HAMRUN SPARTANS- 2
BIRKIRKARA - 0
Hamrun S: D. Cassar (M. Farrugia), P. Chircop, L. Sciberras, L. Rodrigues, J. Neto, M. Giusti (S. Nanapere), L. Motta (T. Cilia), L. Grech, J. Grech, S. Raphael, P. Teixeira
Birkirkara: M. Kopric, C. Bubalovic, G. Sciberras, M. Guillaumier, M. Andelkovic, M. Desira Buttigieg (S. Bonnici), V. Plut, N. Vukanac, F. Temile, S. Bajada (R. Scicluna), C. Attard (J. Brincat)
Referee: S. Spiteri
Asst.refs: M. Scerri, P. Abela
4th official: C. Pisani
Scorers: M. Giusti 50, 68
Yellow cards: C. Attard, M. Giusti
Red card: N. Vukanac
Player of the match: M. Giusti (Hamrun S)
TMI top 3: 1. M. Giusti 2. J. Neto 3. G. Sciberras
SILVIO VELLA
Five days after seeing his club being knocked out of the FA Trophy against St Andrews, Birkirkara coach Drazen Besek was forced to endure the painful sight of Hamrun Spartans scoring twice in 18 minutes to inflict anothert defeat that will prompt a bout of soul-searching for the Stripes.
Birkirkara could have few complaints, although they missed influntial players like Srdjan Dimitrov, Joseph Zerafa and Rowen Muscat. There was nothing convincing about their performance, looking flat and threatening only sporadically going forward. Even Vito Plut, whose goals seem to be carrying Birkirkara at the moment, fell short of his usual standard and even contrived to miss a penalty in the first half when the score was still goalless.
Yet they were playing a side who pride themselves of being obdurate opponents. Hamrun played with confidence, showed steel in midfield and took the chances that came their way, especially after Vukanac was sent off for Birkirkara on 66 minutes. Midfielder Massimilano Giusti was their hero as he scored a brace.
Hamrun kept the same starting eleven who beat Gzira United the previous week. That meant there was no place for Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza and Saturday Nanapere.
Both sides played with three defenders at the back and crowded the midfield, where Hamrun bossed their opponents in the opening stages.
Goalmouth action remained much at a premium for the first half hour but Hamrun were the first to threaten when Neto played a long ball from the back to reach the advancing Jake Grech whose low diagonal shot narrowly missed the target.
When Hamrun gave away possession too cheaply, Sciberras’ shot from a distance did not trouble keeper Cassar.
On 37 minutes Birkirkara were awarded a penalty after Chircop fouled Desira Buttigieg inside the area. Plut thumped the ball against the bar from the spot and the chance went begging.
Hamrun lived dangerously during the last 10 minutes of the half as Birkirkara kept up the initiative. From a short Bajada corner, Bubalovic headed the ball over the bar.
Birkirkara introduced James Brincat for Attard at halftime. They began the second half brightly but were let down by a lack of quality with the final ball.
Hamrun , by contrast, created a good chance that brought about their lead after 50 minutes. Massimiliano Giusti picked up Jake Grech’s pass, advanced inside the Birkirkara area and beat keeper Kopric.
Minutes later Giusti turned provider for Texeira but the latter shot wide from a promising position.
Play was interrupted for some time when Hamrun’s keeper Cassar received a blow and finally had to be substituted by Matthew Farrugia.
But the match’s talking point came on 66 minutes when Birkirkara were made to continue playing with ten men. Vukanac and Texeira entangled on the ball and fell as both ran towards goal. The referee took some time before deciding to show the Birkirkara defender the red card and award Hamrun a free kick. But it looked like a harsh decision.
The Spartans took only two minutes to exploit their numerical superiority and increase their lead. Texeira played a short pass inside the area to Massimiliano Giusti who scored from a narrow angle from the right.
With the points virtually secured, Hamrun ran very few risks at the back. Birkirkara looked to have totally run out of ideas and, with eight extra minutes given, it was mostly a matter of Hamrun playing out time.
BALZAN- 1
FLORIANA- 3
Balzan: I. Janjusevic, C. Brincat (P. Lapira), S. Arab, B. Kaljevic, E. Serrano, B. De Oliveira, A. De Barros (R. Fenech), A. Nafti (L. Micallef), A. Effiong, D. Grima , A. Souza
Floriana: J. Haber, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, S. Pisani, C. Borg, I. Varela, J. Pisani, A. Cini, A. Samb (G. Amadio), N. Chiesa, R. Camenzuli
Referee: T. Farrugia Cann
Asst.refs: L. Portelli, D. Castillo
4th official: E. Grech
Scorers: I. Varela 29, A. Samb 50, J. Pisani 57, B. Kaljevic 65
Yellow cards: A. De Barros, C. Brincat, S. Arab, A. Effiong, D. Grima
Red cards: A. Souza
Player of the match: S. Pisani (Floriana)
TMI top 3: 1. S. Pisani 2. N. Chiesa 3. B. Kaljevic
Attendance: 946
SILVIO VELLA
Balzan were knocked off the perch by Floriana as they suffered a damaging defeat against Floriana who played with spirit throughout and grew in belief as the game went on.
Balzan’s flaws at the back were exposed yesterday and the prospects had already looked bleak by halftime when going in a goal and a man down.
The first half was characterised by Florian Varela ‘s half hour lead and Alan Souza’s dismissal before halftime. Floriana scored two more goals soon after the break to take a three-goal lead but when Balzan hit back through Bojan Kaljevic the Greens started to lose a bit of their assertiveness, although the damage had been done.
Floriana had arrived on the back of six unbeaten games and there were flashes from them, including a first-half purple patch in which Varela had given them the lead.
Balzan coach Spiteri made two changes, giving starts to the returning Bruno De Oliveira in defence and Alfred Effiong in attack instead of Steve Bezzina and Matteo Piciollo respectively. Justin Grioli and Paul Fenech are still injured.
Floriana had Mario Fontanella and Maurizio Vella both suspended.
Both teams looked tactically well drilled in the initial stages. Balzan’s back four were in commanding form and started to look like a tough nut to crack for the Floriana forward line, composed of Ignacio Varela and Amadou Samb.
Kaljevic troubled Floriana with his aerial dominance and on 11 minutes he won an aerial duel with Pepe inside the area, headed the ball down to the unmarked Effiong whose3 shot was deflected into a corner.
But apart from that effort, Balzan had nothing to show for themselves in the first half.
They cracked towards the half hour. Floriana won a series of corners which none proved productive until one taken by Steve Pisani for Ingancio Varela to head Floriana in front.
Predictably the Greens began playing with more confidence and authority after that. Balzan were struggling to make an impact.
To make matters worse for them, Souza hit Camenzuli in the face and was rightly expelled two minutes before the break.
From that moment only one team looked like nicking the points. The Greens had the bit between their teeth and they pushed hard.
Balzan put in Ryan Fenech on the hour but they were offering precious little.
The delivery of their set pieces, especially the corner kicks always caused embarrassment to the Balzan rearguard and so it proved five minutes into the second half. From another Steve Pisani corner, Amadou Samb scored with a firm header.
The game was effectively over when Floriana struck again.
The Greens demonstrated all their superiority when seven minutes later they won a freekick outside the Balzan area on the right. Steve Pisani effected the delivery and Jurgen Pisani shot in to take the wind out of Balzan’s sails.
Balzan put in Ryan Fenech on the hour and they hit a consolation goal five minutes later . Grima’s low cross from the right was met by Bojan Kaljevic who struck it past the helpless keeper Haber.
With Floriana becoming a little complacent, Balzan suddenly jerked into shape. Fenech played a quick free kick to Effiong who hit the ball across the face of the Floriana goal but found nobody to connect to it.
On 72 minutes substitute Micallef had his effort blocked by keeper Haber.
Although by the end they were being bullied on teh ball, Floriana remained totrally committed and won with plenty of merit.
Mosta 0
Hibernians 2
Mosta: E. Bartolo, Z. Brincat (N. Farrugia), F. Onwudinjo, K. Magro, T. Grant, D. Djoufack, J. Repa, C. McLaren (L. Martinelli), K. Frendo, P. Doding, M. Vlcedk.
Hibernians: A. Hogg, R. Soares, M. Dias, C. Zammit, K. Obrien (J. Pearson), J. Mbong (J. Varea), M. Shaddock (R. Telles), J. Degabriele, D. Vella, A. Agius, J. Bezzina.
Referee: P. Farrugia.
Asst refs: D. Sultana, T. Debono.
4th official: M. Apap.
Scorers: J. Degabriele pen., J. Pearson,
Yellow cards: D. Djoufack, K. Magro, J. Bezzina, K. Obrien, K. Frendo, E. Bartolo, Z. Brincat.
Red card: F. Onwudinjo.
Player of the match: J. Degabriele.
TMI Top 3: 1. J. Degabriele, 2. J. Bezzina, 3. D. Djoufack.
Attendance: 688.
Henry Brincat
Hibernians became the new leaders of the Bank of Valletta Premier League yesterday as they overcame a stiff challenge offered by lowly Mosta to win three precious points.
With previous leaders Balzan defeated by Floriana, the three points enabled the Paolites to overtake their rivals at the top. Mark Miller’s side now has 32 points, two more than Balzan and four over third placed Valletta.
The Paolites were a depleted lot. Apart from the suspended Jackson Lima and Bjorn Kristensen, they also missed the services of the injured Clayton Failla, Andrew Cohen and Jorge Pereira da Silva.
In the circumstances coach Mark Miller was forced to give a start to some untried players like Conner Zammit, Kyle Obrien, Michael Shaddock and Dunstan Vella.
After the first half, Hibernians should have gone for a rest with more than a one-goal lead, having missed at least two other good chances.
Depleted as they were, not much was expected of the Paolites. And their intentions were clear right from the start – get a goal and go back in defence to operate on the break. And their tactics paid off as not only did they defend their slender lead successfully, but also went on to secure the three points with a second goal late in the match.
It can’t be said that Mosta just stared at their opponents. Far from it. But only once did they go close to scoring.
In fact, Mosta perhaps had more possession, but they failed to create any clearcut chances which would have possibly given them a positive result.
Mosta almost opened the score on the 14th minute when Vlcek advanced into the Hibs area and crossed low into the goalmouth where Dias anticipated Priso to clear from over the line with Hogg out of position.
In the 23rd minute, Hibernians took the lead from a penalty awarded after a Kurt Magro handling infringement. From the spotkick, Jurgen Degabriele made no mistake.
Four minutes later, Mosta goalie Bartolo did well to save a Johan Bezzina good try.
In the 39th minute, with Mosta pressing hard for an equaliser, Hibernians operated on a swift counter break with four players facing just two Mosta defenders, but Kurt Magro became a great saving the Blues as he stopped Degabriele.
Hibs failed again in the 44th minute when a fine move by Degabriele ended with his pass going to Shaddock, but he dallied and was eventually robbed of the ball before even getting a chance to have a pot at goal.
The second half saw Mosta attacking and Hibernians defending their precious lead, but the first real action arrived only in the 72nd minute when substitute Telles received a good ball on the right flank, advanced into the Mosta area, only to hit the ball well over the bar.
Mosta ended up in 10 men on the 77th minute when Onwudinjo was shown a red card by the official following a tough tackle on Mbong.
Despite playing in numerical inferiority, Mosta kept attacking in search of an equaliser and in the 80th minute, a Repa long distance shot had Andrew Hogg diving sideways to palm the ball out.
Hibs made sure of their win with a second goal in the 83rd minute. From a Bezzina freekick, a melee ensued in front of the Mosta goal and substitute Pearson hit home from close in. Mosta protested hotly with the official for a handling infringement, but Mr Farrugia convalidated the goal.
Sliema W. 1
Gzira U. 0
Sliema W.: G. Zammit, A. Dos Santos Tarlaziz (P. Xuereb), A. Muscat, R. De Souza, S. Biancardi, J. Mintoff, M. Muchardi, M. Scerri, R. Spiteri, JP Farrugia (M. Galin), D. Dos Santos (W. Salomon).
Gzira U.: M. Boerchio, J. Borg (Z. Scerri), G. Conti, A. Machedo Neto, Y. Tonna (JC Corbalan), C. Gatt Baldacchino (J. Nwoba), J. Salieu, J. Bondin, R. Ledesma, S. Diamoutene, CDR Calixto.
Referee: S. Pace.
Asst refs: P. Apap, C. Azzopardi.
4th official: G. Tonna.
Scorers: JP Farrugia,
Yellow cards: A. Dos Santos Tarlaziz, C. Gatt Baldacchino, J. Bondin, Y. Tonna, A. Machedo Neto, M. Scerri, P. Xuereb, W. Salomon,
Player of the match:
TMI Top 3: 1. 1. JP Farrugia, 2. D. Dos Santos, 3. CDR Calixto
Henry Brincat
A Jean Paul Farrugia strike a few minutes from the interval was enough to give Sliema all the three points from their derby against neighbours Gzira yesterday.
It was sweet revenge for Sliema who were beaten 1-0 by the Maroons in the first round.
The victory lifted Sliema on the 20-point mark, while Gzira remained on nine points, just two above bottom placed Pembroke.
Sliema had Alex Muscat returning to the side after injury while Gary Muir was missing from the squad.
The first half was a boring affair except for the final 10 minutes or so with Sliema eventually breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute.
Sliema were perhaps more methodical than their opponents, but they rarely managed to create the necessary openings with Gzira covering well at the back. It was only five minutes from the end of the half that they finally took the lead – it proved to be the winner.
The Maroons were also ineffective up front despite the roaming of Correa Duarte Ricardo Calixto who tried hard to get his team-mates going. On their part, they never really tested goalie Glenn Zammit in the Sliema goal.
In the second half, the match saw Gzira making a good effort to try and get back on level terms.
They battled gallantly till the end, but it was not enough as Sliema held on to their slender lead.
Sliema should have laid the match to rest on at least two occasions in the final 25 minutes, but they missed them and Gzira remained in contention till the very end, albeit in vain.
The match had a quiet start, but on the fourth minute, Sliema had their first attempt on goal through JP Farrugia, whose dipper went wide.
In the 13th minute Muchardi was through in the Gzira area, but goalie Boerchio rushed out of his charge to dive at his feet and avoid an awkward situation.
Gzira went close to scoring in the 28th minute when Calixto crossed dangerously into the Sliema goalmouth where Jallow Salieu was a second too late to connect in front of Zammit.
Seven minutes later, Sliema were awarded a freekick outside the area, but Denni dos Santos lifted the ball well over the bar.
At the other end, it was Calixto who went close for Gzira with a good effort off a Salieu good pass, but the ball went just wide.
It was Sliema who broke the deadlock on the 40th minute when Mark Scerri crossed perfectly for Jean Paul Farrugia to beat Boerchio from close in.
In the 45th minute, Sliema were close to a second goal. From a Mintoff cross, it was JP Farrugia who flicked sideways, but the ball this time just missed the target.
Early in the second half, Gzira were awarded a freekick in three quarters pitch from which a melee ensued in front of the Sliema goal. Machedo Neto managed to put the ball at the back of the net, but the point was disallowed, probably for an offside infringement.
Gzira pressed forward in search of an equaliser and a Conti effort went over the bar.
Sliema missed a good chance to double their lead in the 68th minute. Mark Scerri set Denni dos Santos in the Gzira area, but the Brazilian’s effort went wide with only the goalie to beat.
On 77 minutes, it was Alex Muscat who denied Gzira as he cleared to corner in time a dangerous Corbalan cross.
The latter tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the area, but his effort went wide.
In the 86th minute, Spiteri set JP Farrugia but goalie Boerchio again came to his side’s rescue as he dived at the Sliema striker’s feet to save.
Another Sliema chance went begging in added time when Muchardi set substitute Salomon beautifully, but he skied the ball from an ideal position.