Luxol St Andrews 5
Dinamo Chisinau 3
Luxol had to work their socks off to beat a very strong and stubborn Dinamo Chisinau 5-3 in their second Preliminary Round Group F match in Tromsø, Norway and edge closer to qualification to the next phase of competition.
Indeed a draw for the Maltese champions on Saturday against hosts Sjarmtrollan will be enough to steer them towards their coveted target.
The first half was pretty balanced with Luxol only scoring once.
In the second period, the Maltese outfit looked sharper, passing the ball and finding each other better, but towards the end lacked some concentration allowing their resilient opponents to score twice.
At the early stages game was balanced reflecting the importance of this encounter with the lively Everton Veve very much in evidence for Luxol bu the Brazilian was struggling to finish off the chances that came his way.
Luxol took the lead after nine minutes and 15 seconds into the first period. A swift counter attack saw Maicon Silva receiving a delightful pass before flicking the ball into the net from close range.
Chisinau hit back but the Maltese outfit defended brilliantly with goalkeeper Kenneth Rakvaag in outstanding form.
Twenty-nine seconds into the second half Luxol doubled their lead with a fine shot from an acute angle by Celino Alves.
Luxol made it 3-0 soon after when in a swift raid, Emil Andrei Raducu fired a powerful shot into the top corner to make it 3-0.
Chisinau then pull a goal back through Cherniavskyi, but Luxol completed their win with two more goals scored by Everton Veve and Dejan Bizjak.
Chisinau did manage to pull two goals back through Bagriak and Kalukov, but that was too little too late.
Luxol will now face Sjarmtrollan on Saturday.
Luxol: Kenneth Rakvaag, Celino Alves (1), Maicon (1), Leanderson, Emil Raducu (1); Dragan Obradovic, Dejan Bizjak (1), Nick Delre, Everton Veve (1), GianCarlo Sammut, Mark Zammit, Andy Mangion, Marwan Telisi, Zvezdan Vukovic.
Dinamo Chisinau: Istrati, Negara, Bondarenko, Nicololaiciuc, Fil; Capsamun, Coceban, Marzhanovskiy, Kalukov (1), Cherniavskyi (1), Bondarenko, Bagriak (1), Deliatynskyi.