Gżira United coach Darren Abdilla could not hide his delight after watching his teams secure their place in the second qualifying round of the Conference League after edging past Andorra’s Atletic d’Escaldes 1-0 in extra-time on Thursday.

A fine goal from Brazilian forward Jefferson swung the tie in favour of the Maltese side who will now take on Serbian giants Radnicki in next week’s first leg at the Centenary Stadium.

Gżira United’s qualification was far from straightforward as they had to dig deep to fend off Atletic d’Escaldes who had been the better side throughout much of the first hour of the match in Andorra.

“In my opinion, Atletic d’Escaldes are one of the best teams we ever played in European competition,” Abdilla told the Times of Malta.

“They were a very organised side and had the better chances and to be completely honest we were a bit surprised that we made it through. But my team deserves all the praise as they showed great patience and when the opportunity to strike came we took it with both hands.

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