BIRKIRKARA 3
BALZAN 0
Exhibiting good movement, some high tempo and high pressing, Birkirkara dismantled leaders Balzan with a comfortable victory that now takes them up into second place in the BoV Premeir League, only three points adrift.
The ease of their victory was summed up by the emphatic finishing of their striker Vito Plut, who scored twice, and an own goal by Balzan defender Steve Bezzina. Drasan Besek’s team have made a habit of dispatching teams when it really matters.
The Stripes were irrepressible, but Balzan never hinted at resistance.
The lack of concentration and confidence by the leaders was startling.
Balzan, a side propelled as much by self-confidence as technical quality and tactical organisation until yesterday, has fractured, with self-doubt creeping in after suffering their first defeat of the season.
There was slackness in so much of their display as they were outdone by three first half goals that left them with more work to do at the back.
Their keeper Ivan Janjusevic was overworked and increasingly exasperated by the manner that his backline wilted in front of him.
Birkirkara were trying to hold to possession but Balzan pressed them high in key areas in the initial stages. The roaming Dylan Grima was shadowing Dimitrov and often dispossessing Birkirkara in midfield.
Both pairs of strikers, Alfred Effiong and Bojan Kaljevic for Balzan and Vito Plut and Frank Temile for Birkirkara, with 14 goals between them, saw little of the ball but the Birkirkara duo surely had the better of their opponents with Vito Plut scoring a brace yesterday and Temile going close on other occasions.
On19 minutes, Vito Plut, beating the Balzan offside trap, ran down the right, cut through the middle of the Balzan area, had his first effort parried by the grounded keeper Janjusevic but scored with the second attempt from inside the eight-yard box.
Before that, Balzan could have gone in front instead. Nafti turned away from Andelkovic but shot wide. Then Effiong picked Kaljevic’s pass, ran clear through the middle but keeper Kopric footed out his effort, only just.
Balzan’s defensive organisation was disrupted again midway through the half. As Muscat sent a low cross from the byeline on the left, Steve Bezzina beat his own keeper as he tried to clear when facing the goal.
At that juncture, the Stripes looked firmly in command and could tighten at the back and play on the counter. Balzan needed to regroup. They even had defender Justin Grioli stretchered off towards the half hour but could not muster another gaols on target.
Worse still, Birkirkara were again celebrating before halftime. After going past Bezzina, Temile found himself inside the Balzan area, facing Janjusevic. The Balzan keeper twice foiled him with blocks on the ground until the Birkirkara forward crossed the ball at the far side for team mate Vito Plut to head into an unattended goal.
Balzan put in Alan Souza for Bezzina at halftime, as Grima retreated in the wide back position. Thus Dimitrov enjoyed more freedom in midfield and Birkirkara almost capitalised. Finding space inside the Balzan defence, Plut ran through on a Muscat pass but Janjusevic blocked on the ground.
The closest Balzan came to a riposte was a Nafti free kick shot over past the hour. Even Piciollo’s introduction did not lift Balzan’s spirits. In fact Birkirkara could have added further goals towards the end but substitute Ryan Scicluna shot narrowly wide after an individual move and Janjusevic saved his side from further derision, blocking the advancing Temile, with the Balzan rearguard wide open.
Birkirkara: M. Kopric, C. Bubalovic, G. Sciberras (R. Scicluna), M. Andelkovic, S. Dimitrov, V. Plut (S. Bajada), N. Vukanac, F. Temile (E. Herrera), J. Zerafa, C. Attard, R. Muscat
Balzan: I. Janjusevic, J. Grioli (S. Arab), B. Kaljevic, B. De Oliveira, S. Bezzina (A. Souza), P. Fenech, A. Effiong (M. Piciollo), D. Grima, A. Nafti, E. Serrano, T. Agius
Referee: M. Apap
Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, M. Borg
4th official: M. Degabriele
Scorers: V. Plut 19, 45, S. Bezzina 26 og,
Yellow cards: C. Bubalovic, E. Serrano, M. Kopric, J. Zerafa, S. Arab, R. Scicluna
Player of the match: V. Plut (Birkirkara)
TMI top 3: 1. V. Plut 2. M. Andelkovic 3. I. Janjusevic
Attendance: 880
ST ANDREWS 4
PEMBROKE ATHLETA 1
St Andrews were back in the groove after two consecutive defeats, to leave the relegation zone and leapfrog Mosta after beating ten-man Pembroke.
St Andrews were under the guidance of new coach Danilo Doncic after they let go Jose’ Borg during the international break.
Pembroke are well organised, industrious and whole-hearted, but short of penetration. They conceded two penalties and had defender Djeljilj sent off in the first half and they never recovered after conceding a third goal early in the second half. This sixth defeat leaves them anchored at the bottom of the standings with only four points from eight matches.
With Luke Montebello and Adrian Borg injured, Pembroke coach Winston Muscat was forced to make changes after the 2-2 draw against Tarxien Rainbows. The tall Jhonatan Mariano started instead in attack while Matteus Regis replaced Borg. Clifford Gauci was also included in the starting line up instead of Maksymov.
And when playing with ten men for the entire second half, they had neither the craft nor the pace to threaten.
Although always bottom-of-the table stuff in terms of quality, the sides played an eventful first half. Within the first half hour St Andrews were awarded two penalties to take a 2-1 lead at halftime.
The first, after 17 minutes, came when Paz delivered a corner from the right and the referee from Northern Ireland noticed a handling by Siraj Arab. Joseph Farrugia stepped up to score from the spot kick.
Joseph Farrugia also converted the second penalty on the half hour, again for a Levnaic hands ball inside the area after Nwoko shot at goal off a Beltre cross.
In between, Pembroke also scored and could have levelled matters were it not for a wasted good opportunity.
They cancelled out the Saints’ lead after two minutes. Barbetti played Jhonatan Mariano through inside the St Andrews area to lob the ball over the onrushing keeper Galea.
On 23 minutes, with the score at 1-1, Gauci missed a glaring opportunity. Put clear by Micallef inside the area he lobbed the ball over with only the keeper to beat.
There was to be further derision for Pembroke when their defender Asani Djeljilj was sent off for a second caution on the stroek of halftime after an ensuing argument following Che’s foul on Mariano on the edge of the area.
At halftime, Pembroke’s coach Muscat was also banned from the bench for passing some remarks to the referee.
St Andrews immediatley took advantage of their numerical superiority and five minutes into the second half they increased their lead. A Farrugia free kick from the left was headed in by Ziga Kastrevec.
The Saints looked home and dry, even because Pembroke could not summon enough effort to trouble Jake Galea in the Saints’ goal except for a Johnson header, off a Farrugia free kick on 78 minutes, that Galea looked capabale of saving.
St Andrews put some excessive gloss on their win on 90 minutes. Beltre advanced unhindered down the left, played the ball square to the unmarked Jaqcob Walker for the substitute to tap the ball in with relative ease.
St Andrews: J. Galea, M. Johnson, K. Kesinovic, B. Che, F. Udoh, E. Beltre, K. Nwoko (R. Darmanin), J. Farrugia, D. Camilleri, Z. Kastrevec (J. Walker), I. Paz (G. McKay)
Pembroke: M. Calleja Cremona, A. Djeljilj, Z. Levnaic, B. Muscat, M. Micallef, P. Barbetti (B. Manevski), S. Arab (N. Portelli), C. Gauci (D. Fenech), A. Scozzese, J. Mariano, M. Regis
Referee: N. Robinson (N Ireland)
Asst.refs: N. Gillespie, J. Wilson
4th official: K. Kennedy
Scorers: J. Farrugia 17, 30 pens, J. Mariano 19, Z. Kastrevec 50, J. Walker 90
Yellow cards: Z. Levnaic, A. Djeljilj, B. Muscat, I. Paz, B. Che, P. Barbetti, M. Johnson, M. Micallef, D. Fenech
Red cards: A. Djeljilj
Player of the match: J. Farrugia (St Andrews)
TMI top 3: 1. J. Farrugia 2. E, Beltre 3. M. Micallef
Photos Jonathan Borg