Big boys bogged down, nifty Norwegians, the Irish evolution, & a shot for San Marino – Europa & Conference League, Playoff Qualifying Round, Leg 1

The Playoff Qualifying Round has kicked off in the Europa & Conference Leagues, and it's all to play for! The headline in the Conference League was the big boys struggling, with Scandanavian sides taking full advantage. Palace managed just a 1-0 home win vs Fredrikstad amidst a frustrating week off the pitch, Strasbourg was held scoreless in France by Brøndby, & Mainz suffered a 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Rosenborg. Elsewhere, both Irish sides got huge victories, including a shock win at Santa Clara for Conference League veterans Shamrock. Plus Virtus stayed alive, maintaining just a single goal deficit heading back to San Marino, where they hope to be the first club from their nation to qualify for a European group stage. Meanwhile in the Europa League, Utrecht continues their impressive qualifying run, Brann-AEK Larnaca and Panathinaikos-Samsunspor set themselves up for terrific 2nd legs, and Red Imps' and KuPS' magical qualifying runs come to an end – but fear not! We'll see them both in the Conference League league phase. All that plus more praise for the Cypriot, Norwegian, Polish, and the Dutch leagues, and a quick check in on Champions League qualifying! Cheers Per-Mathias Høgmo!