Sheriff Tiraspol took an important step towards qualifying for the third round of Champions League. The team trained by Veaceslav Rusnac beat Montenegro’s champion Sutjeska 2-0 in the first-leg match played in Tiraspol, IPN reports.

The goals were scored by Astra Ploiesti halfback Andrei Muresan in the 71st minute and Bulgarian striker Ismail Isa in the 87th minute. Isa was close to scoring again in the last minute, but failed before the goal. Sheriff’s lineup included the seven footballers signed this summer, namely Degra, Ligger, Muresan, Gansari, Blanco, Benson, and Thiago Galvao. The last two entered the field in the second half.

“Sincerely speaking, I wanted a better result and a more convincing game. I’m sure that my team will play the return game better,” Sheriff coach Veaceslav Rusnac said in a news conference after the match.

“I didn’t see a big difference between my team and Sheriff. In Montenegro, we will force the qualification,” said the coach of Sutjeska Mile Tomic.

The return game between Sutjeska and Sheriff will take place in Montenegro on July 22, at 6:30pm, Moldova time.