Hertha and Salzburg go goal crazy

Bundesliga representatives Hertha BSC Berlin – one of three Fair Play entrants in the competition – ran up the biggest score of the night when they defeated Moldova's FC Nistru Otaci 8-1 at home, a margin of victory matched by Austrian runners-up FC Salzburg's 7-0 victory against Armenian outfit FC Banants. Elsewhere, FC Tobol Kostanay produced the Central-East section's shock result by defeating FK Austria Wien 1-0 in Kazakhstan for their maiden UEFA Cup victory at their fifth attempt. The second legs take place on 31 July.

FC Salzburg 7-0 FC Banants
Lois Ngwat Mahop and Alexander Zickler scored two goals apiece as Co Adriaanese's Salzburg showed their Armenian opponents no mercy. Salzburg's slick attacking football proved too much for Banants, who were 4-0 down at half-time following goals from defender Ibrahim Sekagya (22), Ngwat Mahop (29), a penalty from Zickler (34) and a Somen Tchoyi effort (37). The scoring continued after the restart as Ngwat Mahop (46) and Ernst Öbster (48) heaped more misery on Banants. Salzburg eased the pressure thereafter but still managed to add another through Zickler on 65 minutes.

Győri ETO FC 1-1 FC Zestaponi
Zoltán Böőr's 59th-minute tap-in earned the Hungarian hosts a draw after they had fallen behind to an own goal on the cusp of half-time. Győr's Balázs Nikolov headed Gilvan Vieira's free-kick into his own net to send Zestaponi in at the break a goal to the good, though Sándor Egervári's team were level shortly after the restart when Péter Bajzát's shot was parried into the path of Böőr who slotted the ball home from close range in the heavy rain.   

FC Ararat Yerevan 0-1 AC Bellinzona
Swiss Super League debutants Bellinzona earned a 1-0 win on their European debut, with their counterattacking style proving crucial in Yerevan. The only goal came after 20 minutes. Iacopo La Rocca headed Gürkan Sermeter's cross against the post but Alessandro Mangiarratti scored from the rebound. Armenian league leaders Ararat had the edge in the second half but could not convert their chances.

FC Dacia Chisinau 1-1 FK Borac
Dacia were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Boban Stojanović's 83rd-minute penalty rescued a draw for Borac. The pairing of Eugeniu Boicenco and Sergei Japalau created several presentable opportunities for the hosts in the first half, and they finally got the goal their pressure merited on 50 minutes when Victor Bulat found the target. However, Stojanović had the last word, converting from the spot after Dacia were penalised for a handball in the penalty area.   

FC Tobol Kostanay 1-0 FK Austria Wien
Alexandru Golban's goal earned the Kazakh side a notable victory in Kostanay. Visiting goalkeeper Szabolcs Sáfár saved a long-range Andrei Kharabara effort in the first half and the same player squandered a better chance from a Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev cross before Moldovan international Golban converted from Ruslan Baltiyev's free-kick after 58 minutes. Austria's best chances came late on, with Joachim Standfest miscuing after a great pass from Mario Bazina and Milenko Ačimovič going close.

Hertha BSC Berlin 8-1 FC Nistru Otaci
Hertha ran riot in Berlin with Polish striker Łukasz Piszczek scoring a hat-trick to leave poor Nistru reeling. The Berliners were 5-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Marko Pantelić (16 and 38), Rafael Araujo (23) and Piszczek (33 and 42). Marc Stein (68) and Steve von Bergen (71) made it 7-0 before Alexandr Tcaciuc scored a consolation goal for the Moldovan visitors with 12 minutes to go. Piszczek completed his hat-trick late on.

FK Khazar Länkäran 0-1 KKS Lech Poznań
Khazar Länkäran had goalkeeper Dmitriy Kramarenko to thank for keeping the Azerbaijan Cup winners in the tie. Although powerless to prevent Robert Lewandowski's 76th-minute strike, Kramarenko kept the Polish visitors at bay thereafter to give his side a glimmer of hope for the second leg in two weeks' time.

Legia Warszawa 0-0 FC Gomel
Legia enjoyed the majority of possession in Warsaw but were unable to unlock a resolute Gomel defence as the Belarussian side held on for a famous draw. The hosts wasted a number of clear chances at the Wojska Polskiego Stadium, with Spanish midfielder Mikel Arruabarrena Arambide, Miroslav Radović and Piotr Giza all going close in the first half. After the restart, Giza missed a chance to slot into an empty net following a break by Arambide, while Gomel responded with a chance of their own which fell to Stanislau Drahun.

FC Spartak Trnava 2-2 FC WIT Georgia
New Trnava coach Vladimir Vermezovič watched on as his side came from two goals down to steal a draw in added time. On a rainy night in Slovakia, defender David Lomaia pounced on a mistake by Trnava goalkeeper Ladislav Rybánsky to head the Georgian visitors ahead on 14 minutes. WIT doubled their lead two minutes before half-time when Ľuboš Hanzel was penalised for a foul in the Trnava penalty area and Luka Razmadze dispatched the spot-kick. The hosts did not give up, though, and Vladimír Kozuch's 74th-minute header reduced the arrears before Ľubomír Bernáth tucked away a rebound in added time after WIT goalkeeper Grigol Bediashvili parried Martin Guldan's fierce shot.

FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk 2-2 MŠK Žilina
An added-time penalty from Róbert Jež saw Žilina steal a draw in Minsk. Guinean Aboubacar Camara put MTZ-RIPO ahead with the rebound from an Artyom Kontsevoi shot after 17 minutes and the Belarussian side should have extended their lead, with Oleg Strakhanovich hitting the post and Nicolas Ceolin missing from one metre out before Admir Vladavić lobbed home keeper Aleksandr Sulima from the halfway line to level. Ceolin made amends from the penalty spot on 51 minutes following a handball, but Czech Jež had the final say.

FC Shakhtyor Karagandy 1-1 Debreceni VSC
Shakhtyor Karagandy put in one of their best performances of the season but could only earn a draw. The Kazakh side took the initiative and should have been ahead before lone striker Rudolf Gergely gave Debrecen a 65th-minute lead. Serbian Ivan Perić headed an equaliser within a minute, but goalkeeper David Loria had to be alert to deny the Hungarian side a winner later on.

FK Vojvodina 1-0 FK Olimpik Bakı
Central defender Igor Djurić gave Vojvodina a slender advantage to take into the second leg in Azerbaijan as cautious tactics prevailed in Novi Sad. With neither side breaking too much of an attacking sweat on a warm night in Serbia, Djurić scored what proved to be the only goal of the game after 58 minutes. Vojvodina will hope that subsequent missed chances do not prove costly in Baku.