Valletta secured a place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League following a narrow win over SS Folgore in the second leg of the first qualifying round at the San Marino Stadium in Serravalle on Thursday.

The Citizens qualify with a 3-0 aggregate score and will be meeting FC Utrecht in the next round with the first leg being played at the Hibernians Stadium on Thursday.

Valletta coach Zoran Popovic kept faith with the same starting line-up of the previous week with Mifsud and Velasco in attack.

The Citizens managed to break the deadlock twenty minutes in the second half thanks to a freekick by Santiago Malano which hit the crossbar with the ball bouncing onto the goalkeeper and into the net.

FOLGORE Luca Bianchi, Alberto Semprini, Andrea Nucci, Stefano Sacco (62′ Luca Bonifazi), Luca Bezzi, Ramiro Martin Lago (87′ Luca Rossi), Marco Berardi, Luca Paradisi, Francesco Sartori, Cristian Brolli, Marco Bernardi (81′ Nicolo Venerucci).

VALLETTA Henry Bonello, Steve Borg, Ryan Camilleri (69′ Jean Borg), Juan Cruz Gill (81′ Kyrian Nwoko), Santiago Malano, Michael Mifsud, Joseph Zerafa, Claudio Pani, Maxi Velasco, Uchenna Umeh, Romeu Romao (61′ Roderick Briffa).

Referee: Gene Nuza (KOS)
Assistant Referees: Fatlum Berisha, Bujar Selimaj (KOS)
Fourth Official: Besfort Kasumi (KOS)