Twente score a vital late goal to keep Champions League tie alive against Salzburg

FC Twente scored a huge late goal to give themselves a fighting chance next week in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifying tie with Red Bull Salzburg. A late free kick from Michel Vlap meant that the Tukkers will face Salzburg at home a goal down as Red Bull won the game 2-1.

Twente started the game with Alec van Hoorenbeeck and Mees Hilgers at Center Back due to former club captain Robin Propper leaving the club to join Rangers in Scotland. New signings Bas Kuipers and Sam Lammers started on the bench.

Salzburg is managed by Dutch coach Pepijn Lijnders. The 41-year-old left Liverpool after years as an assistant manager to take over the Austrian side.

The visitors should have scored early in the match. Mitchell van Bergen crossed the ball to his fellow winger, Daan Rots, who was completely unmarked in front of the goalkeeper. Rots had to score but hit his attempt straight at Janis Blaswich in the Salzburg goal.

Red Bull’s first big chance of the match came just after the half-hour mark when Oscar Gloukh was sent through by a pass from Maurits Kjærgaard. Gloukh’s efforts was straight at Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall.

Twente was finding it increasingly difficult to keep possession, and they conceded the first goal of the match after 39 minutes had passed. A corner was headed out by Youri Regeer to Kjærgaard, who absolutely smashed it home, leaving Unnerstal with no chance.

Lammers nearly made the perfect start to his Twente career after coming on as a substitute. A great cross from Carel Eiting found the striker in the box after he had timed his run perfectly, but the cross was just about too high for Lammers to guide it towards goal in the way that he wanted.

Twente made a huge mistake and was punished for it with five minutes to go. Anass Salah-Edinne played a wayward pass that went straight to Salzburg. This led to the ball finding its way to Kjærgaard, who took advantage again, hitting it into the bottom corner for his second goal of the game.

It looked like a huge blow, as a two-goal deficit would have been very tough to overcome, but the Tukkers were given new hope when they scored in the 90th minute. Michel Vlap took a free kick and hit it through the wall into the bottom corner to send the 1,500 traveling Twente fans into celebrations.

The second leg will be in the Grolsch Veste in Enschede next Tuesday at 7 p.m.