Islam Hamlawi scores in Craiova and Getafe draw in UEFA Europa Conference League

Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj saved Getafe from losing to their Romanian hosts Universitatea Craiova, scoring the equalizer in the final minutes, resulting in a 1-1 draw on Thursday evening in the opening round of the league stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Palestinian striker Asad Al-Islam Al-Hamlaoui shone in the match, leading the Romanian team's attack and threatening Getafe's goal on multiple occasions, after missing a clear opportunity in the first half when he was one-on-one with goalkeeper David Soria, before shooting the ball over the crossbar.

Hamlaoui succeeded in converting his attempts into a goal in the 58th minute, taking advantage of a mistake in build-up play from a Getafe defender. He broke free with the ball and advanced towards the goal before unleashing a powerful shot with his left foot from outside the penalty area, which settled next to the post, giving his team the lead.

Getafe struggled to break through the hosts' defense for most of the match, but Jody Lukoki equalized with a stunning long-range strike in the 80th minute, finding the top corner of the net to give the Spanish side a point in their European campaign opener.

With this result, Getafe and Universitatea Craiova each earned one point, while the Spanish team prepares to host Swiss side Lugano next Thursday in the second round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.