FC Copenhagen has qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA Conference League by topping Group F.
However, qualification has not been a formality. A 1-2 home defeat to PAOK in their third match threatened to derail their bid, but they got back on track with an impressive win in the return leg.
Last night, the Copenhagen team beat the Gibraltar part-time player Lincoln Red Imps 4-0 in a stadium just a stone’s throw from Africa.
If the finish line does not sound brutal, keep in mind that FCK were two ahead within the first seven minutes and then eased the gas.
Victorious FCM must now beat minnows to advance
Meanwhile, away victory in the Bulgarian PFC Ludogorets 1945 on December 9 will ensure FC Midtjylland promotion to the final 32 of the Europa League after a 3-2 defeat to the Portuguese rival SC Braga last night.
A penalty kick deep inside the penalty area proved the difference after the Portuguese team equalized in the 85th minute.
Lack of promotion will be hard for FCM to accept as they have only lost one of their five matches so far.
But will their inability to beat Ludogorets at home in their opening match, the lonely point of the Bulgarian team in the campaign, come back to haunt them?
Draw for FCM, which is in third place with eight points, one after Braga and two after Crvena zvezda, will most likely not be enough, thus placing them in the knockout phase of the Conference League.
Randers and Brรธndby still in battle
Randers also have qualification in their hands after a 2-1 victory against CFR Cluj – the first victory in their Conference League campaign.
An away win against group winners AZ Alkmaar will ensure safe passage, as they are now in second place, one point ahead of Jablonec, who travel to CFR Cluj in their last match.
Randers remain unbeaten in the group thanks to four previous draws, so it will be something of a parody if they draw again and Jablonec wins, as they could be beaten unbeaten.
Finally, back in the Europa League, Brรธndby lost 1-3 to Lyon and has only two points from five games, five points behind second place.
But if they win third-placed Sparta Prague in their final match, they will overtake them and qualify for the knockout stage of the Conference League.
Source: The Nordic Page