LIJA ATHLETIC 1
VALLETTA 3
Lija A: L. Bonnici, P. Babic, O. Sidibe, D. Scerri, P. Borg, H. Valifor (N. Spiteri), M. Clinch, K. Hirose, E. Beu, R. Kooh Sohna, D. Agius (L. Schembri)
Valletta: H. Bonello, S. Borg, R. Camilleri, S. Malano (K. Nwoko), M. Piciollo, E. Beltre', J. Zerafa, R. Saleh (D. Dos Santos), R. Muscat, M. Alba, A. Prosa (M. Mifsud)
Referee: I. Barbara
Asst.refs: L. Portelli, T. Zammit
4th official: T. Farrugia Cann
Scorers: A. Prosa 34, M. Alba 66, 75, E. Beu 90+
Yellow cards: E. Beu
Player of the match: M. Piciollo (Valletta)
TMI top 3: 1. S. Malano 2. M. Piciollo 3. L. Bonnci
Report: SILVIO VELLA
Photos: Dominic Aquilina
A 12th league victory, after two consecutive draws, propelled Valletta to within one point of leaders Balzan with seven matches to go.
And when Valletta purr like this, delighting in every incisive move and swarming all over panicked opponents, it is hard to rule them out as title contenders.
Valletta had the edge throughout with Piciollo impressing on the right and Malano's intelligent distribution standing out in central midfield. Albert Prosa opened the score in the first half. Miguel Alba added a brace in the second on an evening when the Valletta fans rediscovered their voice.
Lija are not daunting opponents. They have lost all of their last eight matches and are rooted at the bottom. However, their limitations were exposed in this one-sided game and they have only keeper Luke Bonnici to thank for avoiding a heavier defeat.
Lija made four changes following defeat against Sliema Wanderers. Aaron and Ryan Sammut, as well as Carl Cassar were relegated to the bench and Leon Muscat was removed from their line-up before kick off, all making way for Predrag Babic, McAllister Clinch, Kooh Sohna and Dylan Agius.
Valletta had Steve Borg back in defence after suspension and started the game instead of Juan Cruz.
Doncic's team made a pulsating start and could have scored early when Piciollo hit the woodwork with his shot after hardly two minutes. Piciollo had a couple of other efforts blocked into corners by the defence and keeper Bonnici as Valletta produced a succession of promising opportunities.
And after Prosa hit Alba's floating free kick tamely at Bonnici, the Lija keeper blocked efforts from Piciollo and Malano in quick succession to deny Valletta.
Towards the half hour, Saleh's glancing header went over and a Beltre' shot took a wicked deflection, hitting the post before the goalkeeper could turn into a corner.
But Valletta were not to be denied. Their effective pressing game kept Lija under the cosh and after 34 minutes, Piciollo sent a cross from the left for Albert Prosa to toe-poke the ball past keeper Bonnici.
Valletta looked liberated and should have increased their advantage two minutes before the break. Malano put Piciollo through. He waited for the goalkeeper to go off his line, got past him but shot low against the foot of the post.
Lija were lucky that they were only one goal down at halftime.
Unfortunately for Valletta, despite dominating possession in the second half, they failed to continue creating such a sequence of clear chances after the interval. Prosa headed Piciollo's cross wide and the latter failed to head Alba's sailing free kick on target.
Valletta doubled their advantage on 66 minutes, when Saleh ran down the right, delivered a low cross for Miguel Alba to hit home from the edge of the area.
The same Valletta player added a third ten minutes later, after making progress through the middle and hitting low past the keeper as Lija's defence switched off.
Lija scored a consolation goal deep into two minutes of added time. Erjon Beu's direct free kick from the left completely took keeper Bonello by surprise. But that hardly served to lift Lija's spirits.
Impressive win helps Tarxien catch up with Naxxar
Tarxien R 5
Naxxar L 2
Tarxien R: A. Cassar, S. Radovanovic, E. Baker, G. Aquilina, A. Agius, L. Grech, A. Scicluna, S. Tounkara (J. Brincat 89 min), W. De Oliveira Viera (G. McKay 81 min), E. Calin, R. Faria (M. Desira Buttigieg 90 min).
Naxxar L: C. Nicht, R. Santos Henriues Caetano, M. Souza Duarte Junior, R. Grech, M. Micallef (R. Cassar 46 min), D. Bonnici, D. Bustos, A. Buhagiar, M. Belhadj (J. Debono 67 min), E. Ndoye (D. Falzon 46 min), Y. Messias.
Referee: Darryl Agius
Ass. Referees: Paul Apap, Duncan Sultana
Fourth official: Malcolm Spiteri
Scorers: Faria 35 min, 87 min, Bustos 37 min, De Oliveira Viera 41 min, 45 min, Baker 47 min og, Samba Tounkara 50 min pen,
Yellow cards: S. Tounkara, R. Grech, R. Faria, G. Aquilina
Player of the match: Ricardo Silva Faria (Tarxien R)
TMI Best Three: 1. R. Faria, 2. D. Bonnici, 3. W. De Oliveira Viera
Tarxien Rainbows beat Naxxar in a direct relegation tussle, to catch up with the same Naxxar on the 14-point mark, putting the relegation issue wide open with seven games to go.
With Faria and Wellington Vierain splendid form, Tarxien were clinical in front of goal to bring to an end a five-match negative streak in which they only gained one point. Naxxar had some good movements in attack but their defence had an off day as it was ripped apart whenever Tarxien ventured forward.
The first feeble attempt at goal came from Naxxar with Bustos hitting wide from the edge of the area. Tarxien's answer came on 20 minutes with the Naxxar goalkeeper Nicht making a great save off an Andrew Agius scorcher from well outside the area.
Sixty seconds later Messias passed towards Bustos whose shot just missed the crossbar. Tarxien started to gain some territorial superiority pushing Naxxar in their own half. On 35 minutes Tarxien broke the deadlock when Wellington made ground on the right and crossed towards Ricardo Silva Faria who drilled home from an ideal position.
But Tarxien's joy was shortlived as two minutes later Naxxar were back on level terms when Belhadj passed towards Bustos whose low shot beat Cassar, with the ball possibly given the last kick by defender Scicluna in an attempt to clear.
But Tarxien quickly re-took the lead when Wellington De Oliveira Viera received a long ball that caught the Naxxar defence napping and the Tarxien striker made no mistake with a precise lob.
On 45 minutes Tarxien increased their lead when in a fast break Tounkara passed towards Wellington De Oliveira Viera who fired home a beauty from just inside the area.
Naxxar coach Oliver Spiteri introduced Ryan Gilmour Cassar and Darren Falzon at the start of the second half and after only two minutes the Lions were back in business when Baker headed into his own net a Bustos freekick.
But on 50 minutes Tarxien scored again when Angus Buhagiar handled inside the area and from the penalty spot Samba Tounkara fired in the top corner.
On the hour Naxxar had a good chance of pulling one back but Duane Bonnici fired on the onrushing Cassar.
Naxxar pushed forward to get back in the game but Tarxien were solid at the back with Baker making amends for his own goal with some timely clearances.
Three minutes from time Tarxien definitely put the game to bed when Faria crowned a good performance scoring from close range after beating the offside trap.
Haruna Garba breaks Spartans' hearts
Hamrun S 1
Gzira U 2
Photos: Dominic Aquilina
Hamrun S: J. Galea, M. Criaco, D. Zerafa, C. Zaccardo (L. Sciberras 55 min), G. De Castro, K. Micallef (B. Schembri 89 min), A. Faria Machado, T. Caruana, T. Souza Da Silveira, L. Micallef, D. Camilleri.
Gzira U: A. Curmi, R. Briffa (J. Corbolan 78 min), C. Gatt Baldacchino, D. Mambouana, K. Thackray, M. Avila Perez, E. Zarate Bilboa (H. Garba 72 min), A. Cohen (N. Muscat 72 min), Z. Scerri, A. Samb, N. Okoye
Referee: Fyodor Zammit
Ass. Referees: Jurgen Spiteri and Sammy Attard
Fourth official: Matthew Degabriele
Scorers: L. Micallef 57 min, A. Samb 69 min pen, H. Garba 80 min.
Yellow cards: A. Faria Machado, D. Mambouana, D. Zerafa, R. Briffa, L. Sciberras, T. Caruana, T. Souza Da Silveira, J. Corbolan
Player of the match: Marco Criaco (Hamrun S)
TMI Best Three: 1. M. Criaco, 2. M. Avila Perez, 3. L. Micallef
Attendance: 366
Photos: Dominic Aquilina
Ex-Hamrun striker Haruna Garba scored his first goal for the Maroons to give his side victory over the Spartans and make it a double after the first round 4-0 drubbing.
It must be said that Hamrun did not deserve to leave the field empty handed as they dominated completely the first half with Gzira nowhere to be seen. However on the resumption Gzira were the better team and kept believing in the final success even when going behind to Micallef's good goal.
The game took quite some time to ignite with Hamrun creating their first chance on 22 minutes when De Castro exchanged the ball with Lydon Micallef and his bombshell rocked the crossbar. Two minutes later Faria Machado was shown a yellow card for simulation and on 25 minutes Marco Criaco's effort just missed the target.
On 33 minutes Curmi made a great save off a Criaco shot on the turn from the edge of the area. Hamrun continued to attack as the Maroons were completely blotted out of the game. On 38 minutes Thackray almost put at the back of his own net in an attempt to clear and minutes later Thiago headed wide when well placed.
Gzira's only chance came just before the break when Amadou Samb put an inviting ball in front of goal, but there was no one who could connect.
Gzira looked a different proposition in the second half testing the Hamrun goalkeeper with shots from Andrew Cohen and an Okoye freekick. On 56 minutes it was Thackray's turn to test Galea from another freekick.
On 57 minutes Hamrun broke the deadlock when Lydon Micallef scored a very good goal with a shot from the edge of the area.
Gzira almost equalised two minutes later from a corner action, with Cohen missing the target from close range.
On 63 minutes Okoye missed a sitter with only Grech to beat and on the other end Criaco's low drive was blocked by Curmi.
On 68 minutes Okoye was apparently tripped by Zerafa with the referee opting for the penalty, which Amadou Samb converted in style.
Gzira were now in search of victory but Hamrun went close 12 minutes from time with Micallef's close range shot brilliantly blocked by Curmi.
On 80 minutes Gzira took the lead when from a corner action ex-Hamrun striker Haruna Garba's back header found the back of the net. It proved to be the winner.
Hibernians hit five in mauling of Senglea
Report: SILVIO VELLA
HIBERNIANS 5
SENGLEA ATHLETIC 1
Hibernians: R. Briffa, D. Vella, M. Kreuzreigler, R. Gomes, J. Degabriele (A. Neto), C. Failla (J. Lima), J. Bezzina (R. Soares), A. Agius, J. Moreira, J. Mbong, G. Gorozia
Senglea A: M. Farrugia, R. Vella, J. Bondin (S. Bonnici), S. Uyi, I. Azzopardi, G. Virano, J. Spiteri (B. Volpini), I. Paz, T. Vella (N. Palmieri), A. Caseres, G. Braga
Referee: A.M. Sant
Asst.refs: E. Spiteri, P. Abela
4th official: S. Spiteri
Scorers: A. Caseres 8, C. Failla 14 pen, J. Moreira 41, J. Degabriele 66, D. Vella 88, A. Neto 90
Yellow cards: A. Agius
Player of the match: J. Bezzina (Hibernians)
TMI top 3: 1. J. Mbong 2. I. Paz 3. J. Bezzina
Attendance: 509
Thanks to this comfortable victory over Senglea Athletic, Hibernians now move into fifth place in the standings, two points above Floriana, and trail Gzira by two points.
The scoreline might suggest a stroll, but the champions struggled in the face of a robust performance from Senglea in the opening 45 minutes.
Hibernians' goalless draw with Mosta the previous week was a recurrence of profligacy in front of goal. Until the second-half goal glut, there were signs the problems might cost the champions more points.
Senglea ditched the defensive tactics and went for the win, their confidence seemingly lifted by the fact that they had won three and drew one of the previous six matches.
Favaretto's team had midfielder Matias Garcia suspended, but Ivan Paz was back in the side. They looked comfortable, especially in midfield, with Virano and Paz stroking the ball about.
Although they began tidily enough, and went in front through Caseres, by the second half they were offering scant resistance.
Yesterday Rudy Briffa was on goalkeeping duty for Hibernians, who had Bjorn Kristensen suspended and both Rodolfo Soares and Jackson Lima used as substitutes.
Senglea got off to a great start, cleverly exploiting the pace of their two front runners Caseres and Braga against a slow Hibernians backline.
They made the breakthrough after only eight minutes when Augusto Caseres outpaced Gomez, advanced inside the Hibernians area and slotted the ball low past the onrushing keeper from a tight angle.
Two minutes later, as Hibernains were making a hash of cleaning things up at the back, Braga persisted against three opponents and created space for himself only to shoot wide.
To their credit, Hibernians responded well and before the quarter hour they were awarded a penalty after Azzopardi handled Moreira's cross inside the area. Clayton Failla stepped up and tucked it confidently to restore parity.
Hibernians' fragile defending though could have given Senglea the lead before halftime. Paz's free kick was too central and, on a Spiteri cross from the left, on 36 minutes, the unmarked Caseres headed straight at keeper Briffa.
Eventually, with halftime looming, Hibernians woke up to the fact that they were being upstaged and unleashed a matching riposte, although it was from a set piece that they took the lead four minutes before halftime. Failla's corner from the right was flicked in by Joao Moreira for his second league goal since joining the Paolites in January.
Shortly after the restart, Hibernians had claims for another penalty turned down by the referee, after Degabriele fell inside the area as keeper Farrugia rushed out to block at his feet.
But Senglea weren't bothered about that and immediately went up the other end to do battle. Paz ran down the left and delivered an inviting ball that rolled across the face of the Hibernians goal but nobody made contact.
The contest flowed, with Hibernians looking more confident. Jackson Lima, who had just gone in as a substitute, tested keeper Farrugia with a fierce drive, turned into a corner, past the hour.
And on 66 minutes, with Senglea still to conjure a proper chance in the second half, the champions put the match beyond them with a third goal. This time Jurgen Degabriele applied the finish, after picking up Bezzina's through pass.
In the dying minutes, Dunstan Vella missed a sitter, standing alone in front of the Senglea goal, on an Mbong cross.
But there was still time for Hibernians to score more goals. With two minutes remaining, Vella atoned by scoring his side's fourth goal with a powerful strike as he ran through the middle. And on the stroke of time, substitute Arlindo Neto added gloss to Hibernians' victory, scoring the fifth goal.