LIJA ATHLETIC 4
KALKARA 0
Lija A: J. Martinelli (L. Attard), P. Babic (E. Beu), L. Muscat (A. Caruana), D. Scerri, A. Sammut, R. Kooh Sohna, A. Bello Osagie, O. Sidibe, N. Spiteri, A. Galea, M. Clinch
Kalkara: M. Vella, M. Cassar, J. Briffa, A. Hammet, J. Spiteri, T. Thomas (D. Valletta), M. Schembri, J. Briffa, B. Antignolo, L. Bonnet, J. Felice
Referee: A.M. Sant
Asst.refs: L. Portelli, P. Apap
4th official: P. Farrugia
Scorers: R. Kooh Sohna 7, 43, 58, A. Bello Osagie 51 pen
Yellow cards: D. Scerri
Red cards: A. Galea, M. Schembri
Lija Athletic moved into the next round of the FA Troph after easily disposing of Kalkara in a one-sided match that was hardly ever a contest. Kooh Sohna scored a hat trick and Bello Osagie netted a penalty for the Premeir League side against toothless opponents.
Division 2 side Kalkara, who had only lost once in their last six league matches, tried to put up a fight in the first half against Premier League opponents.
At the end, their limitations had been thoroughly exposed by the pace and workrate of a Lija side apparently technically superior although lying at the bottom of the Premier League.
Lija took an early lead after only seven minutes play when Rapha Kooh Sohna headed in Spiteri’s cross from close range.
They doubled their lead two minutes before the break, again through Kooh Sohna who, after picking Sammut’s low cross from the left, evaded an opponent and beat keeper Vella with a low drive.
In between Lija’s first half goals Kalkara threatened an equaliser when Felice’s header flashed across the face of the Lija goal, following an Antignolo corner and past the half hour, when Thomas crossed from the right, the ball fell to the unmarked Antignolo, who hesitated too long inside the area and Muscat could clear.
With their rhythm mostly pedestrian, Kalkara had neither the craft nor the pace to threaten seriously in the second half and Lija could add further goals to ease their progress.
Five minutes after the restart, Lija won a penalty after Spiteri was felled by Hammet inside the area and Bello Osagie scored from the spot.
Short of the hour, Kooh Sohna capitalised on some hesitancy in the Kalkara defence, advanced through the middle and struck the ball past the keeper to complete a hat-trick.
Kalkara were falling apart and a Beu headed effort on 64 minutes was cleared off the line by Thomas.
Both teams ended the match with ten men. Lija’s Aiden Galea and Kalkara’s Matthew Schembri were both sent off for dissent.
Siggiewi 2
Pieta H. 3
(after extra time 1-1 after 90 minutes)
Siggiewi: R. Caruana, E. Ciappara (J. Camilleri), G. Azzopardi, C. Edafe, I. Darmanin, A. Farrugia (L. Zahra), E. Bugeja, R. Spiteri, M. Busuttil (J. Vella), T. Grozev, M. Brincat
Pieta H.: M. Montfort, T. Bartolo, JR Perez, C. Grech, G. Spiteri (J. Busuttil), D. Agius, J. Delia (C. Gauci), N. Pace Cocks, G. Mensah (J. Irimiya), Q. Bregman, JM Artiaga
Referee: P. Toled
Asst refs: R. Vella, D. Spencer, G. Mensah, T. Grozev, J. Busuttil
Yellow cards: J. Delia, M. Busuttil, T. Bartolo, C. Gauci
Red card: Q. Bregman
Ten-man Pieta Hotspurs snatched victory in extra time against second division side Siggiewi winning by the odd goal in five to advance to the 4th round.
Pieta were not expected to advance to the next round, but Siggiewi proved to be a stubborn side.
In the first half, Pieta were the better team dictating play from midfield. After scoring early, they seemed to be running away with the opposition, but Siggiewi, despite that early setback, never gave away an inch and eventually also managed to draw level.
In the second half, Pieta remained, perhaps, a slightly better side, but goal scoring opportunities were few and far between.
Artiaga gave Pieta the lead on the second minute, hitting home a diagonal shot.
The Hotspurs almost added a second on 22 minutes when Siggiewi goalie Caruana had to dive full length to turn to corner in style a Bartolo effort.
The equaliser arrived in the 26th minute when goalie Montfort headed badly into the path of Siggiewi midfielder Eman Ciappara, who lifted the ball over the goalie and into the net from about 35 metres.
In the second half, it was Pieta who went closest through shots from Pace Cocks and Artiaga which, however, went over.
On 71 minutes, Pieta ended in 10 men as Quincy Bregman was shown a red card, but Siggiewi failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority.
The match exploded into life in the first half of extra time with three goals being scored in the space of five minutes. Pieta took the lead through Mensah on 110 minutes. Grozev equalised for Siggiewi three minutes later and in the 105th minute, Jan Busuttil again put Pieta ahead 3-2.
Mosta struggle past Mqabba
MOSTA 2
MQABBA 1
Mosta: A. Vella, L. Ferreira (N. Frendo), D. Fenech (D. Nworah), G. Blessing, K. Magro, D. Mansi, T. Farrugia, K. Frendo (Z. Brincat), D. Zarate, I. Maric, R. Ekani
Mqabba: J. Debono, R. Tanti (G. Micallef), R. Mandic, N. Ojuola, S. Buhagiar, M. Borg, K. Cutajar, T. Trebovac, P. Chimezie, G. Gesualdi, B. Muscat
Referee: I. Barbara
Asst.refs: E. Spiteri, P. Abela
4th official: G. Tonna
Scorers: E. Zarate 17, M. Borg 42, T. Farrugia 66
Yellow cards: M. Borg, S. Buhagiar, K. Frendo, K. Magro
It required a second half goal from their central defender Tyrone Farrugia for Mosta to earn their place in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.
It was difficult not to sympathise with Mqabba, eight places below them, who had equalised via a Michael Borg well taken free kick before halftime as they fought back from their haphazard opening.
Mqabba certainly made it a more awkward night than many people might have anticipated, with Tomislav Trebovic catching the eye in midfield and Paul Chimezie also impressive in attack.
Mqabba looked unsettled in defence in the opening minutes. Mosta threatened early. Blessing blazed his shot narrowly off target and then Farrugia headed over from a corner.
Not surprisingly, Mosta forged ahead past the quarter hour. Edison Zarate beat Mqabba keeper Debono with a left foot strike, following an Ekani cross.
Predictably Mosta began playing with more confidence and authority after that.
A Zarate free kick caused panic inside the Mqabba area but finally the grounded goalkeeper could get hold of the ball.
A Frendo free kick was deflected off the Mqabba wall.
Mqabba displayed plenty of the spirit that has galvanised their third place in Division 1 but they were sporadic going forward.
They had only a Chimezie cross shot that skimmed the post registering as a chance for the first 40 minutes. However, they drew level three minutes before the break when Michael Borg steered an exquisite direct free kick from outside the area at the top left hand corner of Vella’s goal.
Mosta were struggling to get any meaningful possession after the interval and suffered from a lack of concentrated cutting edge.
Mqabba started to play the better football, allowing their opponents no comfort on the ball.
Mqabba wilted again under the challenge of another Mosta set piece on 66 minutes though, as Tyrone Farrugia made contact with a sailing Zarate free kick to flick the ball past keeper Debono.
The pickings had been slim for Mqabba after falling behind again and the closest they went to an equaliser was ten minutes from time when Gesualdi sterred his header narrowly wide from a corner.
As the match began drifting to its conclusion Mosta were able to bring on fresh legs of Neil Frendo and Zac Brincat to defend their slim lead and move into the next round where they await Zejtun or Marsaxlokk.
San Gwann make sure with second half goals
San Gwann 3
Melita 0
Melita: N. Charnock, JP Attard, J. Abela, R. Parrado, M. Galea (A. Mizzi), M. Cassar (M. Hammet), E. Cornago, N. Bradshaw, A. Xuereb (T. Singleton), L. Micallef, M. Groves.
San Gwann: A. Camilleri, A. Cachia (A. Borg) , A. Abela, K.Gatt, T. Lopez de Souza, M. Kura, D. Chavez Flores (K. Grech), JC Kiala, J. Tanti (J. Azzopardi), C. Gauci, S. Vella.
Referee: S. Calleja.
Asst refs: A. Camilleri, C. Francalanza.
4th official: S. Petrovic.
Scorers: D. Chavez Flores 2 one pen., J. Tanti
Red card: JP Attard
San Gwann advanced to the 4th round of the competition as they disposed of Melita by three second half goals.
After a boring first half, Daniel Chavez Flores opened the scoring from a penalty early in the second period and Jan Tanti scored the second a few minutes later. Chavez Flores added a third a few minutes from the end.
The first half lacked goalmouth incidents with play being restricted to midfield for long stretches.
However, it was Melita who created the only half chances although they failed to test Saints goalie Camilleri decently.
San Gwann lacked ideas and could not make any headway as Melita were dominant at the back.
But in the second half, although Melita proved to be more dangerous at first, San Gwann moved forward much more frequently and looked better organised than Melita.
Cornago twice had shots blocked on 16 and 20 minutes, and a Xuereb effort received the same fate on 31 minutes.
And on the stroke of halftime, Melita went closest to scoring through Axl Xuereb whose cross-shot forced goalie Camilleri to turn to corner with difficulty.
At the start of the second half, after a Micallef shot was saved by Camilleri, it was San Gwann who broke the ice as Daniel Chavez Flores converted a penalty awarded after Jan Tanti was floored in the area.
At the other end, a Xuereb shot was blocked by Camilleri, while Melita goalie Charnock also had to block a dangerous Tanti effort.
Tanti was again protagonist on 61 minutes as he doubled the score for the Saints beating Charnock with a low shot.
Melita ended in 10 men on 70 minutes when referee Calleja dismissed captain Jean Pierre Attard following a second yellow card.
Chavez Flores sealed the issue with a third goal on 84 minutes, firing home following a good cross from Kiala.