BRATISLAVA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The first qualifying round of the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League began with teams from Slovakia failing to secure a good result in their first-leg ties, with MFK Ruzomberok and Spartak Trnava losing their respective clashes and DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda registering a draw.
Ruzomberok, who qualified by virtue of finishing third in last season's Slovakian Fortuna Liga, lost their first-leg match 2-0 against Bulgaria's Levski Sofia. Davide Mariani's header sailed home in the first half and Paulinho's strong individual effort set the final score in the second.
Spartak Trnava, winners of last season's Slovak Cup, traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to challenge Radnik Bijeljina but also conceded twice. The home side took the lead in the 34th minute through Nedim Mekic's long-range volley, and Velibor Djuric sealed Bijeljina's 2-0 win early in the second half.
The clash in Dunajska Streda between local side DAC and KS Cracovia from Poland resulted in a 1-1 draw, with the home team scoring both goals in front of a full house. Dominik Kruzliak deflected the ball into his own net in the 40th minute, but Marko Divkovic equalized moments later, capitalizing on a rebound.
