Slovan Liberec defeated SFK 2000 Sarajevo 3-2 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League first qualifying round semi-finals. The visitors took an early lead but faced a determined fightback from the hosts. The final scoreline confirmed a narrow victory for the Czech side.
Krejcirova opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute, catching the home side off guard. To be fair, the Sarajevo defence looked disjointed from the first whistle. The visitors controlled the tempo before Skalova received a yellow card just after the half-hour mark. The home crowd grew restless as the deficit grew.
Vithova restored the two-goal cushion before Skalova made it three in the fifty-seventh minute. That is when Sarajevo began to press higher up the pitch. And here's the thing — Liberec stopped sitting on their result. The visitors made changes to manage the game, bringing on Subrtova and Krejcirova in the fifty-eighth minute. The pressure mounted on the hosts as the clock ticked down.
Kameric equalised for Sarajevo in the eighty-second minute, turning a routine win into a nervous finish. Ferencova came on late to help see out the game. The hosts had plenty of time to find a winner, but the visitors held firm.
Sarajevo had come into this match on the back of a heavy defeat to PSV earlier in August. They showed character to score three goals in a game, but consistency remains a question. Liberec, meanwhile, dropped points against Sparta Prague on their last outing, so this win keeps their European dream alive. The next stage awaits.