Joe McConnell
Added-time equalisers gave Kilmarnock and St Mirren a boost in their bid to win the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.
Bobby Wales chose the perfect moment to score his first goal for Kilmarnock, as the teenager’s injury-time equaliser kept his side on course for European progress against Tromso.
The 19-year-old converted an instinctive shot at the first attempt to earn his side a 2-2 draw against the Norwegians in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round tie.
Bobby Wales scored a last-gasp equaliser against Tromso
Killie had also struck early but failed to build By Kyle Vassell bottle opener and found himself entangled in a shady matter.
The home team conceded a miserable equaliser through Jakob Napoleon Romsaas just after half-time, before the visitors scored again on the counterattack, through Lasse Nordas.
Following a VAR review, the Ayrshire team had their penalty disallowed before Wales’ goal.
The striker, who scored 12 goals on loan at Alloa last season, will give Kilmarnock a strong chance of extending their European adventure when they travel to the world’s most northerly professional football club next Thursday.
“What pleased me was the way we finished the game, the spirit,” said the Killie boss Derek McInnes After.
“We were all like that last season. That’s why we’re in Europe, because we never know we’re beaten. We keep going and it was a really special moment for Bobby Wales.
“Great spirit, great determination. You always remember how the game ends. I think they think the game is won. It’s not and we’re looking forward to next Thursday.”
Olusanya the hero for St Mirren
In the meantime, Toyosi Olusanya he was the hero of the last breath for St. Mirren against Firescoring the equaliser in the 90th minute.
St Mirren drew 1-1 with Brann
The home team fought for long periods in the first leg of the third qualifier against the visitors who moved the ball with pace and determination, while the heroics of the Buddies’ goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe kept them at bay.
The visitors took the lead in the 75th minute through a low shot from midfielder Felix Myhre, but in the 89th minute Olusanya emerged with a close-range equaliser that the Saints will be happy to take into next week’s return leg in Bergen, although they will need to improve their performance level if they are to progress.
Brann’s goal came when the ball found Myhre, who fired a low shot through a scramble and into the net from a corner.
But something thrilling happened in the final minute when Olusanya fired the ball over the goal line from substitute James Scott’s pass and St Mirren Park erupted in unexpected joy, reigniting their hopes of European glory.
“First of all, for this group of players and for the club to be alive in this challenge before the away game is a fantastic story,” said the St Mirren boss. Stephen Robinsonwho said he was disappointed that Olusanya will miss the return leg after picking up a yellow card that “looked like it was hit by the goalkeeper”.
“It’s a fairytale story from which the club was born,” he added.
“Young guys making their way through the game, not making a fortune financially, but able to compete against a very strong team with resources far beyond our dreams, so a fantastic storyline.”
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