Rio Ave earn victory in Bosnia Herzegovina as they continue their Europa League journey

Rio Ave earned a deserved 2-0 victory over Borac Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance to the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

Though it was a worthy win in the end, with Rio Ave dominating possession and having the better chances, they were made to work for the victory, with their opening goal only coming just before second half stoppage time.

The first half was a low-key affair; there were few major chances of note, but the second half saw Rio Ave spring into life, and they had plenty of opportunities to break the deadlock, even striking the keeper’s left-hand post.

Despite their pressing, it looked like the Portuguese outfit would have to settle for extra time in the end, heading into the 90th minute with the scores still level.

However, after an excellent effort from Gelson Dala was only parried out, veteran midfielder Tarantini managed to get on the rebound, poking a tame effort just across the line to the jubilation of those watching on from the touchline.

With Rio Ave heading into the third qualifying round, Mario Silva’s side seemed to gain some confidence, and they doubled their lead in the 96th minute, some classy passing around the Borac goal leading to Jambor hammering home from close range.

The victory sets up another away match in European competition for Rio Ave, with a daunting journey to Turkey to face heavyweights Besiktas for a place in the Europa League play-off.