A goal just before the end of the first half of extra-time handed Gzira United a 1-0 win over Andorran side Atletic Club D’Escaldes in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference first qualifying round at the Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella.
Therefore following the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Centenary Stadium last week, Gzira secure a place in the second qualifying round where they will be facing FK Radnicki Nis of Serbia.
This was the fourth qualification to a second round of a European competition for the Maroons after eliminating UE Sant Julia of Andorra in 2018 and Hajduk Split of Croatia in 2019 in the UEFA Europa League and UE Santa Julia once again on penalties in 2021.
The match lacked goal-mouth action and it was no surprise that at the end of the ninety minutes, the score was still 0-0. The game, therefore, went into extra-time.
However just before the end of the first half of extra-time, Gzira United notched the winner when Brooklyn Borg sent Jefferson de Assis through on the right and the Brazilian gave the Atletic goalkeeper no chance with a powerful rising shot from inside the area.
ATLETIC ESCALDES Alejandro Ruiz, Alex Pistero, Alex Sanchez, Hamza Bouharma (62’ Xavi Puerto), Guillaume Sylvain Lopez, Victor Maffeo, Alex Martinez (61’ Jorge Bolivar), Ivan Garrido (89’ David Lopez), Javier Morales (73’ Eric Ruiz), Victor Perez, Victo Alonso (88’ Gemelos).
GZIRA Darijan Radelic Zarkov, Gabriel Bohrer Mentz, Nikolai Muscat, Zachary Scerri (91’ Brooklyn Borg), Marcelo Dias, Luis Riascos Torres, Toni Kolega, Marko Cosic, Maxuell Samurai (91’ Clive Gauci), Jefferson de Assis, Jackson Mendoza (46’ Ricardo Calixto Correa Duarte).
Referee: Vitaliy Romanov UKR
Assistant Referees: Viktor Matyash, Sergio Prustupa UKR
Fourth Official: Anatoliy Abdula UKR