Sirens 2x 12
Marsascala Breakers 5
(1-1, 3-1, 4-2, 4-1)
Sirens: J. Caruana Dingli, A. Grech, J. Rizzo Naudi, K. Rizzo Naudi 1, C. Cauchi 2, J. Valletta 3, J. Borg 1, D. Cutajar 1, K. Montfort 1, C. Zammit, C. Mercieca 2, R. Attard, N. Cassar 1.
Marsascala: I. Bugeja, C. Spiteri de Barro, A. Galea 3, P. Privitera 1, C. Gialanze, J. Xerri De Caro, J. Licari, L. Griscti, S. Micallef, R. Cutajar, P. Fava 1, D. Ciappara, S. Farrugia.
Refs: E. Costa, P. Balzan
Sirens are at the top of the standings for the first time this season after they once again had the better of Marsascala and are still the only team to beat the southerners this season.
After a 5-2 win in the first round, Sirens produced a better display and totally outclassed their opponents as the victory was a clearcut affair. John Farrugia’s lads were in a better frame of mind and more consistent than the greens who looked a demoralised lot at the end.
The first session ended with a tied score, 1-1, and surely few people expected such a big final margin at the end. Both teams were very attentive of each other knowing fully well that they could not lose such valuable points at such a crucial stage into the season.
Marsascala had a dream start when they opened the scoring in their first offensive play. Anthony Galea continued on his last gasp equaliser against Neptunes a week earlier when he surprised fellow veteran Joe Caruana Dingli in the Sirens’ goal with a five metre scorcher after just 45 seconds of play.
Play then progressed with small chances for both sides and Sirens missing their first man-up. However they equalised on their second similar opportunity when Gialanze was excluded in the session’s dying seconds. Neil Cassar was quite lucky to score from close range after his flick hit the crossbar and deflected into the net off Ian Bugeja’s back.
Sirens took the upper hand when they managed to score three goals in less than 90 seconds. First Montfort put them in the lead 2-1 with a back-hand after Stephen Micallef was very unlucky not to steal the ball. Forty seconds later Jurgen Borg beat Bugeja with a diagonal shot from the right and just 44 seconds later Chris Cauchi outplayed Galea in the centre and made it 4-1.
Pual Privitera kept the greens’ hopes alive when he scored with a very powerful shot on the team’s first man-up situation. With Sirens messing a man-up it was a 4-2 game at the change of ends.
The game got closer as Paul Fava made it 4-3 when he scored from position four on a Cassar exclusion after just 35 seconds into the third session.
Sirens, however, registered another three goal break. Clint Mercieca got two of the goals. The first came on his second attempt after Sirens had missed on a Galea exclusion and the second was registered after De Caro was excluded for protests.
Anthony Galea made good use of a rebound after a Caruana Dingli save off a Privitera shot so as to reduce the margin to 7-4. However the greens paid dearly for a missed man-up when they suffered Sirens’ eight goal when captain Jonathan Valletta had the better of a centre tussle with Privitera and beat a hapless Bugeja.
Valletta put more pressure on Marsascala when he managed to make it 9-4 with a low diagonal shot beneath Bugeja’s outstretched hands after a minute and a half into the final session.
The greens tried to up the tempo but they lacked the usual tenacity. They did reduce the arrears when Galea scored on a Valletta exclusion but Sirens were clearly in a psychological advantage as they closed the game with yet another three goal streak. Valletta got his hat-trick with a superb back-hand followed by two centre goals from Cauchi and Karl Rizzo Naudi respectively coming in between a disallowed penalty goal from Privitera who clearly took too much time to shoot in that instance.
Sirens could hold on to the top spot if Neptunes today win a point when facing arch-rivals Sliema.
Division II
San Giljan FC 17
Marsaxlokk Freeport 3
( 4-3, 4-0, 6-0, 3-0)
San Giljan once again, moved to top spot momentarily after they registered a double over Marsaxlokk. This time round they had a more comfortable win than the 11-8 victory in the first round.
The southerners had a positive first session which ended 4-3 for the winners but then succumbed to the saints’ visible superiority both technically and physically.
In fact San Giljan scored ten consecutive goals in the next 14 minutes of play with Glen Ghirxi and the returning Matthew Zammit scoring a hat-trick each. Anthony Borda scored the Saints’ 13th goal, incidentally their 100th seasonal goal so as to be the first local team to arrive at such a tally.
The last session was also dominated by the Saints as they continued with a clean sheet and adding three further goals with Ghirxi obtaining his poker, seconds from the end.
San Giljan netted two goals from three man-ups whilst M’Xlokk had a single Charles Bugeja goal from five man-ups.
San Giljan: J. Spiteri, K. Lanzon 2, J. Camilleri, C. Bonello 1, G. Ghirxi 4, M. Zammit 3, I. Azzopardi, M. Pace 2, G. Farrugia 1, A. Borda 1, S. Borg 2, D. Camilleri, K. Grima Scott 1.
Marsaxlokk: R. Bonnici, S. Cachia, R. Calleja, A. Farrugia, N. Kerr 1, C. Bugeja 1, C. Jones, S. Cutajar, K. Incorvaja, M. Fava 1, D. Cassar, M. Cutajar, G. Zammit.
Refs: R. Spiteri, M. Caruana
Today’s programme
Tal-Qroqq: Division II 5pm Ta’ Xbiex Mermaids Paradise-Exiles RMF; 6pm, Otters-Valletta Fortina Rest. Division I 7pm Neptuens Vodafone-Sliema Burger King