Tallinna FC Flora out of Champions League qualifiers

Meistriliiga side Tallinna FC Flora’s UEFA Champions League qualification campaign came to an end Tuesday night after a 3:0 second-leg home defeat to Raków Częstochowa (Poland). Flora lost 4:0 on aggregate.

FC Flora is not wholly out of European football and will continue in qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, the third tier of European club competitions.

Flora went down 1:0 away to Raków Częstochowa last week, and had hoped that home-field advantage would help the team claw back the one-goal deficit.

On the night, Raków’s players tested the resilieance of the A. Le Coq Arena’s goalposts on several occasions in the first half, ERR’s Sport portal reports, though these, along with ‘keeper Evert Grünvald, proved up to the task. A Raków penalty appeal near the end of the first period was denied.

However, in the second half striker Lukasz Zwolinski scored twice in 12 minutes, while midfielder Giannis Papanikolaou sealed the deal with an 85-minute long-range strike.

The visitors almost made it 5:0 on aggregate with a late header on the 88th minute, but Fabian Piasecki was ruled offside after consultations with the VAR.

Flora continues in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

Rakow will face the winner of Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) – FK Qarabag (Azerbaijan) whose second leg game takes place Wednesday evening in Gibraltar. The visitors go in with a 2:1 goal advantage.