All three Baltic representatives made positive starts to their UEFA Youth League first-round ties on Wednesday, with Flora Tallinn U19 recording a convincing home victory, Žalgiris Vilnius U19 winning a seven-goal thriller in Iceland and SK Super Nova U19 earning a goalless draw in Northern Ireland on their European debut.
Estonian youth champions Flora Tallinn are competing in the UEFA Youth League for the first time and strengthened their side with several players who have already featured at senior level. Among them were Sander Alamaa, who has recorded nine goals and nine assists in the Estonian top flight this season, and Remo Valdmets, who has made 22 league appearances with three goals and three assists.
Flora effectively decided their meeting with Faroese youth champions HB Torshavn during a devastating nine-minute spell in the first half. Alamaa provided the assist for Timotheus Sammul to open the scoring before Karl-Tristan Lorenz doubled the advantage. Lorenz represented Estonia at this year’s home U17 European Championship and made his Flora senior debut against Pärnu Vaprus on August 23. Eerik Paltser, who also made his Premium Liiga debut that same day, added Flora’s third.
It was a dominant European debut for the Tallinn youngsters, who attempted 22 shots compared with only three from HB Torshavn. Flora will take a commanding advantage to the Faroe Islands for the return leg on October 14, with the winner progressing to face Chelsea U19 in the next round.
There was considerably more drama in Iceland, where Žalgiris Vilnius U19 took a major step towards reaching the second round for a second consecutive time by defeating Thor Akureyri U19 4-3.
Most of the Žalgiris squad regularly feature for the club’s reserve team rather than the senior side, but that did not prevent the visitors from racing into a two-goal lead inside 24 minutes. Nineteen-year-old Vakaris Berenta opened the scoring in the first minute before 17-year-old Dovydas Eidukaitis doubled the advantage. Thor quickly pulled one back, but Berenta struck again before half-time to restore Žalgiris’ two-goal cushion.
The Lithuanian side then saw their advantage disappear midway through the second half as Thor scored twice within two minutes to make it 3-3. Žalgiris responded almost immediately, however, with Berenta completing his hat-trick to restore the visitors’ lead. The 19-year-old is also the Pirma Lyga’s leading scorer this season with 14 goals.
Žalgiris held on for a 4-3 victory and will take a one-goal advantage into the return leg in Vilnius on October 14. St Patrick’s Athletic U19 await the winners in the second round.
Super Nova U19 were the final Baltic side in action, making history with the club’s first-ever appearance in UEFA competition. With Alens Grikovs and Georgijs Bombāns, both of whom have gained Virslīga experience this season, in their squad, the Latvian youngsters earned a 0-0 away draw against Northern Irish youth champions Cliftonville U19.
The tie will now be decided in Riga on October 14, with the winner progressing to a second-round meeting against Swedish side Hammarby U19.
