Warren Feeney’s Glentoran suffered penalty heartbreak after a dramatic Europa Conference League first qualifying round clash with Gzira United ended in a 14-13 shootout defeat.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Malta, Glentoran saw Bobby Burns miss a first-half spot-kick before James Singleton had a 94th-minute effort ruled out.
Burns would redeem himself and spark wild celebrations when he fired home from close range in the 13th minute of stoppage-time to force extra-time.
After the two sides could not be separated, penalties were required and, following 27 successful spot-kicks, it was substitute Leon Boyd who had his second attempt from 12 yards saved by David Cassar to bring an extraordinary tie to its conclusion.
Zac Jones was the hero for Haverfordwest after he saved two penalties to inspire them to a 3-2 shootout win against Shkendija.
The Cymru Premier outfit were playing in Europe for only the second time in their history and, after losing the first leg 1-0, were indebted to Lee Jenkins’ 89th-minute effort which forced extra-time at their adopted Cardiff City Stadium home.
No further goals were forthcoming in the additional half-an-hour as penalties were required, but Daniel Hawkins missed Haverfordwest’s first attempt.
Goalkeeper Jones was able to thwart Shkendija’s second effort from Eraldo Cinari and Mevlan Adili’s miss gave Ben Fawcett the chance to send the Welsh club through, but he fired wide.
But it did not matter as Jones, following some pre-penalty dance moves on his goal-line, made an outstanding save diving to his left to deny Florent Ramadani and spark jubilant scenes in Cardiff, with B36 Torshavn up next.
Elsewhere, Northern Irish clubs Linfield and Crusaders booked their spots in the next round, despite contrasting fortunes on Thursday.
Linfield lost 1-0 away to Vllaznia Shkoder, but moved into the second qualifying round with a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Crusaders drew 2-2 away to Haka and Paul Heatley’s goal with 17 minutes left at Seaview earned them a narrow win on aggregate.
Irish clubs Dundalk and Derry City progressed into the second qualifying round after home wins.
Dundalk, who reached the group stage of the Europa League in 2020, beat FCB Magpies 3-1 after a goalless first leg, while Sadou Diallo struck the only goal across two legs to send Derry through at the expense of HB Torshavn.
Penybont’s first ever European adventure ended in a 2-0 aggregate defeat, but took Santa Coloma to extra-time before the Andorrans scored twice in the addition 30 minutes.
St Patrick’s Athletic also bowed out, despite an extraordinary own goal from F91 Dudelange goalkeeper Didier Desprez, who completely misjudged a high ball on the edge of his area and inadvertently headed it into his own goal.
It could not prevent the Richmond Park club losing 3-2 and going out 5-3 on aggregate, with Oege van Lingen scoring a hat-trick for the visitors.
Connah’s Quay suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Iceland’s KA Akureyri to bow out after losing the first leg by the same score.
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
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