Al Hamlawi Double Sinks Vitebsk as Craiova Cruise 4-1

Universitatea Craiova tore ML Vitebsk apart 4-1 in their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round first leg, with Assad Al Hamlawi’s first-half penalty brace breaking Belarusian resistance before a late collapse.

Vitebsk’s Nightmare Start

The Dinamo Stadium crowd barely had time to settle before Ştefan Baiaram struck for Craiova after just four minutes, tapping home Oleksandr Romanchuk’s cutback. The Romanian side’s early dominance was briefly interrupted when Valeriy Gromyko equalised against the run of play on 20 minutes, volleying Valeriy Bocherov’s cross past Laurențiu Popescu.

Al Hamlawi’s Penalty Masterclass

But parity lasted just four minutes. Al Hamlawi converted his first penalty after a clumsy Vitebsk challenge, sending Pavel Pavlyuchenko the wrong way with a stuttered run-up. The Moroccan striker doubled his tally from the spot two minutes before halftime after another defensive lapse, Gromyko earning a yellow card for his protests as Vitebsk’s discipline frayed.

Craiova’s Clinical Finish

Substitute Sergiu Nsimba rubbed salt in the wounds deep into stoppage time, slotting home Monday Etim’s through ball to complete the rout. The statistics told the story of Craiova’s dominance: the Romanians attempted nearly triple Vitebsk’s shots (15 to 6) while enjoying 58% possession.

What This Means

For Mikhail Martinovich’s Vitebsk, this heavy defeat leaves their Champions League dreams hanging by a thread ahead of next week’s return leg in Craiova. Filipe Coelho’s side, meanwhile, can already start planning for the next qualifying round – their biggest challenge now is avoiding complacency with the job almost done.