European Cups: authoritative UNA Strassen over La Fiorita, Tre Fiori scare Larne

Building on the 1-0 win from the first leg, UNA Strassen need only one half to wrap up qualification and escort La Fiorita out of their fifteenth consecutive European summer. The Luxembourgers waste no time on preliminaries. They immediately set about working the Montegiardino side over, breaking the deadlock at the Stadium in the 8th minute: Delorge opens up the channel for Natami, who squares into the middle for Perez, left unmarked by a yellow-and-blue backline that on this occasion is slow to react. A routine finish for the visiting striker. The game remains firmly in UNA Strassen’s control and, on 15 minutes, they round off a sustained attacking move with Steinmetz’s low drive from distance, skimming past the post. Vivan – who sets a new record for minutes played in European club competitions by a player from a San Marino side (1920) – is called into his first big save midway through the half against Myre, after the latter broke down the left, skipped past Mazzotti and went one-on-one with La Fiorita’s keeper. The flanks continue to be UNA Strassen’s favourite hunting ground – and the Achilles heel of Ceci’s men. Past the half-hour, Natami is given acres of space to gallop into down the right. He does so initially, then cuts inside and unleashes a shot that drifts just wide. Perez then tries his luck from a standing position barely a minute later: the ball brushes the upright, with Vivan covering the angle. La Fiorita attempt to interrupt UNA Strassen’s monologue but without success, apart from a couple of corners that come to nothing. The Luxembourgers move the ball with quality and pace, also showcasing impressive fitness levels – helped by a league campaign that kicks off in less than three weeks. It is therefore almost inevitable that the second goal arrives on 38 minutes: Gueye launches for Seye, who flicks it on with his head into the run of Steinmetz. The no. 28 does the rest, getting in front of Nigretti and curling his shot across goal with surgical precision: off the post and in, and qualification effectively sealed. Right before the interval, La Fiorita show up in the opposition box with a fine cross from Pancotti towards Bonetti, who is thwarted at the last moment by Gueye.

After the restart the script does not change. UNA Strassen immediately find a shooting chance through Perez, played in by Natami: the effort goes wide. Then Delorge, from the right, delivers a perfect ball for the run of Steinmetz, who this time cannot replicate the accuracy shown on the 2-0. On 52 minutes Delorge goes solo: he does well between the lines, exchanges passes with Perez and presents himself in front of Vivan, who averts the danger with decisive help from Grandoni. La Fiorita, however, do not have the legs to push their line higher. And tiredness also brings a flurry of errors, such as Mazzotti’s in the build-up, gifting Steinmetz the chance to lay it on a plate for Seye. The striker opts for the lob: Mazzotti atones with a clearance just a few steps from the line. Seye himself has a second opportunity from Hall’s knock-down: a superb right-footed volley, but Vivan is alert and tips it behind for a corner. Shortly afterwards, Myre shifts up a couple of gears down the flank and drives a low cross towards Natami, whose scuffed shot clips the top of the crossbar – with Vivan appearing to have it covered. In the closing stages UNA Strassen’s pressure eases off. La Fiorita take advantage to appear in the opposition box with two substitutes – although neither manages to get a shot away. Grandoni’s through ball for Guidi is just a fraction too strong, allowing Özcan to smother. Mularoni, by contrast, does reach Djuric’s long ball, but comes off second best in his duel with Hall. And speaking of substitutes, deep into added time Ceci hands a European debut to Thomas Bonifazi, born in 2010. Just a few minutes for him, but ones that will remain etched in his memory forever.

Same outcome but a different story for Tre Fiori, who for a long time nurture the dream of a historic qualification in the Champions League. Girolomoni’s side had narrowly lost to Larne in the first leg. In Northern Ireland they take the lead before being pegged back and overturned, also because of going down to ten men just before the 70th minute – with the score at 1-1. Their explosive start yields the opening goal after just 12 minutes: Mengucci curls a winning diagonal effort, also helped by an error from home goalkeeper Ferguson. Larne respond on 25 minutes: a long free-kick from Doherty picks out Ridley’s head, who appears at the far post and beats Nardi. The momentum now swings towards the Northern Irish side, who on the half-hour hit the post through Lufty, excellent in creating the chance but unlucky with the finish. Tre Fiori are very much in it, though, and go close to regaining the lead with Manara (shot wide) and Benedettini, whose curling right-footed effort strikes Ferguson’s body, the keeper this time fully up to the task. Bertani even finds what would be the 2-1 goal, but from an offside position. The 1-1 thus survives until the half-time whistle and well into the second half. Things begin to change, however, on 63 minutes when Rea, already booked, pulls back Lusty and is sent off. Lusty is again at the heart of the next key episode that decisively turns the match and the tie. Yet another burst from the home number 10 is halted by Benedettini with a foul worthy of a penalty. Bent steps up to take the spot-kick and finishes with ice-cold composure and pinpoint accuracy. The blow is heavy but does not sink Tre Fiori, who ride out Larne’s subsequent surges and on 83 minutes have a huge chance to equalise through Ben Kacem, picked out in the middle of the box by Bernardi. The former Fiorentino man miskicks a finish that would have given a very different meaning to the final phase of the game. Instead, things only get more complicated for Tre Fiori, as Bernardi receives two yellow cards in under a minute and leaves his team down to nine men. An incident that will deprive Girolomoni of another key player – on top of Rea – for their next European outing, the Conference League Q3 tie scheduled for August.

UEFA Champions League 2026-27, First Qualifying Round (second leg) | Larne – Tre Fiori 2-1

LARNE (4-3-3)

Ferguson; Cosgrove, Bent, Ridley, Donnelly; Doherty (76’ Sloan), Gallagher, S. Graham (80’ Simpson); McKendry (58’ McEneff), Gibson (58’ O’Hara), Lusty (80’ O’Neil)

Substitutes: Collett, D. Graham, Wallace, Magee, Ukek

Coach: Gary Haveron

TRE FIORI (4-2-3-1)

Nardi; D’Addario (58’ Ponticelli), Syku, Rea, Sancisi; Bertani (83’ Censoni), Sami; Benedettini, Manara (72’ Bernardi), Mengucci (83’ Terenzi); Prandelli (58’ Ben Kacem)

Substitutes: Castagnoli, Pesaresi, Dolcini, Sirri

Coach: Danilo Girolomoni

Referee: Sigurd Kringstad (NOR)

Assistant referees: Runar Langseth (NOR), Ole Andreas Haukåsen (NOR)

Fourth official: Stian Røvig Sletner (NOR)

VAR: Marius Lien (NOR)

AVAR: Kristoffer Hagenes (NOR)

Booked: D’Addario, Syku, McKendry, Rea, Manara, Bernardi, Ponticelli

Sent off: Rea (second yellow), Bernardi (second yellow)

Scorers: 12’ Mengucci, 25’ Ridley, 69’ (p) Bent

Attendance: 1,632

UEFA Conference League 2026-27, First Qualifying Round (second leg) | La Fiorita – UNA Strassen 0-2

LA FIORITA (4-3-3)

Vivan; Nigretti, Mazzotti (60’ Brighi), Nava, Grandoni; Molossi, Drudi (90’ Zazas), Djuric (90’ Bonifazi); Pancotti, Bonetti (60’ Guidi), Zulli (76’ Mularoni)

Substitutes: Colonna, Santi, Nappello, Cicarelli, Berardi

Coach: Stefano Ceci

UNA STRASSEN (5-3-2)

Özcan; Delorge (69’ Tiago), Gueye, E. Agovic, Hall, Myre (78’ Sacras); Natami (69’ Zenadji), Dadashev, Steinmetz; Seye (77’ A. Agovic), Perez (56’ De Souza)

Substitutes: Diogo Garrido, Marques, Gonçalves, Toure

Coach: Jérémy Deichelbohrer

Referee: Seth Galia (GIB)

Assistant referees: Michael Gerard Macias (GIB), Fausti Guerrero (GIB)

Fourth official: Timothy Reoch (GIB)

Booked: Nigretti, Djuric, Molossi

Scorers: 8’ Perez, 38’ Steinmetz

Attendance: 298