Europa League 2015 Results: Scores, Draw Date After 3rd Qualifying Round, Leg 2
West Ham United crashed out of the 2015 Europa League in the third qualifying round as they lost 2-1 away to Romanian side Astra Giurgiu.
The Hammers, who drew the home leg 2-2 at Upton Park, took an early lead before disastrously conceding twice in four minutes to see their European campaign end almost as soon as it began.
Elsewhere, Southampton and Borussia Dortmund progressed with comfortable wins over Vitesse Arnhem and Wolfsberger AC, respectively.
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The third-round winners will now face off against the teams that have dropped out of the equivalent stage of the Champions League, including Ajax and Fenerbahce, in the play-off round.
The draw will be held on Friday, Aug. 7, at 12 p.m. BST (7 a.m. ET). It can be streamed live at Sky Go (U.K. only) and UEFA.com (worldwide).
Here are the full results from Thursday's Europa League action:
| Aberdeen | 1-1 (2-3) | Kairat Almaty |
| Odd | 2-0 (3-2) | IF Elfsborg |
| Atromitos Athens | 1-0 (4-1) | AIK |
| FK Qabala | 1-0 (2-1) | Apollon Limassol |
| Vitoria Guimaraes | 1-4 (2-6) | Altach |
| Slovan Bratislava | 3-3 (3-5) | FK Krasnodar |
| Spartak Trnava | 1-1 (1-2) | PAOK Salonika |
| Rubin Kazan | 1-1 (4-3) | Sturm Graz |
| Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 0-3 (1-5) | Slovan Liberec |
| Istanbul Basaksehir | 1-2 (1-4) | AZ Alkmaar |
| FC Vaduz | 2-2 (2-2) | FC Thun |
| Dinamo Minsk | 1-1 (2-1) | FC Zurich |
| Vorskla Poltava | 3-1 (3-3) | MSK Zilina |
| St Etienne | 1-2 (4-2) | ASA Targu Mures |
| Omonia Nicosia | 2-2 (2-2) | Brondby |
| Rosenborg | 3-1 (6-3) | Debrecen |
| Legia Warsaw | 1-0 (4-0) | FK Kukes |
| Trabzonspor | 1-1 (1-2) | Rabotnicki |
| AEK Larnaka | 0-1 (0-4) | Bordeaux |
| Zorya Luhansk | 3-0 (5-0) | Zorya Luhansk |
| Zeljeznicar Sarajevo | 0-1 (1-3) | Standard Liege |
| Inter Baku | 0-0 (0-2) | Athletic Bilbao |
| Astra Giurgiu | 2-1 (4-3) | West Ham |
| IFK Goteborg | 0-0 (1-2) | Belenenses |
| Stromsgodset | 0-2 (0-4) | Hajduk Split |
| FK Vojvodina | 0-2 (4-2) | Sampdoria |
| Borussia Dortmund | 5-0 (6-0) | Wolfsberger AC |
| Vitesse | 0-2 (0-5) | Southampton |
West Ham Out of Europa League
West Ham gave away a winning position as they lost 2-1 on Thursday, exiting the Europa League on the losing end of a 4-3 aggregate score against Astra Giurgiu.
Manager Slaven Bilic put out a severely weakened side, with only Kevin Nolan, Carl Jenkinson and Modibo Maiga representing the Hammers' first-team regulars.
As in the first leg, Bilic's side started well but could not hold on to their lead.
Manuel Lanzini scored a goal on his debut after just three minutes, firing the ball in off the post after Nolan had his effort scrambled off the line moments earlier.
Half an hour later the score was level as Astra captain Constantin Budescu powered a low 25-yard strike past Darren Randolph in the visitors' goal.
Another four minutes later Budescu had his second after he took advantage of West Ham's failure to deal with a cross to slot home.
Nolan, Lanzini and Maiga all came close after the restart, but Astra were the deserved winners on a disappointing night for West Ham.
In truth, the disappointment may only be reserved for the fans, as their exit means the players will avoid the lengthy and bloated competition punctuated by away trips to the far reaches of Eastern Europe.
Nolan spoke to BT Sport after the match, where he described their exit as a "blessing in disguise."
Former footballer Rodney Marsh, who played for West Ham during his youth career, believes the Hammers will benefit from their European campaign being cut short:
The Telegraph's Matt Law shared a similar view:
While West Ham fans will have undoubtedly hoped for a lengthy European expedition in their last season at Upton Park, the club's domestic efforts will likely benefit from the added rest the players will enjoy without their Thursday night exploits.
Southampton and Dortmund Cruise Into the Play-Offs
Despite carrying a 3-0 lead into the second leg, the Saints played a strong side for their home tie against Vitesse Arnhem.
An early goal from Graziano Pelle put Ronald Koeman's men ahead to ensure the players would not overexert themselves ahead of their trip to Newcastle on Sunday, allowing them to relax safe in the knowledge Vitesse needed five goals to progress.
The Dutch side struggled to create anything of note, while Sadio Mane added a fifth goal on aggregate late on.
The first appearance of Jay Rodriguez for 16 months will also come as welcome news to Saints fans:
Meanwhile, Dortmund followed up their 1-0 first-leg win over Wolfsberger AC with a 5-0 thrashing as they sailed through to the next round.
All five goals came in the second half, with Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opening the scoring before Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted a 13-minute hat-trick.
Provided they avoid or navigate a tricky tie in the play-off round, expect both Southampton and Dortmund to progress through the group stage and into the knockout stage, with the latter in particular having a strong chance of lifting the trophy in May.
The teamsheets put about by both managers demonstrate how seriously they're taking the competition, and with the quality available to them, both sides will be the ones to avoid from here on.
