Play-off! Thriller at Twente ends well | OneFootball

3-3 draw at FC Twente takes us through

The second leg of our UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in the Netherlands proved to be a real thriller. Our clash at FC Twente ended in a 3-3 draw and thanks to our 2-1 home win last week, we are in the play-off to make the league stage! Our European journey therefore continues next week. Let's run you through tonight first though …

Match summary

In comparison to our recent encounters, it wasn't such a wild opening phase. After a probing opening few minutes, we upped the pressure and got our reward after a quarter of an hour had passed. Maurits Kjaergaard netted in the 17th minute after scoring twice in the first leg. The Twente tormentor finished superbly just in the same way Oscar Gloukh had so stylishly supplied him - with a delightful chip.

The lead boosted us, while the hosts offered little to no attacking threat. Our boys promptly looked to make it 2-0 and managed just that! Only a matter of minutes later, Dorgeles Nene went a fraction wide (18'), and he followed that up with an incredible drive from an angle (25')! While the Dutch summer sky quickly clouded over into a storm, with temperatures well above the 30-degree mark, we remained well on course. De Tukkers had their work cut out trying to keep our intense attacking at bay, let alone trying to create openings of their own.

The hosts finally found a footing in the encounter close to the half-time mark and were able to pounce on a set piece - just as they did in the first leg. They temporarily had an extra man for a corner - with Aleksa Terzic treated following a collision - and used that advantage clinically with Mees Hilgers sending an unstoppable header in as Twente sent the Grolsche Fortress wild (43')!

The half-time break came at the right time. It seemed that Pepijn Lijnders had found the perfect words for our Red Bulls - as they raced out after the restart. Less than 60 seconds were on the clock in the second period when Mads Bidstrup cut the ball across for Moussa Yeo (46') to tap in and restore our two-goal lead. The Dutch despair set in again, with an unlikely three goals needing to come Twente's way for extra time.

Then, once again, a set piece sent it wide open again. Once again it was a header from a corner that led to a Twente goal, as Alec Van Hoorenbeeck put Joseph Oosting's side right back into it (64').

Around 15 minutes later, we were well on course to seal the deal. A handball from Michel Vlap gave us a penalty, only for Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall to dive down and stop the spot kick from Kjaergaard in the 75th minute. FC Twente and their fans were sensing the chance to pull off a dramatic turnaround and increased the pressure in the final 15 minutes. The stadium started to live up to its Hell of Enschede nickname. As the ball was only parried away from a cross, Sem Steijn slammed in for an equaliser, and we had seven minutes of stoppage time to sit out. Our boys coped with the pressure admirably, and saw the slender aggregate lead over the finish line to seal their play-off spot!

We therefore go with an aggregate score of 5-4 into the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off next week. On Wednesday 21 August we have our first leg away at FC Dynamo Kyiv. All the details and ticket information will follow!

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Pepijn Lijnders

Samson Baidoo

Line-up

Substitutions

Diambou for Gourna-Douath (55'), Daghim for Yeo (67'), Ratkov for Nene (67'), Van der Brempt for Gloukh (81'), Capaldo for Bidstrup (81')

Yellow cards

Gourna-Douath (9' foul), Blaswich (80' unsporting behaviour)

Injury news

Not available for the match were Hendry Blank (thigh), Fernando (thigh), Daouda Guindo (metatarsal), Dijon Kameri (foot), Takumu Kawamura (knee), Karim Konate (knee) and Leandro Morgalla (thigh). Alexander Schlager has resumed training in recent days after a long injury break.