Europa FC V FC Zalgiris Kaunas by Europa FC

UEFA Europa Conference League ﬁrst qualifying round ﬁrst leg

Europa FC v FK Kauno Žalgiris Thursday 08.07.2021 | 20:00 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

2021/2022

PRESIDENT E H T

WELCOME to the game, our first in this new UEFA EUROPA Conference League competition. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to greet you, the fans, once again. Over the past two years we have had five possible trophies denied to us by a combination of the pandemic and other external issues off the pitch, but we continue going. Nothing whatsoever will stop the ‘Green Machine’ in its path to our dreams. Today we create a bit of history as we become the first Gibraltar club to compete in all three European competitions – the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League. Hopefully next season we will be back involved in the UEFA Champions League, but for now our focus is firmly fixed on making progress in this competition, but we are under no 03 03

. . . Nothing whatsoever will stop the ‘Green Machine’ in its path to our dreamS. Today we create a bit of history as we become the first Gibraltar club to compete in all three European competitions . . . illusions about how tough this ﬁrst examination will be. We welcome our opponents from FK Kauno Žalgiris to Gibraltar and we hope for a good, clean game that is played in the right spirit.

Today’s special souvenir Matchday Programme has been produced on behalf of Europa FC by

ape

publications Gibraltar’s Match Programme Specialists Twitter: @APEPublications Web: apepublications.wixsite.com/home Email: apepublications@aol.co.uk All images courtesy of:

May the best team win… Come on Europa! PETER CABEZUTTO President OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

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RAFA R E G A N A M

GOOD evening to all and welcome to the match as we find ourselves in UEFA Europa Conference League action for the first time. This last season has been a complicated and difﬁcult one for the club. The pandemic has made things atypical and the stop-start nature of the competition meant we had to have patience in order to plan out the best course of action for the beneﬁt of the whole squad.

We go into this season full of hope and expectation. Domestically we aspire to win both League and Cup titles, whilst in Europe we have a difﬁcult ﬁrst hurdle to overcome as our opponents this evening are a strong and physical side with good technical players.

Domestically I think we acquitted ourselves very well both in the Gibraltar National League and in the Rock Cup.

Playing the ﬁrst leg at home could be an advantage for us and we will look to capitalise upon it. They have already started their League campaign and we know that they have quality players within their ranks both in an attacking and defensive positions.

In the League we achieved second place after a series of unfavourable circumstances and we were one point away from the eventual champions. I think we competed phenomenally until the last moment. In the Cup we got to the Final and, once again, non-sporting circumstances intervened which meant that we couldn’t play that Final. 05 05

We have been working hard in preseason so that we go into this encounter in the best condition possible. We want to be as competitive as we can be over the 180 minutes of action that stands before us.

I believe in my players that they can get the result that we crave in order to make progress into the next round. Last season, in the UEFA Champions League, we were drawn away to past European champions, Red Star Belgrade, and showed on that occasion the kind of levels that we are capable of before taking on Djurgardens IF of Sweden in the UEFA Europa League and narrowly losing out as missed chances cost us dear. We will be looking to rectify that, starting tonight and continuing into the second leg next week. May I welcome everyone associated with our opponents before wishing them a safe journey home afterwards. RAFA ESCOBAR Manager

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“I know that I will be given everything I need to hit top form here; it is an exciting move for me and already I feel that I have integrated well with my team-mates. “There is plenty of quality here and I will learn so much from the experienced players that we have amongst the group. The Manager also has plenty of experience within the game and I am enjoying working under him. “Each training session is high-intensity from start to ﬁnish, whether it is a physical or tactical session. “There is an energy that runs throughout the whole club with everyone working hard and supporting each other to achieve a common goal.

“After being out of football for so long and only returning over the past year, it is a privilege to join a club of the stature of Europa FC,” he said. “The professionalism of the set-up both on and off-the-pitch has really impressed me. This is a club that really looks after its players in order to get the best out of them.

BALLESTER

The 26 year-old right-back returned to football with Mons Calpe SC 12 months ago and after putting in some assured displays last season, he has earned his move to Europa FC.

IT’S fair to say that Mark Ballester has his hunger for the game well and truly back.

HUNGER GAMES

“I believe in this group and I feel conﬁdent that we can progress in this competition and also regain our Gibraltar National League title come the end of the season.”

. . . The professionaLIsm of the set-up both on and off-the-pitch has really impressed me. This is a club that really looks after its players in order to get the best out of them… OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

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RICO N I A T P A C

GOOD evening all, this is Juampe, Europa FC Captain. Firstly I would LIke to welcome you all to this UEFA Europa Conference League match. Football certainly wasn’t the same without the fans and I hope you will all enjoy and support us in this special encounter in European competition. Analysing the season just gone, I think we had a great ﬁrst two-thirds of the campaign, but problems appeared in the last third after the International break with a few injuries to local players which kept them out of action. Because of this we gave chances to young local players who had to quickly learn the ropes and we are very proud of their efforts and the immense forward strides they made. Mentally the squad was also quite hardhit by the GFAs decision not to allow the club to compete in the Rock Cup Final, a right we earned on the pitch and it affected us negatively. 09 09

. . . Our objectives as a squad are clear; we have tough but attractive quaLIfying matches ahead, we have prepared well and we arrive in the best conditions to perform as we know we can in these two games... But now we move on and look forward to what is ahead of us. Personally my challenge is to better myself day-afterday, to reach each matchday in the best shape possible, to get to my level as quickly as possible and once there maintain this level so the team can beneﬁt from it. My target is also to score as many goals and give as many assists as I can, but the

real work is in the day-to-day. Our objectives as a squad are clear; we have tough but attractive qualifying matches ahead, we have prepared well and we arrive in the best conditions to perform as we know we can in these two games. Looking to the future and to domestic competition, we aspire to be League and Cup champions again. The League is the real test of consistency with the great prize of UEFA Champions League qualiﬁcation, and we feel we have unﬁnished business in the Rock Cup after what happened last season. The squad has real desire and motivation to win everything this season, so big hugs to everyone – let’s enjoy the journey that we are embarking upon. JUAMPE

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Apollon Limassol (CYP) vs Žilina (SVK) / Dila Gori (GEO) • Draw procedure

�ukari�ki (SRB) vs Sumgait (AZE)

In all, 66 teams feature in the first qualifying round. The UEFA administration formed groups and seeded clubs according to the UEFA club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season. The clubs were divided into seven groups of eight teams (Groups 1 to 7), and one group of ten teams (Group 8), according to the above-mentioned UEFA club coefficient rankings.

Gagra (GEO) / Sutjeska (MNE) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

Within each of the eight groups, the clubs were split into an equal number of seeded and unseeded sides (33 seeded teams and 33 unseeded teams in total). UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW The UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round draw has produced 54 ties to be played on 22 and 29 July. The likes of Aberdeen, Copenhagen, Rosenborg, Basel, Feyenoord, Austria Wien, Gent, BATE Borisov, FCSB and Partizan are entering at this stage in the main path, though not all the ties will be decided until the first qualifying round ties are completed on 15 July. In the champions path, teams will transfer from the UEFA Champions League preliminary round and UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. Champions path The three teams eliminated in the UEFA Champions League preliminary round (played on 22 and 25 June) and 15 teams eliminated in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round (played on 6/7 and 13/14 July) all transfer to the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round. The nine winners of the ties will advance to the champions path third qualifying round. Teuta (ALB) / Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) vs UEFA Champions League preliminary round beaten finalist Malmö (SWE) / Riga FC (LVA) vs Shkëndija (MKD) / Mura (SVN) Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) / Neftçi (AZE) vs Maccabi Haifa (ISR) / Kairat Almaty (KAZ) HJK Helsinki (FIN) / Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) vs HB Tórshavn (FRO) / Inter Club D'Escaldes (AND) Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) / Linfield (NIR) vs CFR Cluj (ROU) / Borac Banja Luka (BIH) Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) / Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR) vs Fola Esch (LUX) / Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) Folgore (SMR) / FC Prishtina (KOS) vs Flora Tallinn (EST) / Hibernians (MLT)

Astana (KAZ) vs Aris Thessaloniki (GRE) Sileks (MKD) / Petrocub-Hincesti (MDA) vs Sivasspor (TUR) AEL Limassol (CYP) vs Široki Brijeg (BIH) / Vllaznia (ALB) Sochi (RUS) vs Ke�la (AZE) Elfsborg (SWE) vs Milsami Orhei (MDA) / FK Sarajevo (BIH) RFS (LVA) / KÍ Klaksvík (FRO) vs Inter Turku (FIN) / Puskás Akadémia (HUN) Dinamo Batumi (GEO) / Tre Penne (SMR) vs BATE Borisov (BLR) Partizan (SRB) vs Dunajská Streda (SVK) Dundalk (IRL) / Newtown (WAL) vs Levadia Tallinn (EST) / St Joseph's (GIB) Sant Julià (AND) / Gzira United (MLT) vs Rijeka (CRO) Viktoria Plze� (CZE) vs Dynamo Brest (BLR) Europa FC (GIB) / Kauno Žalgiris (LTU) vs Glentoran (NIR) / The New Saints (WAL) Domžale (SVN) / Swift Hesper (LUX) vs Honka Espoo (FIN) / NSÍ Runavík (FRO) CSKA-Soﬁa (BUL) vs Struga (MKD) / Liep�ja (LVA) Shkupi (MKD) / Llapi (KOS) vs Santa Clara (POR) Hibernian (SCO) vs Mons Calpe (GIB) / Santa Coloma (AND) Bala Town (WAL) / Larne (NIR) vs AGF Aarhus (DEN) Gent (BEL) vs Vålerenga (NOR) Dudelange (LUX) vs Stjarnan (ISL) / Bohemians (IRL) Velež (BIH) / Coleraine (NIR) vs AEK Athens (GRE) Qaraba� (AZE) vs Ashdod (ISR) Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL) vs Slovácko (CZE) Fehérvár (HUN) / Ararat Yerevan (ARM) vs Paide Linnameeskond (EST) / Śląsk Wrocław (POL) Universitatea Craiova (ROU) vs Laçi (ALB) / Podgorica (MNE) De�ić (MNE) / Drita (KOS) vs Feyenoord (NED) Basel 1893 (SUI) vs Sﬁntul Gheorghe (MDA) / Partizani (ALB) Pogoń Szczecin (POL) vs Osijek (CRO) Austria Wien (AUT) vs Racing FC Union Lëtzebuerg (LUX) / Breidablik (ISL) Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs La Fiorita (SMR) / Birkirkara (MLT)

Ferencváros (HUN) / UEFA Champions League preliminary round winners vs Connah's Quay Nomads (WAL) / Alashkert (ARM)

Hammarby (SWE) vs Maribor (SVN) / Urartu (ARM)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / Valur (ISL) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / Legia Warszawa (POL)

Újpest (HUN) vs Vaduz (LIE)

Molde (NOR) vs Servette (SUI)

Main path

S�duva (LTU) / Valmiera (LVA) vs Raków Czestochowa (POL)

The 57 teams entering at this stage will be joined by the 33 ﬁrst qualifying round winners on 8 and 15 July.

FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) / Mosta (MLT) vs Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe (ROU)

The winners of the 45 ties will advance to the main path third qualifying round.

FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL) / Sligo Rovers (IRL) vs Rosenborg (NOR)

FC Noah (ARM) / KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs Vorskla Poltava (UKR)

Panevezys (LTU) vs Vojvodina (SRB)

Copenhagen (DEN) vs Torpedo-Belaz Zhodino (BLR)

FCSB (ROU) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)

Hajduk Split (CRO) vs Tobol Kostanay (KAZ)

Arda Kardzhali (BUL) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)

Aberdeen (SCO) vs BK Häcken (SWE)

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EUROPA U

THIS is the first season of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Here is an explanation of the format of the competition. • Who enters the UEFA Europa Conference League?

• Where will the final take place?

In all, 184 teams will be involved over the course of the season including at least one from each of the 55 associations and 46 clubs transferring from either the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League.

The ﬁnal will take place in Tirana at the 21,690-capacity National Arena (Arena Kombëtare) on 25 May 2022. The stadium opened in November 2019 with a European Qualiﬁer between Albania and France. It was built, with the help of UEFA’s HatTrick assistance programme, on the site of the former Qemal Stafa Stadium in the centre of the Albanian capital.

Before the group stage there will be three qualifying rounds and a play-off round (split into a main path, and a champions path for • When are the games and draws? those transferring from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League champions path). The access list explains which The UEFA Europa Conference League fixtures will take place on teams (including some national cup winners) enter from which Thursdays along with UEFA Europa League games (though the associations and in which rounds, as well as how clubs transfer final in Tirana will be a week after the UEFA Europa League final in We are proud to support the fine work of on these fantastic charities from the other competitions. Sevilla 18 May 2022).

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No teams qualify directly for the group stage, with the 32 teams consisting of: • 17 teams from the UEFA Europa Conference League main path

First qualifying round draw: 15 June Second qualifying round draw: 16 June Third qualifying round draw: 19 July

• 5 teams from the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path

Play-off round draw: 2 August

• 10 teams eliminated in the UEFA Europa League play-offs

Group stage draw: 27 August

• How will it work?

Knockout round play-off draw: 13 December

There will be eight groups of four teams, followed by knockout round play-offs, the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. The eight group winners automatically go through to the last 16. Additional knockout round play-offs will then be played before the round of 16 between the eight group runners-up and the thirdranked teams of the UEFA Europa League groups. 11 OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

Round of 16 draw: 25 February Quarter-ﬁnals & Semi-ﬁnal draw: 18 March First qualifying round: 8 & 15 July Second qualifying round: 22 & 29 July Third qualifying round: 5 & 12 August OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB 12 10

Apollon Limassol (CYP) vs Žilina (SVK) / Dila Gori (GEO) • Draw procedure

�ukari�ki (SRB) vs Sumgait (AZE)

Gagra (GEO) / Sutjeska (MNE) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

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Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) / Linﬁeld (NIR) vs CFR Cluj (ROU) / Borac Banja Luka (BIH)

Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) / Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR) vs Fola Esch (LUX) / Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) Folgore (SMR) / FC Prishtina (KOS) vs Flora Tallinn (EST) / Hibernians (MLT)

Universitatea Craiova (ROU) vs Laçi (ALB) / Podgorica (MNE) De�ić (MNE) / Drita (KOS) vs Feyenoord (NED)

Basel 1893 (SUI) vs Sﬁntul Gheorghe (MDA) / Partizani (ALB)

Pogoń Szczecin (POL) vs Osijek (CRO) Austria Wien (AUT) vs Racing FC Union Lëtzebuerg (LUX) / Breidablik (ISL) Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs La Fiorita (SMR) / Birkirkara (MLT)

Ferencváros (HUN) / UEFA Champions League preliminary round winners vs Connah's Quay Nomads (WAL) / Alashkert (ARM)

Hammarby (SWE) vs Maribor (SVN) / Urartu (ARM)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / Valur (ISL) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / Legia Warszawa (POL)

Újpest (HUN) vs Vaduz (LIE)

Molde (NOR) vs Servette (SUI)

Main path

S�duva (LTU) / Valmiera (LVA) vs Raków Czestochowa (POL)

The 57 teams entering at this stage will be joined by the 33 ﬁrst qualifying round winners on 8 and 15 July.

FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) / Mosta (MLT) vs Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe (ROU)

The winners of the 45 ties will advance to the main path third qualifying round.

FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL) / Sligo Rovers (IRL) vs Rosenborg (NOR)

FC Noah (ARM) / KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs Vorskla Poltava (UKR)

Panevezys (LTU) vs Vojvodina (SRB)

Copenhagen (DEN) vs Torpedo-Belaz Zhodino (BLR)

FCSB (ROU) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)

Hajduk Split (CRO) vs Tobol Kostanay (KAZ)

Arda Kardzhali (BUL) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)

Aberdeen (SCO) vs BK Häcken (SWE)

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UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW Group 1 Levadia Tallinn (EST)* vs St Joseph's (GIB) Inter Turku (FIN) vs Puskás Akadémia (HUN)* De�ić (MNE) vs Drita (KOS)* S�duva (LTU)* vs Valmiera (LVA) Group 2 Play-offs: 19 & 26 August Group stage: 16 & 30 September, 21 October, 4 & 25 November, 9 December Knockout round play-offs: 17 & 24 February Round of 16: 10 & 17 March

La Fiorita 1967 (SMR)* vs Birkirkara (MLT) Mons Calpe (GIB) vs Santa Coloma (AND)* Velež (BIH) vs Coleraine (NIR)* Domžale (SVN)* vs Swift Hesper (LUX) Group 3

Quarter-ﬁnals: 7 & 14 April

Shkupi 1987 (MKD)* vs Llapi (KOS)

Semi-ﬁnals: 28 April & 5 May

Dinamo Batumi (GEO) vs Tre Penne (SMR)*

Final: 25 May (National Arena, Tirana)

Sﬁntul Gheorghe (MDA) vs Partizani (ALB)*

The competition will run throughout the 2021–2024 cycle at least.

Maribor (SVN)* vs Urartu (ARM)

• What do the winners get? The winner will gain a place in the following season's UEFA Europa League group stage if they have not qualiﬁed for the UEFA Champions League via their domestic competition.

Group 4 Laçi (ALB)* vs Podgorica (MNE) Milsami Orhei (MDA) vs FK Sarajevo (BIH)*

• Why is it being introduced?

Noah (ARM) vs KuPS Kuopio (FIN)*

The new structure for UEFA club competitions will ensure that at least 34 UEFA national associations are represented in the group stage of one or more competitions.

Žilina (SVK)* vs Dila Gori (GEO)

There will be a minimum of 14 domestic champions in the UEFA Champions League group stage, between eight and 11 domestic champions in the UEFA Europa League group stage, and between nine and 12 domestic champions in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. All member associations will have access to all three club competitions, and all associations' quotas will remain unchanged.

FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL)* vs Sligo Rovers (IRL)

UEFA President Aleksander �eferin said: "The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA's club competitions more inclusive than ever before. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages."

Fehérvár FC (HUN)* vs Ararat Yerevan (ARM)

• Will it impact the other competitions? The introduction of the UEFA Europa Conference League will have no impact on the UEFA Champions League. However, the UEFA Europa League group stage will be reduced from 48 to 32 teams – eight groups of four. The eight UEFA Europa League group winners progress automatically to the round of 16. There will also be additional knockout round play-offs prior to the UEFA Europa League round of 16; these will be between the eight UEFA Europa League group runners-up and the eight third-ranked teams of the UEFA Champions League groups. The UEFA Europa League access list will also change accordingly, with the previous season's UEFA Europa Conference League winners joined in the group stage by 11 teams who qualify directly via their domestic associations. Additionally, ten teams will come through UEFA Europa League qualifying and a further ten from UEFA Champions League qualifying. OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

Group 5 Paide Linnameeskond (EST) vs Śląsk Wrocław (POL)* RFS (LVA) vs KÍ Klaksvík (FRO)* Bala Town (WAL)* vs Larne (NIR) Group 6 Gagra (GEO) vs Sutjeska (MNE)* Sileks (MKD) vs Petrocub-Hincesti (MDA)* Široki Brijeg (BIH)* vs Vllaznia (ALB) Group 7 Stjarnan (ISL)* vs Bohemians (IRL) Glentoran (NIR) vs The New Saints (WAL)* Sant Julià (AND) vs Gzira United FC (MLT)* Europa (GIB)* vs Kauno Žalgiris (LTU) Group 8 Dundalk (IRL)* vs Newtown (WAL) Spartak Trnava (SVK)* vs Mosta (MLT) Struga (MKD) vs Liep�ja (LVA)* Racing FC Union Lëtzebuerg (LUX) vs Breidablik (ISL)* Honka Espoo (FIN) vs NSÍ Runavík (FRO)* *Seeded teams 14 12

Apollon Limassol (CYP) vs Žilina (SVK) / Dila Gori (GEO) • Draw procedure

�ukari�ki (SRB) vs Sumgait (AZE)

Gagra (GEO) / Sutjeska (MNE) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

Ferencváros (HUN) / UEFA Champions League preliminary round winners vs Connah's Quay Nomads (WAL) / Alashkert (ARM)

Hammarby (SWE) vs Maribor (SVN) / Urartu (ARM)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / Valur (ISL) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / Legia Warszawa (POL)

Újpest (HUN) vs Vaduz (LIE)

Molde (NOR) vs Servette (SUI)

Main path

S�duva (LTU) / Valmiera (LVA) vs Raków Czestochowa (POL)

The 57 teams entering at this stage will be joined by the 33 ﬁrst qualifying round winners on 8 and 15 July.

FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) / Mosta (MLT) vs Sepsi OSK Sfantu Gheorghe (ROU)

The winners of the 45 ties will advance to the main path third qualifying round.

FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL) / Sligo Rovers (IRL) vs Rosenborg (NOR)

FC Noah (ARM) / KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs Vorskla Poltava (UKR)

Panevezys (LTU) vs Vojvodina (SRB)

Copenhagen (DEN) vs Torpedo-Belaz Zhodino (BLR)

FCSB (ROU) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)

Hajduk Split (CRO) vs Tobol Kostanay (KAZ)

Arda Kardzhali (BUL) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)

Aberdeen (SCO) vs BK Häcken (SWE)

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FOOTBALL W

’

WITH HEAD COACH GAYLE LANGTRY

THE EUROPA FC Ladies squad is made up of 20 talented and committed players. It bodes well for the future that half of them are under 17 years of age and possess tremendous potential. We are fortunate that many of the squad have been part of the Europa FC Family for numerous years and this means that the togetherness and team spirit is strong. The last campaign was sadly cut short due to Covid-19. In the games that we were able to play, we won one, lost one and drew two to sit in second place when the campaign was brought to a premature but sensible end given the circumstances.

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. . . It is clear for me to see that this team is growing all of the time and going from strength-tostrength. We are showing great character and the attitude is spot-on… The girls scored ten goals in those four games and there is a real hunger and desire amongst them to get back out there and show what they can do on the ﬁeld.

It is clear for me to see that this team is growing all of the time and going from strength-to-strength. We are showing great character and the attitude is spoton. We are very much looking forward to what the new season holds in store and we sincerely hope that it will be played to a conclusion. The club takes great pride in its Ladies team and we also have a Women’s futsal section, which competes locally, so there is plenty for us to boast about. GAYLE LANGTRY Head Coach

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IT’S been a difficult time for our junior teams as the pandemic has meant that they have only played friendly matches

Many things were planned but subsequently had to be put on hold and the hope is that they will be able to resume during the season ahead. A couple of junior teams took part in the Boni Cup 2021 in the Costa Del Sol recently and both did really well, one of them winning the tournament. The future looks bright with junior teams showing their worth and we congratulate all involved. There has also been success for other sports teams under the Europa FC umbrella. Our men’s Futsal team won the League with an unbeaten record and this means they will play in the UEFA Futsal Champions League this season. Meanwhile our debutant women’s hockey team went on to win the Ladies Hockey League again with an unbeaten record. This is an incredible achievement for a maiden season! The joint venture of Europa FC and ULB from La Linea in Ladies Basketball bore fruit as the team won their Spanish League to gain promotion in the ﬁrst year of competition. We also operate teams in volleyball, netball, athletics and table football and we thank those involved for all of their efforts on behalf of Europa FC.

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DRIVING FORCE “Football is all about highs and lows and the important thing is to put what happened last season behind us and be ready to ﬁght for the new objectives that are ahead of us. “It all starts today and giving ourselves a platform to make progress in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

E C Y

“But credit to the players and coaching staff because we have continued to work hard and have the belief in our ability to get back to the levels that we know we are capable of.

“Last season was a really difﬁcult one for a number of reasons,” he admitted. “The pause in the season because of the pandemic made things harder and then there were various on and off-ﬁeld issues which knocked us.

That’s according to talented Gibraltar International, Jayce Olivero, as he looks forward to getting back into competitive action this evening.

OLIVERO

THE DISAPPOINTMENT felt by everyone connected to the club at the end of last season will be used to drive us on to success during the campaign ahead.

“We have been drawn against strong opposition and we are aware of where their strengths lie. Our preparation has been good and we feel well-prepared for these two games. “There are areas that we know we can exploit and we will be looking to do that and give ourselves a positive result to take into the second leg. “A run in this competition would give us a big boost ahead of our domestic campaign; we have brought in some good additions in recent weeks and the new players are integrating well with the rest of the lads. “There is a determination to get back on track and win the League and Rock Cup during the season ahead and enjoy a good year at every level throughout the whole club.”

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THE STORY OF THE 2020/2021 SEASON.

RESULTS & FIXTURES OCTOBER 18 FC Bruno’s Magpies 25 Europa Point 31 LINCOLN RED IMPS NOVEMBER 22 MONS CALPE 27 Lions Gibraltar DECEMBER 4 LYNX 13 Manchester 62 18 GLACIS UNITED FEBRUARY 24 St. Joseph’s MARCH 2 COLLEGE 1975 10 LINCOLN RED IMPS

APRIL League League League League League League League League League

3-1 9-0 2-2 3-0 1-0 3-1 9-0 1-0 4-1

League 9-0 Championship Group 0-3

OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME OF EUROPA FOOTBALL CLUB

EUROPA POINT

Rock Cup

St. Joseph’s

Championship Group 1-1

10-0

ST. JOSEPH’S

Rock Cup

LYNX

Championship Group 3-0

Lincoln Red Imps

Rock Cup

Lions Gibraltar

Championship Group 2-0

MONS CALPE

Championship Group 2-0

Lincoln Red Imps

Championship Group 1-3

ST. JOSEPH’S

Championship Group 0-2

Lynx

Championship Group 6-0

LIONS GIBRALTAR

Championship Group 4-0

Mons Calpe

Championship Group 3-0

3-0 0-0

MAY

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Best wishes to Europa F.C

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Best wishes to Europa F.C

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FK KAUNO ZALGIRIS

THE CLUB was founded as FM Spyris Kaunas in 2004 before becoming the football section of basketball club, Zalgiris Kaunas, in 2015 and changing their name a year later following their debut in the A Lyga, the top-ﬂight of Lithuanian football. The idea of forming a football club ﬁrst came at the Kaunas football school, Tauras, as the coaches wanted to give an opportunity for graduates to continue their football careers professionally.

Finishing fifth at the end of their first season, as they also reached the semi-final of the Lithuanian Cup, before changing their name for the 2016/17 campaign where they were to finish in eighth place. They participated in the UEFA Europa League for the first time in 2019/2020 but were beaten 6-0 on aggregate by Apollon Limassol at the first hurdle and then last term they succumbed 6-1 in Norway against Bodo Glimt in the same competition, albeit over just one leg due to the Covid situation.

Things came to fruition under the name of FM Spyris Kaunas as the club started life in the LFF II League's southern division. They moved up a level in 2013 and within two years, they were members of the top division.

The 2020/21 campaign ended with them in third place in the League and having reached the quarter-ﬁnals of the Cup for the second season in a row.

It means that they have qualiﬁed for European competition for the third year in succession. They play their home matches at the Darius and Gir�nas Stadium. It is a multi-use facility in Ąžuolynas Park in the Žaliakalnis district of Kaunas, Lithuania. The all-seater stadium holds 9,180. In 1998 it was renovated according to UEFA regulations, and in 2005 it was modernised with the installation of the biggest stadium television screen in the Baltic states. Currently this stadium is in renovation process so the club is using the home of the Football Academy of Kauno Žalgiris. We welcome everyone connected to our opponents to Gibraltar before wishing them a safe journey home afterwards.

Proud sponsors of Europa F.C

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Best wishes to Europa F.C

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Proud sponsors of Europa F.C

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EUROPA FC

FK KAUNO ZALGIRIS

HEAD COACH: RAFA ESCOBAR

HEAD COACH: ROKAS GARASTAS PLD SUB

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 81

BRADLEY BANDA ETHAN JOLLEY JACK BREED KENNETH CHIPOLINA OLMO GONZALEZ BLAS ALVAREZ JUAMPE RICO ALEX QUILLO ADRIAN GALLARDO ANTHONY HERNANDEZ MIKEY YOME JAYCE OLIVERO GATO ROMERO SERGIO SANCHEZ ANTONIO PINO ALE CARRASCAL MOHAMED BADR OSCAR OLIVA DYLAN BORGE CHICO DIAZ POLACO WILLY JAMIE BOSIO LEON CLINTON JORDAN MCGRAIL LIAM CRISP MARK BALLESTER JARON VINET CHRISTIAN LOPEZ

PLD SUB

DEIVIDAS MIKELIONIS AIRIDAS MICKEVICIUS DOVYDAS VILKAS EMMANUEL UGBO AURIMAS JURKEVICIUS PIJUS NAINYS DENIS ZEVZIKOVAS ABDULGAFAE OPEYEMI DEITONAS VINCKUS RUDINILSON SILVA MARTYNAS DAPKUS EGIDIJUS VAITKUNAS GRATAS SIRGEDAS RENATO MATOS RIMVYDAS SADAUSKAS STEVEN THICOT GUILHERME DE SOUZA DOMANTAS PUTRIUS KAROLIS SILKAITIS DEIVIDAS SESPLAUKIS DOMANTAS VITKUS LINAS PILIBAITIS PHILIP OTELE MICHAEL THUIQUE EMMANUEL DAVID

MATCH OFFICIALS REFEREE: Andrew Davey (NIR) ASSISTANT REFEREE: Georgios Argyopoulos (NIR) ASSISTANT REFEREE: Gavin Hegarty (NIR) FOURTH OFFICIAL: Christopher Morrison (NIR)