On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the 4th qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League kicked off, with Ukrainian footballers featuring in several matches. The matchday proved to be high-scoring: various scores were recorded in 12 pairs, and Ukrainian legionnaires were involved in three key clashes of the day — ranging from Kazakhstan's Kairat to Portugal's Benfica. The second legs of this round will take place on August 27, with the winners securing spots in the Europa League main round, while the losing teams will drop into the Conference League main round.
Sikan seals Kairat's rout
The first match of the day was between Kazakhstan's Kairat and Belgium's Anderlecht, which ended in a crushing victory for the visitors with a score of 3:0 (0:3 in the first half, 0:0 in the second). One of the goals was scored by Ukrainian forward Daniil Sikan, who found the net in the 45+1st minute. According to specialist publications, this is Sikan's sixth goal for Anderlecht and his ninth in European competitions overall, as well as his second consecutive goal in the tournament. The other goals for the Belgians were scored by Okxanen (own goal, 2nd minute) and Ambros (24th minute). Notably, Shirobokov was sent off in the 38th minute, which ultimately sealed the fate of the match.
Malinovskyi fails to save Trabzonspor
Another Ukrainian legionnaire, Ruslan Malinovskyi, came on in the second half of the match between Turkey's Trabzonspor and Hungary's Ferencvaros. At the time of his entry, the score was already in favor of the Hungarians: Zachariassen had put the ball into the Turkish net in the 17th minute. Malinovskyi was unable to help Trabzonspor mount a comeback — the match ended in a 1:0 victory for Ferencvaros. In the 90+6th minute, Nwaivuo was sent off, but this did not change the outcome.
Sudakov in Benfica's starting XI, Trubin on the bench
In the final match of the day, Ukrainian midfielder Georgiy Sudakov played 84 minutes in the clash between Portugal's Benfica and Denmark's Aarhus. While he did not register any goal contributions, he helped the Portuguese side overcome their opponent: Benfica won 3:1 (3:1 in the first half). The goals were scored by Rafa Silva (2nd minute), Barreiro (31st), and Pavlidis (penalty, 45+2nd), while the Danes scored through Jorgensen (36th minute). Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, as before, spent the match on the bench — recall that it was recently reported that the club had effectively rejected his services in favor of a more cost-effective goalkeeper.
Matchday results and second-leg schedule
Aside from the matches involving Ukrainians, other games were played in the 4th qualifying round: Salzburg narrowly defeated Sweden's Mjallby (1:0), Poland's Lech crushed Switzerland's Thun 7:0, Serbia's Red Star beat Czechia's Viktoria Plzen (3:0), and Greece's OFI Crete edged Sofia's CSKA (3:0). The second legs of the 4th qualifying round will take place on August 27, 2026. The winners of the ties will secure spots in the Europa League main round, while the losing teams will move to the Conference League main round. The Europa League final for the 2026/27 season will be held on May 26, 2027, at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany.
