Luxol St Andrews close in on qualification after second win

UEFA Futsal Champions League – Preliminary Round Group FTromsøhallen Arena, Tromso, Norway Luxol St Andrews (Malta)      5Dinamo Chisinau (Moldova)  3Maltese futsal champions Luxol St Andrews produced another fine performance to beat Moldova champions Dinamo Chisinau 5-3 in their second UEFA Futsal Champions League Preliminary Round Group F match in Tromsø, Norway.  Thanks to this victory, their second in this competition after Wednesday’s 5-0 win over San Marino’s Fiorentino, Luxol St Andrews have edged closer to qualification to the next phase of competition. A draw for in Saturday’s final group match against the hosts from Norway would be enough to seal Luxol’s passage to the main round. The first half was balanced with Luxol only scoring once but the Maltese champions raised their game in the second. Luxol took the lead after nine minutes and 15 seconds. A swift counter-attack saw Maicon Silva receive a delightful pass before flicking the ball into the net from close range for his second goal of the tournament. Chisinau reacted immediately but the Maltese team, led by coach Gabriel Dobre, defended well with Kenneth Rakvaag outstanding in goal. Twenty-nine seconds into the second half, Luxol doubled their lead with a fine shot from an angle by Celino Alves, his second goal in the group. As in the first game, Luxol showed their strength at the start of second period. Another fast move (1:18) ended with a surging run by Emil Andrei Raducu before firing a powerful shot into the top corner to make the score 3-0. Chisinau pulled one back through Cherniavskyi, the first goal conceded by the Maltese champions in this Group F. Luxol St Andrews completed their win with two more goals. The fourth came when another rapid counter-attack saw Everton Vevé step inside before hitting home wih a clinical finish and two minutes from the end, Dejan Bizjak sealed it with a powerful low free-kick from the distance. In the final seconds, Dinamo Chisinau managed to score twice through Bagriak and Kalukov but Luxol had long secured the points. On Saturday, at 13.30, Luxol meet Norwegian side Sjarmtrollan Idrettslag who drew 2-2 against Dinamo Chisinau in their opening match on Wednesday. LUXOL STARTING V: Kenneth Rakvaag, Celino Alves (1), Maicon (1), Leanderson, Emil Raducu (1).Also in action: Dragan Obradovic, Dejan Bizjak (1), Nick Delre, Everton Veve (1), GianCarlo Sammut, Mark Zammit (capt), Andy Mangion, Marwan Telisi, Zvezdan Vukovic. DINAMO CHISINAU STARTING V: Istrati, Negara, Bondarenko, Nicololaiciuc, Fil.Also in action: Capsamun, Coceban, Marzhanovskiy, Kalukov (1), Cherniavskyi (1), Bondarenko, Bagriak (1), Deliatynskyi.