Jeunesse had a difficult evening ahead of them in Portugal after a 1-0 defeat previously. The Esch team could not get a foothold in the away game, losing 4-0 to Vitória SC and failing to progress to the next round.
After losing 2-0 in Glasgow, Niederkorn’s result in front of 3,900 spectators on the Route d’Arlon was unsurprising. Although they were able to hold Rangers at bay, the 0-0 draw meant the Luxembourgish team dropped out of the Europa League.
It was evident that the second match would be an uphill struggle for Esch following their 1-0 defeat in the first round.
Vitória Guimarães were powered into the lead early on, with a header by Edmond Tapsoba in the 14th minute.
Esch continued to flounder after halftime, conceding a second goal shortly after the 60th minute. The Portuguese team took further advantage, scoring a penalty shortly before 90 minutes were up, and adding a fourth goal to their tally through Joao Teixeira’s shot in extra time.
In Luxembourg on Thursday night, Niederkorn found Steven Gerrard’s Glasgow Rangers to be a tough adversary, especially after their 2-0 loss in Glasgow.
True to form, Rangers provided the first real threat of the night with a shot from Arfield which hit the post after 15 minutes. Niederkorn held their own, with a chance from Sebastien Thill after an hour’s play, but neither side were able to break the deadlock, despite the Luxembourg team’s defence showing moments of weakness. As the game ended in a goalless draw, Niederkorn were eliminated as Gerrard’s team marched on.
