Hibernians 3
Hamrun S. 3
Hibernians: A. Hogg, R. Soares, M. Dias, K. Lima, B. Kristensen, C. Failla, J. Bezzina (M. Moore), J. Da Silva Pereira, D. Boljevic, J. Degabriele, G. Ribeiro da Silva.
Hamrun S.: B. Kambala, K. Micallef, L. Grech, SR dos Anjos, P. Chircop, M. Giusti, S. Nanapere (D. Debono), I. Misan, B. Paiber (M. Manset), M. Micallef, L. Motta dos Santos (S. Arab).
Referee: M. Kridens (Albania).
Asst refs: G. Emigers, B. Nertil.
4th official: X. Juxhim.
Scorers: J. Degabriele 2, B. Paiber pen, L. dos Santos, G. Da Silva Ribeiro, M. Giusti,
Yellow cards: R. Soares, I. Misan.
Player of the match: J. Degabriele.
TMI Top 3:1. J. Degabriele, 2. B. Kambala, 3. B. Kristensen.
Attendance: 678.
Henry Brincat
A brave Hamrun side earned a highly merited point against the more illustrious Hibernians in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Ta’ Qali yesterday.
It was one of those interesting matches which we rarely can enjoy in our surroundings. And that was mainly thanks to a super effort by the Spartans who offered a very strong challenge.
The loss of two points means that the Paolites have conceded the league leadership to Balzan at the start of this final round. They now have 47 points, one fewer than leaders Balzan.
Without any shadow of doubt, this was Hamrun’s best performance since Jacques Scerri took over as coach a few weeks ago.
As for the Paolites, one might say that they played slightly below par especially the defence which left some gaps for which they paid somewhat dearly as the Spartans exploited them perfectly.
Photos Domenic Aquilina
The match remained entertaining and quite balanced throughout.
The Paolites seemed to have gained the upper hand when they took a 3-21 lead, but the Spartans fought back gamely and managed to get back on level terms with another great goal.
The Spartans were still without Jake Grech who is still nursing an injury. Hibernians had central defender Andrei Agius missing through suspension.
The Paolites quickly took the game to their opponents as just one minute had passed and Ribeiro da Silva set Jurgen Degabriele who saw Hamrun’s debutant goalie Kambala tipping the ball onto the crossbar for a cornerkick.
And they eventually took the lead in the 5th minute when the same action was repeated. This time, Degabriele avoided a tackle from a Hamrun defender and managed to beat Kambala with a low shot.
In the eighth minute, the Albanian official Meth Kridens awarded a penalty to the Spartans when Clayton Failla floored Saturday Nanapere in the area. Brandon Paiber made no mistake from the spotkick to level matters.
Hibs were still rattled and in the 16th minute, it was Leandro Motta dos Santos who had an angled shot hitting the Hibs crossbar.
The Spartans maintained their ascendancy and even managed to take the lead with a splendid goal on 19 minutes. It was Karl Micallef who received from Mano Micallef and crossed perfectly for Leandro Motta dos Santos to head home past a helpless Hogg.
Their joy was, however, shortlived as the Paolites equalised on the 22nd minute. It was Gilmar da Silva Ribeiro who beat Kambala direct from a freekick.
On 31 minutes, Massimiliano Giusti had an effort from outside the area going over the bar.
The Paolites responded through Jorge Pereira, but his effort went over the bar.
In the 49th minute, Paiber tested Hogg with a hard shot from the edge of the area, but the Hibs goalie saved well.
Hibernians took the lead on the 54th minute. From a freekick, Jackson Lima passed to Degabriele whose shot was partially saved by Kambala. The ball returned to the same Degabriele who this time made no mistake.
In the 61st minute, Jorge Pereira had a good effort just missing the target.
On 65 minutes, it was Motta who set Giusti in the Hibs area, but Hogg was first to the ball thus avoiding an awkward situation.
It was a prelude to the Hamrun equaliser in the 69th minute. Massimiliano Giusti received a perfect pass from midfield, advanced into the area and beat the onrushing Hogg to make it 3-3.
At the other end, in the 73rd minute, Gilmar Ribeira da Silva was unlucky with an angled shot that hit the upright and soon afterwards, it was substitute Moore who hit wide from an ideal position.
On 84 minutes, Jorge Pereira should have done better when he headed incredibly wide when alone in front of goalie Kambala.
In added time, a Boljevic header was saved by Kambala who was certainly the side’s main inspiration on his debut.
Birkirkara 2
St Andrews 2
Birkirkara: H. Bonello, G. Sciberras, S. Dimitrov (E. Agius), V. Plut (M. Desira Buttigieg), N. Vukanac, M. Alba, R. Scicluna, C. Attard, P. Jovic, G. Malan, G. Muir (E. Herrera).
St Andrews: J. Galea, E. Pena Beltre, M. Johnson, BW Che, K. Kesinovic, A. Friggieri (D. Brandle), N. Belacevic, J. Farrugia, Z. Kastrevec (J. Walker), I. Paz, K. Nwoko (G. McKay).
Referee: E. Grech.
Asst refs: L. Portelli, W. Debattista.
4th official: M. Apap.
Scorers: M. Alba pen., K. Nwoko 2, G. Malan,
Yellow cards: P. Jovic, J. Farrugia, G. Malan, E. Agius.
Red cards: R. Scicluna, E. Pena Beltre.
Player of the match: K. Nwoko.
TMI Top 3: 1. K. Nwoko, 2. G. Malan, 3. M. Alba.
Henry Brincat
Birkirkara and St Andrews shared the spoils in an entertaining match which produced four goals and two red cards.
Alba and Malan scored for the Stripes while Kyrian Nwoko was the hero for the Saints scoring their two goals, apart from offering a prestigious performance which earned him the Man of the Match award.
It can be said the Stripes missed out on two other important points as their hopes of winning a berth in European football next season continue receding.
As for St Andrews, it was an important point won in their hopes to avoid relegation.
Birkirkara started the match without Bubalovic and Zerafa, both suspended, while the Saints had Felix Udoh ruled out through suspension.
The first half was more or less balanced but it was the Stripes who showed the better ideas and created the best scoring opportunities.
They certainly deserved to be 2-1 ahead at that stage with Alba and Malan scoring their first goals for the club since they joined the Stripes in the January transfer window.
The Saints did not stare at their opponents and also had their good moments, but they seemed to lack punch up front as the Birkirkara defence was only caught napping once – on the occasion of Nwoko’s equaliser.
In the second half, play remained more or less balanced, especially after the Saints equalised a second time through Nwoko.
But after Birkirkara missed at least two good chances, it was the Saints who could have clinched victory near the end.
Birkirkara were awarded a penalty on the 7th minute when following a Plut cross, an Alba shot appeared to have been handled by St Andrews defender Michael Johnson near the goal line. From the spotkick, Alba made no mistake, sending Galea the wrong way.
In the 14th minute, Alba set the completely unmarked Plut in the Saints area, but the striker hesitated and his shot was eventually deviated to a corner.
St Andrews did not take long to equalise. It was the 19th minute when Kyrian Nwoko who headed past Bonello following a good cross by Ivan Paz.
In the 26th minute a Ryan Scicluna humdinger was deviated to a corner. From Dimitrov’s cornerkick, it was Gonzalo Malan who headed into the net from close in.
In the 35th minute, it was Malan again who tried his luck with a hard shot that goalie Galea did well to turn to corner. Soon after Vukanac found the net with a header but the point was disallowed because of a foul by the same player.
In first half added time, from a Scicluna cross, Malan went close with a good header that just missed the target.
Soon after the start of the second half, Birkirkara almost added a third goal when Plut had a shot blocked in extremis by a St Andrews defender.
The Stripes paid dearly for this miss as in their next attack, the Saints equalised for a second time. It was Kastrevec who crossed low into the area where Nwoko was first on the ball to hit home past Bonello.
In the 56th minute, Birkirkara were dangerous when an Alba cross was mishandled by goalie Galea, the ball was cleared out and Dimitrov tried his luck with Galea still out of position, but the shot was rather weak and the goalie saved in two attempts.
On the hour, it was Plut who nodded the ball down for Ryan Scicluna who missed a sitter, hitting the ball wide from an ideal scoring position.
In the 65th minute, St Andrews threatened seriously through Aidan Friggieri who Had a close range shot saved by Bonello.
In the 69th minute the two teams were reduced to 10 men when Ryan Scicluna (second yellow card) and Enmy Pena Beltre were dismissed, the former for a foul and the Saints player for retaliation.
On the 80th minute, Alba had a low shot from the edge of the area saved on deck by Galea. As Birkirkara insisted on attack, from a Herrera cross, it was Dimitrov who failed to connect.
In added time, St Andrews broke away with Paz advancing into the area, but his final effort was cleared out by Bonello’s extended foot.
GZIRA U- 1
TARXIEN R - 0
Gzira U: Jurgen Borg, Jacob Borg (I. Adeshina), C. Gatt Baldacchino, S. Diamoutene, I. Azzopardi, J. Corbolan, L. Zome (C. Reyna), M. Avila Perez, Z. Scerri, A. Cohen (K. Pulo), G. Conti
Tarxien R: A. Cassar, E. Baker, E. Marcelina, T. Caruana (S. Prendes), D. Ponce (D. Micallef), A. Nilsson, A. Azzopardi (J. Galea), S. Borg, D. Zerafa, A. Alves, K. Zammit
Referee: F. Zammit
Asst.refs: J. Spiteri, S. Attard
4th official: S. Pace
Scorer: M. Avila Perez 83
Yellow cards: M. Avila Perez, E. Marcelina, E. Baker, A. Alves, A. Azzopardi, S. Borg
Red card: A. Alves
Player of the match: A. Cohen (Gzira U)
TMI top 3: 1. I. Azzopardi 2. J. Corbolan 3. E. Baker
SILVIO VELLA
Moises Avila Perez scored a goal of invaluable importance for Gzira United yesterday, against ten-man Tarxien Rainbows, to give his side three precious points in their fight for survival.
This was Gzira’s second victory on the trot as Tarxien sufferered their second consecutive league defeat within a fortnight.
Judging from previous results between the two teams this season, this fixture was always going to be tight. Following a one-all draw in the First Round, Tarxien had narrowly beaten Gzira with a Julian Galea goal in the second.
Tarxien were particularly flat in the first half yesterday and most of the initiative belonged to Gzira. A steady stream of chances began around the quarter hour for the Maroons but they also lacked penetration in attack.
The second half was more evenly balanced but when Tarxien had Alex Alves sent off 12 minutes before the end, Gzira capitalised, scoring a late winner that they richly deserved.
The Maroons had Antonio Macheda Neto suspended while forward Ige Adeshina was named among the substitutes. Louis Zome played in an attacking central role with Gianmarco Conti in support. Souleyman Diamoutene was back in defence for Darren Abdilla’s side.
Tarxien coach Jesmond Zerafa was also forced to make some changes. Ayrton Azzopardi and Sasha Borg were given starts, with Matthew Tabone suspended and Sergio Prendes starting on the bench.
Tarxien sought to make a fast start but Gzira would not allow them any comfort on the ball. The Maroons, in fact, were the first to threaten past the quarter hour. Tarxien keeper Cassar had to rush off his line to block at the feet of Corbolan, who had made progress inside the area after playing one-two with Conti.
Soon after, Corbolan dispossessed Sasha Borg from the right and sent a low cross inside the area but Zouma was late to connect.
Midway through the half, on a Cohen free kick from the left, Diamoutene headed slightly over the bar.
At this juncture, Gzira looked well in control. Tarxien struggled in their build-ups, with their midfielders Marcelina, Ayrton Azzopardi and Triston Caruana kept well under check. The unmarked Azzopardi headed feebly an Avila Perez cross towards the half hour and another Gzira chance went to waste.
Tarxien showed up on 35 minutes when Ponce found space down the right and crossed for Nilsson to head over. Frustration was creeping in for Tarxien as they failed to breach the Gzira defence by halftime.
And when Tarxien looked unable to get going even in the second period, coach Zerafa knew something had to change. Past the hour, in went Sergio Prendes and Julian Galea for Caruana and Azzopardi.
Gzira countered with Carlos Reyna’s introduction instead of Zome.
Conti failed to connect well to Jacob Borg’s cross from the right. On the other end, a Galea incursion inside the Gzira area was halted by Gatt Baldacchino.
Tarxien were down to ten men for the last ten minutes when their wide player Alex Alves was dismissed for a second caution.
Gzira immediately tried to exploit their numerical superiority. And after a deep Cohen free kick from the left clipped the post’s junction, Gzira made the breakthrough with seven minutes remaining.
From a Cohen corner, the Tarxien defence took some time to clear and the ball fell invitingly to Moises Avila Perez to knock it over the line.
FLORIANA - 2
PEMBROKE ATHLETA - 0
Floriana: M. Grech, A. Scicluna, E. Ruiz, C. Borg, I. Varela (D. Borg Castaldi), S. Nayar, A. Monticelli, M. Vella (S. Pisani), J. Pisani, N. Chiesa (D. Baldacchino), M. Fontanella
Pembroke A: M. Calleja Cremona, P. Giannopoulos (S. Eboh), R. Kooh Sohna, O. Bugeja, D. Jawad, A. Borg, P. Barbetti (T. Fenech), I. Roppas, G. Nagaoka (D. Falzon), T. Radovnikovic, B. Farrugia
Referee: E. Mangion
Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, C. Francalanza
4th official: A. M. Sant
Scorers: I. Varela 10, E. Ruiz 76
Yellow cards: P. Barbetti, R. Kooh Sohna, O. Bugeja, I. Varela, P. Giannopoulos
Red card: O. Bugeja
Player of the match: I. Varela (Floriana)
TMI top 3: 1. N. Chiesa 2. A. Monticelli 3. T. Radovnikovic
Attendance: 427
SILVIO VELLA
Two goals in each half, by Ignacio Varela and Enzo Ruiz, were enough for Floriana to beat Pembroke Athleta.
Floriana thus remain firmly in fourth place while Pembroke remain anchored at the bottom of the standings.
Floriana were a reshuffled side yesterday. With Ryan Camenzuli and Enrico Pepe injured, Steve Pisani not fully fit, and defender Alex Cini suspended, coach Giovanni Tedesco gave starts to Andre Scicluna and Antonio Monticelli, as well as to Clyde Borg while Nicolas Chiesa returned in midfield, with Nayar playing at the back. Matthew Grech retained his place in goal following his side’s FA Trophy match against Hamrun Spartans the previous week.
Pembroke went into this match in rude health, They have endured troubled times on and off the pitch these past few days. Still reeling from their surprise elimination from the FA Trophy by Gozitan side SK Victoria Wanderers, they were also docked three points, after their league win against Mosta was ruled null by the MFA Disciplinary Board, for allegations of match fixing involvement.
Two notable absentees for Pembroke yesterday were the suspended duo Andrea Scozzese and Zoran Levnaic.
There was a high-tempo start to the match but little in the way of openings.
Kooh Sohna had beaten keeper Grech after five minutes but the goal was disallowed as the Pembroke forward was judged to have fouled Floriana’s defender Ruiz in the process.
Floriana forged ahead five minutes later when Ignacio Varela connected well to Chiesa’s pass and hit a delightful flick past keeper Calleja Cremona at the far post.
But, despite their territorial dominance, Floriana failed to push for a second goal after taking the lead. Their keeper Grech blocked Kooh Sohna twice in succession inside the area. Kooh Sohna played an intelligent through pass on the half hour but the Floriana keeper reached for the ball before Giannopoulos.
Floriana were having plenty of possession but without really testing keeper Calleja Cremona. They missed a good opportunity on 35 minutes. Varela failed to connect on a Fontanella cross from the right and Pisani hit horrendously off target.
Shortly before the break, Floriana also had a Chiesa goal ruled out for an offside position.
For most of the second half, both sides did not have the ingenuity to do much with the ball and were at times expensively sluggish. Although Pembroke defended Floriana’s high crosses with some nervousness, the towering presence of Roppas and Radovnikovic always got the better of their opponents inside the area.
The introduction of Steve Pisani for Floriana and Darren Falzon for Pembroke was meant to lift the gloom that had descended at the Hibernians Stadium by the hour.
On 67 minutes Nayar thumped his shot against the bar as the Pembroke defence looked susceptible when trying to clear a Steve Pisani corner from the right.
Pembroke went close to an equaliser on 74 minutes with a Falzon curling free kick from the edge of the area on the left that landed on the roof of the net.
But all Pembroke’s hopes evaporated in thin air two minutes later as Floriana doubled their lead. Enzo Ruiz rose high to meet Steve Pisani’s long free kick and beat keeper Calleja Cremona with a powerful header.
Frustration grew for Pembroke as Barbetti walked out of the pitch and it took some minutes for him to be replaced by Tyrone Fenech. Meanwhile defender Owen Bugeja was sent off eight miunutes from time for a second bookable offence as Pembroke’s afternoon ended in more misery.