Olmissum scored two goals in the last 40 seconds and came one step closer to the group stage in the Champions League

Croatian futsal champions Olmissum secured a dramatic 4-4 draw against Belarusian side Stolitsa at the Ribnjak hall in Omis. The match concluded with two goals scored in the final 40 seconds, keeping the home team alive in their bid to advance through the group stage of the Champions League main round. This result marks the fourth occasion the club has reached this elite European competition level. They celebrated their tenth anniversary last season by winning the domestic title, which earned them a spot in the current tournament. The atmosphere was somber due to a day of mourning declared in Omis following the death of six individuals from a recent forest fire. City officials had cancelled entertainment events and lowered flags to half-mast after the sixth victim died in a Split hospital on Sunday. Despite the gloom, Olmissum started strongly. David Barbaric delivered a sharp throw-in from the left in the fifth minute, allowing Uros Juric to deflect the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead. In the 14th minute, Aleksandar Umpirovic committed a foul inside the box against Ante Kovacevic, receiving a direct red card. Romeo Susc’s penalty attempt was saved, but Olmissum capitalized on the numerical advantage one minute later. Duje Kustura found Barbaric, who struck a powerful shot from distance to make it 2-0. Stolitsa mounted a comeback in the second half. Djilerou Yannick Anselme Somplei equalized with a volley off the crossbar in the 26th minute. He added another goal from five meters in the 34th minute to tie the game at 2-2. Andrei Zabolonkov gave the visitors a 3-2 lead in the 36th minute following a corner kick. When Olmissum deployed a goalkeeper-player, Josip Juretich missed an empty net. Eleven seconds later, Somplei completed his hat-trick to extend the lead to 4-2. Igor Costa rescued the hosts in the dying moments. The Brazilian reduced the deficit to 4-3 with 40 seconds remaining. Approximately twenty seconds before the final whistle, he headed the ball in to force the draw. Olmissum now sits in second place with two points from two matches. Portugal’s Sporting leads with six points, while France’s Etoile and Stolitsa have one point each. Three teams will advance from the four-team group. In the first matchday, Olmissum drew 1-1 with Etoile. Costa equalized in the 30th minute after Soufiane El Messari opened the scoring. Sporting has already qualified after beating both Stolitsa and Etoile 5-1. For Olmissum to progress, the upcoming match between Etoile and Stolitsa must end in a draw. If that happens, Olmissum can afford to lose their final game by up to three goals. A loss by four goals would require a favorable goal difference calculation. Their decisive fixture against Sporting is scheduled for Saturday at 8:15 pm.