Muarem netted a goal to help Qarabağ win the cup title in Azerbaijan, Goran Pandev and Vanche Shikov were missing from their teams in the cup finals in those respective countries, while Stevica Ristic added another goal for Jeonnam.
Austria, ÖFB-Samsung-Cup, Austria Wien – Red Bull Salzburg 0:2
Vanche Shikov remained out of favor at Austria Wien who lost the domestic cup final. Shikov made the trip with his teammates, but he was left out of the matchday squad. This was the final game of the campaign for Austria Wien, and Vanche will be glad that it came to an end.
Turkey, Ziraat Türkiye Kupası, Galatasaray – Bursaspor 3:2
Goran Pandev was not included in the 18 player matchday squad by Galatasaray. Pandev mostly featured in cup matches this season, scoring 7 goals, but his playing time diminished as Galatasaray advanced further in the competition. For this cup final, which they won 3:2, Galatsaray fielded their strongest lineup, so there was no room for Pandev. Goran was not even in Turkey as he was allowed to leave early. On Wednesday, while Galatasaray was prepping for the cup final, Pandev was photographed at the Turnovo vs. Gostivar game in Probishtip.
Poland, T-Mobile Ekstraklasa (Championship Group), Wisła Kraków – Śląsk Wrocław 0:1
Ostoja Stjepanovic was once again an unused substitute for Wisła Kraków. His team has one game remaining, scheduled for this Sunday, so we’ll see if Ostoja gets a chance. Stjepanovic is slated to become a free agent in the summer.
Azerbaijan, Azerbaycan Kuboku, Qarabağ – Neftçi 3:1
Muarem Muarem started on the left wing for Qarabağ and played until the 90th minute when he was replaced by Ilgar Gurbanov. Muarem put the game away for Qarabağ in the 85th minute when he scored on a shot from a tight angle, helping his team win the cup trophy. With Muarem, a pending free agent, seemingly headed to Eskişehirspor, he got a big ovation upon his late substitution. His transfer to Turkey, just like Aleksandar Trajkovski’s move to Italy, will likely be made official later this month. Muarem was in Turkey on Thursday, but Eskişehirspor did not announce anything on their website.
Sweden, Allsvenskan, Åtvidaberg – Häcken 1:1
Leonard Zuta played the whole match for Häcken and also received a yellow card in the 80th minute. Zuta has played the maximum 1,080 minutes from the twelve league games for his team.
Sweden, Division Ett Norra, Västerås – Dalkurd 2:3
Predrag Rangjelovic got the start for Dalkurd and played until the 88th minute when he made way for Mattias Mete. Rangjelovic, capped by the senior national team of Macedonia, joined Dalkurd, a club in the Swedish third division, earlier this year. Dalkurd has not lost a game this season, building a seven point advantage over the second placed team. The season, though, is still young in Sweden, but Dalkurd is hoping to secure promotion to the second division.
Iceland, Bikarkeppni Karla, Akranes – Fjölnir 0:3
Daniel Ivanovski was not summoned in the 18 player matchday squad by Fjölnir.
South Korea, K-League Classic, Jeonnam – Gwangju 1:2
Stevica Ristic started in attack for Jeonnam and played the complete game. Ristic scored the lone goal for his team in the 2nd minute on a well placed header.
Finland, Veikkausliiga, VPS – Inter Turku 3:0
Egzon Belica played all 90 minutes for Inter Turku in their convincing road loss against VPS. Inter conceded all three goals in a quick eight minute stretch.