Latvian side Liepāja saw their UEFA Conference League campaign come to an end on Thursday after suffering a 1-3 defeat away to Austria Wien, losing 1-5 on aggregate in the second qualifying round.
Needing to overturn a 0-2 first-leg deficit, Liepāja made the perfect start in Vienna. Just four minutes into the match, Danila Patijčuks tested the goalkeeper from distance, and after the rebound was spilled, Amar Haidara reacted quickest to tap home and reduce the aggregate deficit to 1-2.
However, the visitors’ hopes suffered a major blow only minutes later. Before kick-off, Austria Wien honoured former defender Marvin Martins, who made 85 appearances for the club between 2021 and 2024. But his emotional return quickly turned sour as, following a defensive mistake, the Luxembourg international brought down an Austria attacker who was through on goal and was shown a straight red card. It was Martins’ second consecutive dismissal in European competition, having also been sent off in the first leg against Dečic in the opening qualifying round, meaning his return from suspension lasted only a matter of minutes.
Austria Wien quickly took control of the contest. The hosts levelled the score in the 20th minute with an impressive long-range strike before completing the turnaround less than ten minutes later, when Boateng finished off a well-worked attacking move to give the Austrian side a 2-1 lead and a commanding 4-1 advantage on aggregate.
Despite being a man down, Liepāja continued to look for opportunities after the break, but any hopes of a comeback disappeared in the 66th minute. Austria Wien switched play brilliantly before finding Reinhold Ranflt net with a simple finish to make it 3-1 on the night and 5-1 overall.
Goalkeeper Daniel Petkovic, making only his second appearance in the past two months, prevented the scoreline from becoming even heavier with several important saves during the closing stages.
The defeat ends Liepāja’s European campaign, meaning Latvia will have three clubs in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round. Austria Wien, meanwhile, progress to face Israeli side Beitar Jerusalem.
