Despite having goalkeeper Christoffer Mafoumbi sent off early in the game, it was only a late penalty which handed FC Pyunik a narrow win over Marsaxlokk in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan on Thursday.

FC Pyunik therefore make it to the second round with a 4-0 aggregate score and will face Debrecen of Hungary in the next stage.

The Southseasiders were eager to make up for the disappointing defeat in the first leg but the dismissal of goalkeeper Mafoumbi after just ten minutes complicated matters and coach Enzo Potenza was forced to replace Matheus Silva with substitute goalkeeper Andrea Cassar. 

Marsaxlokk managed to keep their opponents at bay until twelve minutes from time when Weder Silva floored Yansane inside the area; referee Aaron O’Dowd ordered a penalty and Daniil Kulikov made no mistake from the penalty spot. 

PYUNIK Henri Avagyan, Nikolaos Kainourgios (46’ Vyacheslav Afyan), Artak Dashyan, Hovhannes Harutyunyan (60’ Momo Yansane), Mikhail Kovalenko (82’ Sargis Metoyan), Karlen Hovhannisyan, Sead Islamovic (46’ Iman Griffith), Daniil Kulikov, Iasonas Pikis (60’ Edgar Malakyan), Filipe Almeida, Sergiy Vakulenko.

MARSAXLOKK Chistoffer Mafoumbi, Weder Silva, Oualid El Hasni, Enrico Pepe (86’ Oleksii Bykov), Nikolai Muscat, Ulises Arias (86’ Ensell Attard), Dodo, Juan Carlos Corbalan, Joseph Minala (86’ Lucas Caruana), Domantas Simkus (53’ Redon Mihana), Matheus Silva (12’ Andrea Cassar gk).

Referee: Aaron O’Dowd IRL

Assistant referees:  Christopher Campbell, Shane Gerard O’Brien IRL

Fourth official: Paul Norton IRL