Borac Banja Luka secured its place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League after fighting back to earn a 3–3 draw against Petrocub in Chișinău, advancing 6–3 on aggregate following a 3–0 first-leg victory.
The Bosnian side endured a difficult start, conceding twice in the opening 20 minutes.
Rotaru opened the scoring in the 14th minute after converting a cross from Iardan, before Popescu doubled the hosts’ lead six minutes later with a powerful strike into the top corner.
Borac responded early in the second half when Stefan Savić reduced the deficit in the 50th minute following an assist from Amer Hiroš.
However, Petrocub restored its two-goal cushion just two minutes later as Rotaru scored his second of the evening with a long-range effort to make it 3–1.
Borac refused to give up, with Hiroš pulling another goal back in the 56th minute after meeting Savić’s delivery from a set piece.
The comeback was completed in the 78th minute when Roguljić finished a well-worked move after combining with Savić, scoring the goal that secured Borac’s progression to the next round.
“It didn’t start the way we wanted, and we were 2–0 down at half-time. But we showed character and we’re moving on,” Savić said after the match.
Roguljić admitted the second leg proved far more challenging than expected despite Borac’s commanding first-leg advantage.
“Every match is different. Even though we had a 3–0 lead, we saw how quickly things can change. We have quality, we fought our way back, and we’re returning to Banja Luka unbeaten. Now we look ahead to the next round,” he said.
Borac will face the winner of the tie between Vitebsk of Belarus and Sutjeska of Montenegro in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The first-leg matches are scheduled for 6 August, with the return fixtures to be played one week later. The draw will take place on 3 August.
Source: RTRS
