Kilmarnock suffered the cruellest of European defeats in the Danish capital as they went down 2-0 to FC Copenhagen.
Killie frustrated their hosts for much of the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off but fell to a harsh VAR-assisted penalty and then a set-piece goal just as five minutes of stoppage-time elapsed.
Kilmarnock goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara, again deputising for the injured Robby McCrorie, had been largely untroubled before Kevin Diks’ penalty was just out of his reach in the 77th minute.
Italian referee Fabio Maresca had stopped play out of the blue before going to the monitor and penalising David Watson for catching Mohamed Elyounoussi on the calf as the pair challenged for a bouncing ball at a corner.
The former Celtic winger had already played the ball with the corner coming to nothing and the incident was far from clear or obvious, as well as being inconsequential, immediately at any rate.
Worse was to come for Killie when Rasmus Falk volleyed home from a half-cleared corner to leave the visitors with an uphill task of reaching the group stage and accessing what manager Derek McInnes had described as “unimaginable” financial benefits of about £4million.
McInnes handed full-back Jack Burroughs a debut following his loan and started with both Kyle Vassell and Marley Watkins for the first time this season.
Copenhagen beat Manchester United and Galatasaray at the Parken Stadium last season on their way to the last 16 of the Champions League but Killie gave them a scare when Watson sent Vassell through one-on-one with Denis Vavro.
Vassell beat the centre-back before being hacked to the ground but Maresca decided Diks was just about to cover and brandished a yellow card.
Killie had a series of set-pieces before O’Hara pulled off his only first-half save of note to safely parry Vavro’s bouncing 30-yard strike behind for a corner.
Liam Donnelly and Lewis Mayo made some crucial challenges in the Killie box and the former saw a shot deflected wide after Watkins got in behind towards the end of a satisfactory first half for the visitors.
The Danes stepped up a gear just after the break with Giorgi Gocholeishvili heading wide from a good chance before O’Hara saved from Elyounoussi.
Stuart Findlay made some good interventions and Diks fired wide as Killie continued to look solid despite being pushed back.
The Italian match officials had other ideas though and Elyounoussi fired over from six yards after Killie were caught out moments after the opener.
With striker Vassell off with a knock, the Ayrshire side looked to be settling for a narrow defeat until Falk’s volley flew past O’Hara seconds after the five minutes of time added on were up.
[(SC Heerenveen) Weakness]: 1. SC Heerenveen currently ranked 14th in the Eredivisie table. In this match against FC Twente, SC Heerenveen, who are in mediocre form, will find it more difficult to win at home and lack motivation.2. SC Heerenveen defender Pawel Bochniewicz and midfielder Levi Smans will both miss this round of the Eredivisie due to injuries.3. SC Heerenveen have only managed 4 draw...
[(FC Tokyo) Strength]: 1. Although FC Tokyo lost 0-1 to Kashima Antlers at home last time, the team have achieved 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in their last 7 home games, performing well overall at home.[(FC Tokyo) Weakness]: 1. FC Tokyo currently ranked 15th in the J1 League table. In this match against Kyoto Sanga FC, FC Tokyo, who have been in poor form recently, will find it more difficult to win...
[(FC Anyang) Strength]: 1. FC Anyang have scored a total of 13 goals in their last 10 matches, averaging 1.3 goals per game.[(FC Anyang) Weakness]: 1. FC Anyang lost 0-1 to Pohang Steelers in their last game, suffering their third consecutive defeat. They have lost six of their last seven matches, and the team's overall form is rather poor.2. After 26 rounds, FC Anyang have conceded 35 goals, rank...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. The two sides have met 16 times in total, with Everton F.C. achieving a record of 7 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses, holding the upper hand.[(Everton F.C.) Weakness]: 1. Everton F.C. have not won a single game in their last seven matches across all competitions, losing five of them. The team's recent form is worrying.2. Everton F.C. have scored a total of 3 goals in their ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal get a corner: The battle for the Scudetto returns Gyokeres Celebration Combo (1st) Arsenal 5-0 Leeds Timber 34',56' / Saka 45+1' / Gyokeres 48',94'p Man City 0-2 Tottenham Chelsea top of the table now Pep Guardiola VS Tottenham Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, ZezoCartoons89,...
[(Crystal Palace F.C.) Strength]: 1. Crystal Palace F.C. scored 3 goals in 3 competitive games, with forward Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring 2 goals.2. Crystal Palace F.C. kept clean sheets in the last 2 games against Chelsea in the league and the Eliteserien team Fredrikstad in the Conference League.3. Crystal Palace F.C. were unbeaten with 7 wins and 2 draws in the last 9 home games across the seas...
[(FC Seoul) Strength]: 1. FC Seoul scored in each of their recent 6 games with 11 goals, showing decent attack.2. FC Seoul were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in the previous 2 league games against Ulsan HD FC this season, slightly having the upper hand.[(FC Seoul) Weakness]: 1. FC Seoul lost 6-2 to Gimcheon Sangmu FC in the last league game on the road. They were winless in the recent 2 league ma...
'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day WinRoma boss Gian Piero Gasperini expressed his delight after his side’s 1-0 opening day victory over Bologna, insisting the result "bodes well" for the season ahead.The 67-year-old joined Roma after an impressive nine years with Serie A rivals Atalanta at the end of last season.Roma hosted Bologna in t...
'Not a Season-Defining Game' – Leeds' Farke Not Worried Despite Arsenal HumblingLeeds boss Daniel Farke insists the heavy defeat to Arsenal is 'not a season-defining game' and remains confident despite the heavy Premier League 5-0 defeat on Saturday (August 23).The West Yorkshire club were brought back down to Earth having earned an important 1-0 win over Everton in their first game back in ...
‘Milan cannot keep conceding such soft goals’ - Allegri Left Frustrated After Shock Opening Day DefeatMassimiliano Allegri voiced his frustration after Milan’s shock 2-1 Serie A opening day defeat to Cremonese on Saturday (August 23), criticising his side for conceding 'soft goals'.Federico Baschirotto, 28, opened the scoring for the visitors after Strahinja Pavlovic’s mist...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 3 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 4 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 5 BVB, Monaco and Ajax go for unwanted West Ham midfielder Alvarez
- 6 ngland cricket legend’s granddaughter stuns in bikini
- 7 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 8 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 9 Lamela explains retirement decision: It started 11 years ago...
- 10 Estevao Willian set for 'key' Chelsea role after debut vs Palace