KS Egnatia thrashed FC Petrocub Hîncesti 6-1 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying tie, putting themselves firmly in control. The home side were simply too strong, racing into a 4-0 lead before the hour mark and never looking back.
Eneo Bitri opened the scoring inside two minutes, drilling home after Soumaila Bakayoko's assist. Alessandro Albanese made it 2-0 on the half-hour, then Mihail Platica added a third just before the break. Andrey Yago struck early in the second half to make it 4-0. Nicolae Rotaru pulled one back for Petrocub in the 63rd minute, but Soumaila Bakayoko and Ildi Gruda completed the rout late on.
The scoreline reflected Egnatia's overwhelming attacking display, with seven different players either scoring or assisting. The match also featured five yellow cards, including one for scorer Ildi Gruda deep into stoppage time. Petrocub will need a miracle in the return leg.
