Rogers Mato strikes again as FK Vardar advance in Europa Conference League

Uganda Cranes forward Rogers Mato continued his fine European form, scoring once again for FK Vardar as they sealed their place in the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.

The explosive winger found the back of the net in a 2-2 draw against San Marino’s La Fiorita on Thursday evening, helping the North Macedonian side secure a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Mato, who also scored in the first leg last week which Vardar won 3-0, was once again introduced off the bench after halftime, with his side trailing 1-0 following a 10th-minute penalty converted by Affonso Rodrigues.

Fifteen minutes after his introduction, the Ugandan made an instant impact—winning and converting a penalty to level matters at 1-1 in the 59th minute.

Vardar looked to have completed the comeback when Andrea Grandoni turned the ball into his own net in the 84th minute, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

But in a dramatic finish, Vardar conceded an unfortunate equalizer in stoppage time (93rd minute) through an own goal by Georgije Jankulov.

Despite the late twist, Mato and FK Vardar progressed on aggregate and now set their sights on a tougher test against Swiss side Lausanne in the next round as they edge closer to a place in the Conference League group stages.