The dream debut could hardly have gone better for the Swedish side. In front of their home faithful at the 7,000-capacity Strandvallen, Mjällby dominated proceedings from the outset, racing into a three-goal lead inside the opening 31 minutes.

Aki Samuelsen, the 22-year-old Faroese striker, announced himself on the European stage with a composed double (18th, 24th minutes), while midfield general Jacob Bergström added a third before the break. Though Samuelsen blazed over a 66th-minute penalty that would have sealed a perfect hat-trick, the damage was already done—Lincoln Red Imps never threatened.

Gibraltar rematch awaits

Mjällby will now travel to Gibraltar for the second leg next Tuesday (kick-off: 18:00 CET). Victory would propel them into the third qualifying round, where they would face either Georgia’s Iberia 1999 or Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava—the latter secured a 2-0 away win earlier in the evening.

This season’s second qualifying round also features heavyweights like Fenerbahçe, BSC Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Heart of Midlothian, Red Star Belgrade, and Kairat Almaty.