The Royal Antwerp of trainer Mark van Bommel succeeded in eliminating FC Drita from Kosovo in the second preliminary round of the Conference League on Thursday. It was 0-2 and both goals fell after the break, via Laurit Krasniqi and Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who only made the second Belgian goal well into injury time.
Last week it was still 0-0 in De Bosuil against the rigidly defending Kosovars. Drita – who was still an opponent of Feyenoord at this stage of the Conference League last season – withdrew into his own half and then tried to strike in the switch.
That almost succeeded in the fourteenth minute, when attacker Marko Simonovski escaped the attention of the Antwerp defense. A save by goalkeeper Jean Butez prevented Van Bommel’s team from falling behind.
After the break it was left back Krasniqi, a Belgian with Kosovar roots, who made the breakthrough. He was the first to a cross from the right and finished well. In the remainder of the game Antwerp was in control and Drita was hardly dangerous anymore. In the ninth minute of injury time, Balikwisha made the 0-2.
Antwerp will meet Norwegian Lillestrøm in the next round, which eliminated SJK from Finland earlier on Thursday. Vincent Janssen participated for 69 minutes, but also failed to find the net in his third official game for ‘The Great Old’.
Antwerp won the first league match of the new season with 0-2 last weekend, visiting the KV Mechelen from trainer Danny Buijs. Both goals were scored in that match by the Swiss Michael Frey, Janssen’s competitor for the striker position.
Vincent Janssen played 69 minutes against FC Drita.
Vincent Janssen played 69 minutes against FC Drita. Photo: Getty Images