Universitatea Craiova vs Ararat-Armenia

Universitatea Craiova couldn't turn home advantage into a winning start, settling for a 1-1 draw against Ararat-Armenia in the first leg of their Europa League play-off. Over 15,000 fans packed Ion Oblemenco hoping to see the Romanian champions take control of the tie, but the visitors made themselves right at home. Malis put Ararat-Armenia ahead in the 20th minute, heading home from a corner. Craiova responded through captain Bancu, who fired in from a tight angle in the 33rd minute after a pass from Cicâldău. The hosts thought they'd fallen behind again when Lima struck in the 63rd minute, but the goal was chalked off for offside. Goalkeepers on both ends stayed busy, with saves keeping the score level to the final whistle. A draw leaves everything open ahead of the return leg in Yerevan on August 27. Craiova, valued far higher on paper, will need a better away performance to reach the group stage, while a loss there still guarantees them Conference League football. Ararat-Armenia now have home advantage to finish the job.