BANJA LUKA – Borac Banja Luka defeated Vitebsk 1-0 in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, taking a narrow advantage into the return match in Hungary.
The match was played in front of packed stands at the Banja Luka City Stadium, with temperatures remaining above 30 degrees Celsius throughout the game.
Vinko Marinović’s side produced a disciplined, courageous and determined performance, creating several clear-cut chances and hitting both the crossbar and the post. Despite their dominance and numerous opportunities, the scoreboard ultimately remained at 1-0.
Borac took the lead in the 14th minute after an excellent assist from Damir Hrelja found Stefan Savić, who rounded goalkeeper Pavlyuchenko before firing into the empty net.
The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 33rd minute. Hrelja broke away from the Vitebsk defence before Mohamadi pulled him back by the shirt, earning his second yellow card and subsequent dismissal.
Although the Belarusian side played around two-thirds of the match with a man down, Vitebsk refused to surrender and created several dangerous opportunities. Borac, however, held on to secure a valuable 1-0 victory ahead of the second leg.
Unlike Borac in Banja Luka, Vitebsk will not be able to rely on support from the stands in the return fixture.
The team advancing to the play-off round will be decided on August 13 at a neutral venue in the Hungarian town of Mezőkövesd, with the match to be played behind closed doors.
The measure was imposed by UEFA due to Belarus’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Source: RTRS
