Dorozhnik star in drama

Split defeated
Split had won all their previous eight matches at this stage, but that sequence ended in the tournament's fourth edition as Kairat cruised to a 5-0 victory. Brazilian player Carlos Roberto Castro Da Silva opened the scoring on eleven minutes, and after homegrown Yuriy Butrin doubled the lead, three more players from the South American nation added goals early in the second half - Ricardo Camara Sobral, Ricardo Luiz Firmino and Etienne Gomes De Oliveira.

Dorozhnik win
Later the same day, Dorozhnik overcame Bosnia-Herzegovnian group hosts KMF Skopje 6-5. Pavel Dediulia, Vadzim Lushkouski and Sergei Kouznetsov gave the Belarussian representatives a 3-0 advantage after five minutes, but Goran Kostovski scored twice to reduce arrears before Kouznetsov made it 4-2 at the break, and a Goran Janevski goal early in the second period met a quick response from Dediulia. Janevski swiftly struck again, and within seconds Kire Georgiev had claimed an equaliser, only for Lushkouski to net what proved the winner 12 minutes from time.

Jarni double in vain
The excitement continued the next day as Split were held 4-4 by Dorozhnik, despite the Croatian side leading three times, twice through former football international Robert Jarni. Dediulia cancelled out Jarni's second goal eight minutes before the end. Split then saw any hopes of progress ended as Kairat overcame Skopje 5-1 thanks to three unanswered second-half goals.

Third place decided
Split finally found their form in their closing game as they defeated Skopje 4-3 to claim third place. Goran Mitev twice equalised for the home team after goals early in each half from Ivica Osibov and Sandro Salacan, but Goran Kirov's late strike proved only a consolation following further efforts by Salacan and Osibov.

Dramatic end
First place in the group was to be decided in the later match, which Dorozhnik had to win to deny Kairat. Viktar Ivaniutsin and Lushkouski registered inside the first seven minutes for the Minsk outfit, and Kairat could only pull one back before the break through Aleksandr Bondarev. Dediulia made it 3-1 on 24 minutes, but the game then seemed to turn as Luiz Firmino, Etienne and Butrin found the target to give Kairat the advantage with five minutes left. But in the 39th minute Castro Da Silva put through his own goal to give Dorozhnik hope, and in the last seconds Vasili Varonin made it 5-4 to the Belarussian club and booked their place in March's second qualifying round, where they play El Pozo Murcia FS, MFC Dinamo Mosvka and FC Shakhtar Donetsk.