FC Copenhagen vs Polessya

Copenhagen drew first blood in the 27th minute when Elyounoussi stepped up to convert a penalty after a foul inside the box. Polessya's Oleksandr Nazarenko was booked for the infringement.

The tie turned seismic in first-half stoppage time when Suzuki was shown a straight red card for a professional foul as the last man, leaving the hosts with ten men for the entire second period.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Copenhagen doubled their lead in the 61st minute. Mads Emil Madsen broke forward and set up Robert Silva, who finished from close range to make it 2-0 on the night.

Polessya, who held 70% possession and fired 26 shots — 22 more than Copenhagen — finally breached the hosts' resistance deep in stoppage time. Borys Krushynskyi teed up Gayduchyk, who scored from the centre of the box in the 90th+3 minute, but it was too late to force extra time.

Suzuki's 46th-minute red card — a professional foul to stop a clear goalscoring opportunity — should have handed Polessya a decisive advantage. Yet Copenhagen grew stronger in the immediate aftermath, producing the one moment of genuine quality in transition to double their lead through Robert in the 61st minute. The sending-off forced a rearguard action for the final half-hour, but the decisive blow had already been struck.

Robert Silva (FC Copenhagen) — Scored the crucial second goal that effectively sealed the tie. Had also scored twice in the first leg (4', 54') to finish with three goals across the two legs. Named Player of the Match.

Mads Emil Madsen (FC Copenhagen) — Provided the assist for Robert's goal and scored the equaliser in the first leg (83'). His energy in transition was vital while Copenhagen were a man down.

Mohamed Elyounoussi (FC Copenhagen) — Opened the scoring from the penalty spot and worked tirelessly on the left, even tracking back to defend corners while down to ten men.

Dominik Kotarski (FC Copenhagen) — Made several crucial saves, including a key stop from Leandro Andrade's long-range effort in the 55th minute, as Polessya peppered his goal with 26 shots.

Polessya's 70% possession and 26 shots (4 on target) against Copenhagen's 5 shots (2 on target) paints a picture of total territorial dominance — but also of profligacy. The Ukrainian side had 22 more attempts yet only scored once, and only in the 93rd minute when the tie was already lost. Copenhagen's 2 goals from 2 shots on target reflect clinical finishing in the moments that mattered. The underlying numbers would likely show a narrow expected-goals margin, skewed by low-quality chances from range for Polessya, who struggled to convert possession into clear-cut openings.

Copenhagen advanced to the UEFA Conference League playoff round with a 5-4 aggregate victory, where they faced Hungarian side Debreceni VSC — a tie they won 5-1 at home on 12 August to qualify for the group stage. Polessya, playing their first-ever European campaign, exit at the second qualifying round after a creditable debut that included a 3-3 home draw in the first leg.

Copenhagen rode their luck and relied on ruthless counter-attacking efficiency to survive a one-man disadvantage for 45 minutes. Polessya will wonder how they failed to score more from 26 shots, but European inexperience at the sharp end of a tight tie showed — they had the dominance but not the incision. The Danish side advance with a performance that was efficient rather than convincing.