ST ANDREWS -           1

BIRKIRKARA-              3

Birkirkara: M. Kopric, C. Attard, C. Bubalovic, M. Mazzetti, J. Zerafa, G. Sciberras (M. Guillaumier), M. Andelkovic, E. Zarate, F. Temile, K. Zammit (E. Agius), V. Plut (R. Darmanin)

St Andrews: J. Galea, E. Beltre, E. Nkene (J. Walker), B. Che, J. Cuestra (D. Camilleri), V. Oseghale, S. Wisdom, J. Farrugia, F. Onwudinjo, M. Desira Buttigieg (K. Nwoko), M. Johnson

Referee: M. Spiteri

Asst.refs:  D. Sultana, T. Debono

4th official: M. Borg

Scorers: K. Zammit 28, C. Bubalovic 50, S. Wisdom 78, V. Plut 82

Yellow cards: V. Plut, E. Baltre, B. Che, K. Nwoko

Player of the match: M. Andelkovic (Birkirkara)

TMI top 3: 1. M. Andelkovic  2. J. Zerafa  3. J. Farrugia

 

It was not pretty and certainly not memorable but Birkirkara did what they had to if they intend to hang on to fourth place, managing another win without expending so much energy, against struggling side St Andrews, with goals from Kurt Zammit, Christian Bubalovic and Vito Plut.

All goals had arisen from a mixture of the inattention and ill-luck that plague struggling sides.

St Andrews’ troublesome sequence in Premier League matches was extended as they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat and are now looking relegation certainties.

Their passing yesterday had gone awry, first touches were clumsy and their play was simply too slow. Their goal in the late stages, served only for statistical purposes.

Saints’ coach Jose Borg deemed it fit to make two changes to the side that narrowly lost to Balzan the previous week.

Victor Oseghale and Eloy Nkene were handed starts, replacing Liam Grech and Jacob Nwoko.

Birkirkara’s selection, following a 2-0 win  overQormi, did not include Mijanovic, Scicluna and Smrekar yesterday.

Kurt Zammit, one of the three replacements, made his impact on 28 minutes, giving the Stripes the lead at a time when St Andrews looked capable of holding their opponents at bay. Zammit picked his spot from outside the area, on a Che clearance, advanced a couple of metres and shot through a hype of Saints’ defenders, the ball taking a slight deflection off the grounded Nkene.

Minutes earlier, Vito Plut, replacing Smekar in attack, hit Temile’s cross from the byeline firts time, but St Andrews’ keeper Jake Grech held the ball out with his feet.

The goal put Birkirkara in the driving seat and was a rare moment of excitement for the meagre bystanders at Ta’ Qali as quality was much in short supply in the first half.

St Andrews’ contribution in attack during the first 45 minutes was close to nil.

With Oseghale largely anonymous, starved of service from Desira Buttigieg or Wisdom, they had neither the craft nor the pace to threaten.

Birkirkara did not really need to run down the clock when there were goals to be taken. Having had the share of early chances, the Stripes gleefully took up another invitation offered by the Saints’ keeper five minutes into the second half. Defender Christian Bubalovic shot low from the edge of the area. Galea was on the ball but allowed it to trickle in past his hands.

Although two goals up, Birkirkara remained unconvincing and St Andrews  briefly raised their chins in the closing stages. A Cuestra free kick had gone wide before the Saints pulled one back 12 minutes from time. Solomon Wisdom pounced on an Oseghale through ball inside the Birkirkara area, went past Sciberras and beat keeper Kopric with a curling low drive.

But Birkirkara were quick to restore their two-goal cushion as, four minutes later, a Mazzetti free kick from outside the area hit the post, the ball rebounded off the keeper’s back and fell invitingly to the unmolested Vito Plut to poke it in as the points were safely gathered at the end.

 

 

TARXIEN RAINBOWS -      0

HIBERNIANS-                      1

 

Tarxien R: A. Cassar, E. Baker, B. De Oliveira, T. Tabone Desira, A. Nilsson, A. Azzopardi (M. Tabone), C. Hevia Menendez, L. Montebello (B. Muscat), S. Prendes, A. Alves, J. Pedro

Hibernians: J. Haber, R. Soares, J. Pearson, M. Dias (J. Mbong), J. Lima, B. Kristensen, J. Degabriele (J. Silva), A. Agius, C. Failla (A. Cohen), Jorginho, G. Ribeiro

Referee:  P. Farrugia

Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, S. Attard

Additional asst.refs: F. Zammit, S. Spiteri

4th official: P. Apap

Scorers: J. Lima 51

Yellow cards: E. Baker, B. Kristensen, G. Ribeiro, J. Pedro, C. Hevia, J. Lima

Red card: E. Baker

Player of the match: J. Lima (Hibernians)

TMI top 3: 1. J. Lima  2. A. Cassar  3. M. Dias

Attendance: 1,332

 

Hibernians rekindle title hopes with narrow derby win

 

SILVIO VELLA

A Jackson Lima goal at the start of the second half was enough for champions Hibernians to win this derby against resilient ten-man Tarxien Rainbows and close the gap to three points behind leaders Valletta, beaten by Floriana on Saturday.

It was some reward for their overall superiority but if this was some demonstration of Hibernians’ intention to sustain their challenge for the championship, they need to improve their cutting edge. A sense of declining momentum still persists in Branko Nisevic’s side.

For the first half hour, before their defender Baker was sent off, Tarxien played at par with their neighbours.  But once Baker made his sorry contribution, it was simply a question of waiting for Hibernians to score.

In the second half, the Tarxien defence was an accident waiting to happen with Jackson Lima tormenting them with his deep runs from the middle and Marcelo Dias with his delivery from the right flank.

Keeper Andrea Cassar stood between them, denying the Paolites with a couple of superlative saves, although rendered helpless by Lima’s only, and winning,  strike early after the restart.

The young goalkeeper keeps combining his size with a balletic agility producing a full range of saves from the athletic to the instinctive.

This narrow defat, their second on the trot, reflects the steel that Tarxien have added to their play this season.

The Rainbows dropped four players after defeat against Valletta. Claudio Frances and Triston Caruana were omitted from the squad, together with the suspended Daniel Zerafa, while Manuel Caruana was named as a substitute.

They showed better creativity and attacking intent in midfield with the inclusion of Hevia Menendez and Alex Nilsson and Hibernians, even with Bjorn Kristensen back from  suspension, were continuously harassed on the ball in that area.

The match was evenly balanced for the first half hour with both sides showing physical endeavour and craving for control. Then Tarxien suffered a setback as their centre back Ebiaowei Baker received his marching orders for two bookable offences.

Hibernians almost immediately made good of their extra man. From a Failla free kick from the right, a Jorginho effort was held out smartly by keeper Andrea Cassar.

Tarxien tried to mitigate the danger with the introduction of defender Matthew Tabone for midfielder Ayrton Azzopardi.

Despite handing possession and the initiative to their opponents, the team as a whole  refused to buckle and managed to hold their goal intact for the rest of the half.

The tempo of the game intensified in the second half, the champions going that extra mile to battle their way into the ascendancy, with efforts by Failla and Lima missing the target. The goal they had been sensing arrived on 51 minutes. Jackson Lima picked a loose ball from outside the area, advanced and created space for himself to beat keeper Cassar with a low strike at the far post.

Hibernians continued to flow forward. A Ribeiro through ball after a surging run, was slightly too long for the advancing Dias to reach and the onrushing Cassar could smother the danger.

After Dias was replaced by Joseph Mbong, Lima forced keeper Cassar into a top class save with his rising shot from the edge of the area with the Tarxien keeper holding out the ball at full stretch in the air.

With Tarxien still showing resileince, Hibernians failed to create many chances, let alone score more goals, although Jackson Lima’s winner was enough for the day.

 

Photos Michael Camilleri