Intertoto First Round complete. 14 go home.

By: Ian Rose | July 1st, 2007

The first pink slips of the European season were handed out this weekend, as the fourteen ties of the first round of Intertoto were decided. Some were already pretty well in hand after last week’s first leg, while others made surprising turns. Here’s a breakdown of the winners and losers.

Gloria Bistriţa (Romania) def. FK Grbalj (Montenegro)
- Gloria take advantage of Scotland’s forfeited spot to put two Romanian teams in the second round.

Vllaznia (Albania) def. NK Zagreb (Croatia)

FK Makedonija Ğorče Petrov (Macedonia) def. Ethnikos Achnas (Cyprus)
- One of last year’s surprise successes, Ethnikos missed out on making another run by just a goal.

NK Maribor (Slovenia) def. Birkirkara (Malta)
- Maribor is a team to watch this season. They went to UEFA Cup last season, and I like them to do it again.

Slavija (Bosnia) def. Sant Julià (Andorra)
- Julia got the slot given up by Norway, but couldn’t take advantage against the Bosnians.

Tobol Kostenay (Kazakhstan) def. Zestaponi (Georgia)
- The only Kazakh team to ever win in Europe continues to impress.

Shakhtyor Soligorsk (Belarus) def. Ararat Yerevan (Armenia)

Dacia Chişinău (Moldova) def. FK Baku (Azerbaijan)
- Offside Bob’s favorite Moldovan side goes through, but only after penalties. Still want that bet with Hamburg?

ŠK Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) def. Differdange 03 (Luxembourg)
- The beating of the round, Slovan went through 5-0 on aggregate.

Cliftonville (Northern Ireland) def. Dinaburg (Latvia)
- A tough 1-0 away win in the second leg sealed this one for the oldest club in Ireland.

Hammarby (Sweden) def. Ki Klaksvik (Faroe Islands)

Honka Espoo (Finland) def. TVMK (Estonia)
- Honka couldn’t score a goal at home, but netted four on the road leg to put away the Estonians.

Cork City (Ireland) def. Valur (Iceland)
- Our first Know Your Minnows side did us proud, mostly on the strength of a 2-0 road win.

Vėtra (Lithuania) def. Llanelli (Wales)
- The other two British sides went through, and the other two Baltic sides went home, but this tough tie was decided by away goals after a 6-6 aggregate.

The winners go on to the second round, where most will face seeded opponents. Only Cork City v. Hammarby will face two first-rounders against each other. It’s been a pretty entertaining tournament already, but each round, the teams get bigger and the stakes get higher. Keep watching.