KKS Lech Poznań lost on home soil but nevertheless booked a third qualifying round tie against AC Sparta Praha after beating FC İnter Bakı 9-8 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Uefa.com reported.
Lech had the ascendancy in the tie after a slender victory in Azerbaijan last week and looked set fair to progress untroubled for most of the second leg. Substitute Ģirts Karlsons changed all that six minutes from full time, however, and after a goalless extra 30 minutes, spot kicks were needed to separate the sides. There were 22 penalties in all, every player forced to take one, with İnter Bakı goalkeeper Giorgi Lomaia failing to find the net with his effort to hand victory to the hosts.
Artur Wichniarek, scorer of the only goal of the first leg, nearly cleared the path for a comfortable passage on six minutes but was denied by Lomaia. The visiting goalkeeper also kept out Manuel Arboleda but was beaten by Wichniarek 11 minutes before half-time only to be rescued by the frame of his goal.
Karlsons made Lech pay just 40 seconds after coming on as a substitute and though his side pushed for victory, they came up short and were knocked out after Lech keeper Krzysztof Kotorowski converted his penalty and Lomaia failed to follow suit