriy Gromyko at the 20-minute mark, but Craiova's grip tightened when Al-Hamlawi converted two penalties in quick succession — at 24 minutes and again right on the stroke of halftime at 44 minutes. Substitute Steven Nsimba, who came on in the 57th minute, added a fourth deep in stoppage time (90+4') to cap the rout. Craiova head into the second leg on July 15 with a commanding three-goal cushion, all but assured of their spot in the next round. For Vitebsk, it will take something close to a miracle to overturn the deficit.