Heartbreak befell Udinese in the Champions League play-off round for the second year running after they lost on penalties to Sporting Braga in the second leg of their qualifying tie on Tuesday.
Summer signing Maicosuel was the villain of the piece, his chipped penalty comfortably saved by Braga goalkeeper Beto as the Portuguese side won the shoot-out 5-4 to reach the group phase for the second time.
The match had finished 1-1 after extra time at Udinese’s Stadio Friuli, leaving the score 2-2 on aggregate.
It meant that Udinese were eliminated from Europe’s premier club competition in the play-off round for the second season in succession, after they were beaten by Arsenal at the same stage of the tournament 12 months ago.
Udinese finished third in Italy Serie A 2011-2012 but have lost several key players in the summer — including goalkeeper Samir Handanovic — and they had an early scare in the ninth minute, when Zeljko Brkic had to save from Braga forward Lima.
Left wing-back Pablo Armero settled the hosts’ nerves in the 25th minute, crashing home a back-post header from Dusan Basta’s lofted cross to put Francesco Guidolin’s side ahead.
Brkic was called into action on a number of occasions in the second half before the visitors’ pressure told in the 72nd minute when Ruben Micael nodded in the equaliser from Mossoro’s cross.
It was Micael who dispatched the winning goal in the shoot-out, drilling the ball down the middle of the goal after Brazilian midfielder Maicosuel’s attempted Panenka failed to catch out Beto, to the despair of his team-mates.
Meanwhile, Malaga reached the Champions League proper for the first time in their history after drawing 0-0 at Panathinaikos to close out a 2-0 aggregate success.
The Spanish La Liga team, who have been plagued by financial problems this summer, will discover their group-stage opponents in Thursday’s draw in Monaco.
Elsewhere, an 81st-minute goal from Dieumerci Mbokani set Anderlecht on their way to a 2-0 home win over Cypriots AEK Limassol that enabled the Belgians to overturn a 2-1 deficit from last week’s first leg.
In the night’s other second-leg matches, Dinamo Zagreb and Belarusian representatives BATE Barisov also secured their places in the group phase.
The play-off round concludes on Wednesday, when 1967 European champions Celtic will take a 2-0 lead over Swedish outfit Helsingborgs into the second leg of their tie at Celtic Park.
Borussia Moenchengladbach must overturn a 3-1 deficit at Dynamo Kiev if they are to reach the group phase for the first time in the Champions League era, while Lille trail 1-0 ahead of their home game with FC Copenhagen.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Odd / Even tip on IFK Östersund vs Gottne IF 1 minute ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a First Team to Score tip on Khelang United vs Maejo United 1 minute ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Odd / Even tip on Næstved vs Fremad Amager 1 minute ago |
![]() |
dangosaw
posts a Over / Under tip on Odder vs Brønshøj 1 minute ago |
![]() |
drjaja
posts a 1X2 tip on Ha Noi II vs PVF-CAND II 5 minutes ago |
![]() |
drjaja
posts a 1X2 tip on Ha Noi II vs PVF-CAND II 5 minutes ago |
![]() |
drjaja
posts a 1X2 tip on Da Nang II vs Dak Lak 5 minutes ago |
![]() |
drjaja
posts a 1X2 tip on Da Nang II vs Dak Lak 5 minutes ago |
![]() |
JC44
posts a Both Teams to Score tip on Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz vs Floridsdorfer AC 15 minutes ago |
![]() |
JC44
posts a Over / Under tip on Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz vs Floridsdorfer AC 16 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have won all their home matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
Soccer Punter has helped me become better at forecasting games.
As a sport influencer/ myself forecasting winning games is critical to keeping followers happy and this platform has helped me achieve that.
thanks Soccer Punter
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2025 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: