The first meeting between Kazakhstan's Tobol and Lithuania's Panevezys in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw, reports infohub.kz.
Kostanay club Tobol, as winners of the Kazakhstan Cup, began their European season in the second round. The match at Aukštaitija Stadium was challenging: the hosts took the lead in the 45th minute through a goal by Senegalese defender Seidina Keita.
The visitors equalized late. In the 84th minute, Montenegrin defender Nemanja Tsavnich headed in a cross from Kazakh midfielder Askhat Tagybergen. Tagybergen himself missed a penalty in the second half, with Lithuanian goalkeeper Vytautas Cherniauskas saving his spot-kick in the 60th minute.
Tobol goalkeeper Sultan Busurmanov suffered an injury in the first half and was replaced by Danil Ustimenko in the 41st minute.
The return leg will take place on July 30 in Kostanay. The winner of the two-legged tie will face either Serbia's Partizan or Luxembourg's UNA Strassen in the third qualifying round. The loser will be eliminated from European competition.