NAXXAR LIONS 0
BIRKIRKARA 2
Naxxar L: C. Nicht, R. Caetano, M. Duarte, J. Moser (M. Fenech)), A. Buhagiar (R. Cassar), M. Micallef, D. Falzon (J. Ellul), D. Bonnici, D. Bustos, O. Ndoye, Y. Messias
Birkirkara: K. Naumowski, T. Agius, F. Barbosa, M. Andelkovic, J. Grech (N. Farrugia) , W. Ferreira (G. Zammit), K. Zammit, N. Vukanac, C. Concalves, S. Dimitrov (A. Attard), C. Attard
Referee: E. Grech
Asst.refs: D. Sultana, T. Debono
4th official: S. Pace
Scorers: T. Agius 47, W. Ferreira 57
Yellow cards: T. Agius, A. Buhagiar
Player of the match: S. Dimitrov (Birkirkara)
TMI top 3: 1. S. Dimitrov 2. C. Concalves 3. C. Nicht
Attendance: 540
Report: SILVIO VELLA
Photos: Domenic Aquilina
Latest recruits Terence Agius and Waldemar Ferreira scored their first goals for Birkirkara to give them an impressive seventh league win on the trot without conceding, as they catch up with Gzira United in third place.
Naxxar Lions were their victims yesterday and although coach Oliver Spiteri's side have been going through a decent run of form themselves recently, it simply had not been their afternoon and it could have been worse.
For the first 45 minutes perhaps there was a question of whether Birkirkara's creative midfield, with Terence Agius and Mislav Andelkovic, as well as wide players Concalves and Dimitrov, would be forceful enough to break through Naxxar's barriers.
Birkirkara turned up the heat after the break and it came to be a struggle for Naxxar to come back into the game after twice falling behind before the hour.
Deployed wide on the left, Srdan Dimitrov was the instigator of all things positive, exhibiting his constant desire to succeed - an attribute as important as those performed by his feet.
Both teams had registered convincing wins the previous week. Following a 5-0 thrashing of Senglea, consistent Birkirkara had Edward Herrera suspended and handed a start to Cain Attard instead. Terence Agius also started the match instead of De Brito.
Naxxar, who had beaten Lija Athletic 4-0, showed only one change, with Angus Buhagiar, returning from suspension, starting instead of Ryan Cassar.They played in unfamiliar sky-blue shirts yesterday.
Birkirkara's offensive early start gave way to some struggle as the well-organised Naxxar side closed out all avenues. Keeper Nicht was kept busy, repelling a Dimitrov shot after six minutes and turning into a corner an Andelkovic effort on the quarter hour.
Birkirkara kept fashioning most of their attacks down the right flank, through Attard and Concalves, but Bonnici provided good cover in that area.
No more goalmouth action ensued despite high energy levels from both sides until, towards the half hour, Dimitrov's snapshot was again held out by the Naxxar keeper. That was a sign of life from the Stripes.
Birkirkara came out in the second half on the front foot as they took the lead after only two minutes. Naxxar's backline failed to deal with a low Concalves cross from the right and Terence Agius let fly a low curling shot from the edge of the area that beat keeper Nicht.
The Lions were in the throes of weathering a second-half storm.They simply could not get out as Birkirkara played with more confidence.
Before the hour they struck again. This time Concalves delivered a cross towards the middle, after a short corner from the right. Barbosa's lob found Waldemar Ferreira unmarked in front of goal and, as the flag stayed down, the Brazilian headed in his first goal for the Stripes.
Naxxar simply fell to pieces, unable to contain the direct running of Concalves and Dimitrov. A Messias free kick on 74 minutes ended straight on keeper Naumovski.
Birkirkara should have had more. Ferreira was anticpated by Caetano into a corner as he ran in to meet Dimitrov's cross and then his header was held on the line by the goalkeeper following Dimitrov's corner kick.
By the close, the Stripes had coasted to another convincing victory. If anything, they are becoming stronger and stronger as the season ages.
Sliema end winless run by beating blunt Lija
SLIEMA WANDERERS 2
LIJA ATHLETIC 0
Sliema W: G. Zammit, M. Muchardi, S. Biancardi, F. Temile, N. Milinceanu, M. Sansone (R. Spiteri), M. Scerri (K. Shaw), P. Xuereb, R.Correa, J. Mintoff, J. De Assis (E. Agius)
Lija A: L. Bonnici, L. Muscat, D. Scerri, A. Sammut, P. Borg, C. Cassar (D. Agius), H. Valifor (M. Clinch), O. Sidibe, K. Hirose, E. Beu, R. Sammut (R. Kooh Sohna)
Referee: F. Zammit
Asst.refs: L. Portelli, W. Debattista
4th official: D. Agius
Scorers: O. Sidibe 58 og, M. Sansone 61
Yellow cards: R. Sammut, K. Hirose, P. Xuereb
Player of the match: R. Correa (Sliema W)
TMI top 3: 1. R. Correa 2. N. Milinceanu 3. L. Muscat
Report: SILVIO VELLA
Photos: Domenic Aquilina
This was Sliema Wanderers' first win in six league matches since November.
An own goal by Lija defender Ousmane Sidibe and another by Michele Sansone within three minutes in the second half and the Wanderers had justified their odds-on status without much of a fuss. Lija Athletic were their opponents yesterday.
Lija are not exactly daunting opponents, rooted at the bottom of the table, with seven consecutive defeats and scoreless in their last two. Yet they did their best to make life hard for their opponents.
Until Sidibe's own goal short of the hour, the Wanderers had been dominant in terms of possession, territory and chances created but failed to raise much of a tempo while persistently being wasteful in the final third.
Sliema had Jefferson De Assis back in attack from the start, with Ricardo Correa also returning to the side as Nortey and Adamovic made way.
In the absence of the latter, Mark Scerri played as central defender alongside Bianchardi, with Peter Xuereb, Matias Muchardi, Michele Sansone and Frank Temile crowding the midfield, in a 4-4-2 formation.
Lija were were without the suspended Leejoe Schmebri. Clinch and Kooh Sohna were only introduced as substitutes but Ousman Sidibe and Patrick Borg returned in defence.
For the opening 45 minutes, Sliema played in the hands of a Lija side that were set up to sit deep, frustrate and strike on the counterattack.
The Wanderers fashioned their first opportunity of note midway through the half when Muchardi slipped the ball inside for Milinceanu. The Lija keeper Bonnici hesitated to come out of his area but the Sliema forward put his effort wide as he angled his run.
As more time elapsed, Milinceanu became quite a handful.
On the half hour, De Assis ran in to slide the ball into the Lija net, off a Milinceanu cross from the right, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside.
Sliema grew more menacing towards halftime. On a De Assis cross, Temile's header was cleared out by Borg. On a Correa cross from the left, Milinceanu thumped the ball against the foot of the post from close range. And when De Assis made progress inside the Lija area from the right, his effort was just deflected into a corner by a Lija defender.
Sliema were thoroughly on top at that stage but the match was still goalless at halftime.
After the interval, Correa got Sliema immediately on the attack down the left, crssing for De Assis to head towards goal but keeper Bonnici was good to hold out.
That attack proved to be a warning because on 58 minutes, Sliema took the lead courtesy of an own goal by Lija defender Ousmane Sidibe who, completely unchallenged, headed Correa's floating free kick past his own keeper.
Sliema doubled their lead three minutes later. Following a short corner, Temile dropped the ball for Michele Sansone to steer it low past the helpless Bonnici.
Lija were struggling to respond to Sliema's double lead but on 74 minutes a Hirose shot from outside the area was turned into a corner by the outstretched Sliema keeper Zammit.
But Sliema were not deterred and could have even added another goal late in the game but Temile wasted a glaring opportunity, shooting off target with the Lija goal at his mercy.
10-man Tarxien earn merited point
Report: Henry Brincat
Senglea 2
Tarxien R. 2
Senglea: M. Farrugia, R. Vella, J. Bondin, S. Uyi, I. Azzopardi, M. Garzia, G. Virano, I. Paz, T. Vella, N. Palmieri, B. Gregor (A. Caseres).
Tarxien R.: A.Cassar, E. Baker, AC Scicluna, L. Grech, S. Radovanovic, G. Aquilina, S. Cipriott, J. Brincat, EM Calin, S. Tounkara, W. De Oliveira Viera (M. Brincat).
Referee: M. Degabriele.
Asst refs: A. Camilleri, S. Attard.
4th official: I. Barbara.
Scorers: M. Garzia, W. De Oliveira, T. Vella, E. Calin
Yellow cards: I. Azzopardi, M. Garzia, S. Uyi, S. Radovanovic,
Red cards: S. Cipriott
TMI Top 3: 1. E. Calin, 2. I. Paz, 3. B. Gregor.
Tarxien Rainbows, 1-0 in arrears and down to 10 men as early as the 10th minute, fought back admirably to draw2-2 with Senglea Athletic.
They twice came from behind to level matters and earn a precious point in their battle for survival in the Premier League.
Garzia and Vella scored for Senglea, while De Oliveira and Calin replied for the Rainbows.
Played under an incessant light shower which made the surface very slippery, the match saw Senglea taking the upper hand early in the match, especially after taking an early lead.
But they did not take advantage of a situation which also saw them in numerical advantage when Senglea had Cipriott sent off after just 10 minutes.
One expected the Rainbows to reel at this second setback in a few minutes, but in actual fact, it was Tarxien who took the initiative launching several attacks before eventually scoring a merited equaliser.
At the end of the first 45 minutes, the 1-1 scoreline was perhaps a fair result.
In the second half, Senglea again scored quickly to regain the lead. This time, however, Tarxien found it more difficult to move upfield with a man fewer.
But having resisted for about 25 minutes, they found renewed energy to equalise for a second time a few minutes from the end.
Senglea took an early lead when on the 3rd minute, from an Ivan Paz corner, it was Matias Garzia who headed past Andrea Cassar.
The Rainbows suffered a second setback in the 10th minute when referee Degabriele showed a direct red cards to Sean Cipriott for violent conduct.
However, on the 24th minute, from a Calin cornerkick, it was Andre Scicluna who saw his header deviated to another corner.
Two minutes later, Calin had another try, this time from an angled freekick, but the ball just missed the target. Tarxien also went close through another freekick from James Brincat, which also went just wide.
The Rainbows insisted and from a Tounkara cross, James Brincat hit just wide. But a goal was in the offing and it arrived in the 33rd minute when Wellington De Oliveira scored with a diving header.
Senglea's reply arrived on 39 minutes when a Virano dangerous cross was flicked to corner and moments later, it was goalie Cassar who denied Gregor saving the latter's effort with his feet.
At the other end, before the interval whistle, Farrugia turned to corner a dangerous Calin freekick.
Senglea regained the lead on the 51st minute when following a very impressive run by Gregor on the left flank, he crossed low for Terence Vella to hit home into an empty net.
Senglea now looked a better team and attacked for long stretches without, however, being effective.
Palmieri missed the target on 74 minutes after rounding a defender on the edge of the area.
In the 78th minute, Tarxien threatened through a Calin freekick which created havoc in the Senglea goalmouth, but goalie Farrugia managed to save on the line.
But Tarxien were not to be denied as they scored a second equaliser on 81 minutes. And it was my man of the match Calin who scored a beauty with a rising shot from 20 metres which completely beat Farrugia.
The match was not over yet as Senglea almost snatched a winner through substitute Caseres who hit the crossbar with a fine effort from the edge of the area.
But the final 2-2 scoreline did justice with both teams.
Cabral secures points for Floriana
Floriana 1
Hamrun S. 0
Floriana: I. Akpan, S. Nayar, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, S. Pisani, J. Cabral, A. Cini, A. Oyama, D. Grima, M. Fontanella, E. Marcelina.
Hamrun S.: J. Galea, M. Criaco, D. Zerafa, C. Zaccardo, G. De Castro, K. Micallef, A. Faria Machado, T. Espindola, T. Souza Da Silveira, D. Camilleri, A. Nilsson.
Referee: M. Spiteri.
Asst refs: E. Spiteri, D. Petrovic.
4th official: S. Spiteri
Scorers: J. Cabral.
Red card: T. Espindola.
Player of the match: J. Cabral.
In the other match, Floriana returned to winning form as a goal by Juninho was enough to beat Hamrun Spartans.
The Greens needed to win this match badly, having lost four of their previous six matches, and losing contact with the league leaders.
Floriana missed midfield Maurizo Vella, who is suspended.
The only goal arrived on the 27th minute when Juninho Cabral took a ball down the right, advanced and when entering the area, he hit towards the near corner underneath the onrushing Jake Galea.
The Spartans could have equalised near the end of the first half when from a Criaco freekick, it was Zaccardo who headed just wide.
In the second half, Floriana were unlucky not to have added a second goal when Cabral saw his shot hitting the upright.
On 74 minutes, Hamrun's Espindola was given a second yellow card and was therefore dismissed leaving his team playing with 10 men.
Later, Hamrun goalie Jake Galea denied Alex Cini with a good save and near the end, Hamrun tried hard to save a point, but the Greens held on to take all the three points.