The final stage of qualification in UEFA's third tier club competition is where the sides hailing from the 'Big Five' leagues enter the fray. For most of them, they did not have it easy.
Of the five, the only side who won without too much hassle was two-time finalists Fiorentina, who prevailed 3-0 against Ukraine's Polissia Zhytomyr in Hungary. La Viola got on the scoreboard eight minutes in when Moise Kean's shot cannoned off the post and into the back of the net via goalkeeper Oleh Kudryk's head.
Robin Gosens added a second later in the opening half before Kean was sent off for elbowing an opponent following a tussle. That did not stop the Serie A club from adding a third midway through the second half, courtesy of Albert Gudmonsson. It was the first time Fiorentina won a UECL qualifying round tie on the road.
Crystal Palace's European debut saw them edge Norwegian cup winners Fredrikstad 1-0 at Selhurst Park. Jean Philippe Mateta scored the only goal nine minutes after half-time to give his side a narrow lead going into the second leg.
The other sides from the top leagues struggled in their games. Rayo Vallecano got their lone goal in the 77th minute in Hungary to defeat Neman Grodno 1-0. The Belarusian team are the only side left in the competition who participated in the first qualifying round. Still, they held firm, giving their opponents all they could handle.
Strasbourg failed to convert any of their chances into goals as they ended up drawing 0-0 against Danish side Brondby. Mainz were even less lucky, as the Bundesliga club fell 2-1 at Rosenborg. Ole Saeter's 90th minute winner turned things around for the Norwegian side, who have not been in a group phase since 2019/20.
Other established clubs also suffered some unexpected results. Rapid Wien, who reached the quarter-finals last term, lost 2-1 at Gyor, while Istanbul Basaksehir fell by the same scoreline at home to CS Universitatea Craiova.
Hacken scored the most goals on the day, as five different players contributed in their 7-2 defeat of CFR Cluj at home. Simon Gustafson and John Dembe both netted twice in a dominant win for the Swedes. It leaves their Romanian opponents in serious danger of losing at this stage for the second summer running.
Anderlecht and AEK Athens played to a 1-1 draw in Brussels, as the Greeks levelled through substitute Niclas Eliasson 15 minutes from the end. In Edinburgh, Legia Warsaw scored twice in the first half as they held on for a 2-1 success over Hibernian.
Shelbourne, Drita win rematches
The Champions Path of the playoff round saw two rematches from last summer's Champions League first qualifying round. In another battle of Ireland, the Republic's Shelbourne came out on top once more, beating 10-man Linfield 3-1. Both sides failed to convert a penalty at Tolka Park, though Harry Wood did slot his home just as half-time was around the corner.
Ademipo Odubeko added a second at the start of the second half as Shelbourne was in a good spot. Kieran Offord grabbed one back for Linfield, but they conceded again in the 78th minute as Evan Caffrey got the Shels a third. The League of Ireland side are now nearing a maiden league phase appearance with the result.
Drita won the other UCL rematch as they got past Differdange 2-1. A Bensik Krasniqi penalty 10 minutes from time gave the side from Kosovo a first leg lead to take with them to Luxembourg.
Hamrun Spartans are on the cusp of becoming Malta's first-ever representative in the group phase of a major UEFA club competition after beating Latvia's RFS 1-0. Virtus, who is looking to achieve the same feat for San Marino, led against Breidablik, but failed to hold on as Tobias Thomsen's spot kick 10 minutes after the restart gave the hosts a 2-1 win.
FC Noah claimed an impressive first leg victory, beating Olimpija Ljubljana 4-1 in Slovenia. The guests' Imran Omar Oulad bagged a hat-trick as the Armenians picked up a commanding win.
Next week will have the return legs, with all but one occurring on the Thursday. The tie between Riga FC and Sparta Praha will occur on Wednesady, the Czechs leading 2-0 after the first match.
Follow the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League on Flashscore.