The appointment of Dutch technical director Jan Artz, to fill the coaching vacancy after Jimmy Briffa’s departure, the debut of Senegalese defender Diao after Da Silva’s termination of contract as well as the return on loan of Sliema’s defender Ian Ciantar, failed to bring Floriana their first league win after four outings.
To be fair there were moments when the Greens could have conjured that elusive first win, and Ciantar had his fair share in that, scoring his side’s both goals, but profligacy in front of goal as well as some naive defending again let Floriana down.
Disregard the scoreline. This was no tempestuous match. The centerpiece of this exhibition was inept defending, especially by Floriana’s central duo.
Msida too committed some defensive blunders but their second consecutive win of the season was a deserved one at the end.
The Saints made only one change from the side which beat Valletta in the previous outing as Roderick Bajada took Fenech’s place in midfield before being substituted in the second half.
Floriana dropped Cilia, Micallef and Fabri, following their defeat by Hibernians, and gave starts to Caruana, Formosa and the returning Ciantar.
The four goals were the only highlights of a mistake-riddled first half. Floriana took the lead after eight minutes when a Formosa long cross after a short corner was clumsily cleared by the Msida defence on Eviparker’s headed effort and defender Ian Ciantar shot low from close range.
Msida tried to regroup and equalised midway through the first half, courtesy of a Tyrone Farrugia spectacular drive as he drilled his shot from some 25 metres out, leaving Floriana’s keeper Agius rooted to his line.
Floriana looked jaded and Msida started to show some more urgency although in hazy fashion.
On the half hour, keeper Agius saved Babatunde’s close effort into a corner. On the other end, keeper Borg rushed off his line to foil Adrian Mifsud before connecting on Eviparker’s pass.
Adrian Mifsud failed to capitalise on Josef Mifsud’s hesitant clearance on Eviparker’s header, as he scuffed his shot wide.
One minute before the break, Msida forged ahead. One of several bright approaches spurred by Carabott on the right flank, brought about an insidious cross, which keeper Agius palmed out when challenged by Babatunde. Roderick Bajada picked up the loose ball from the edge of the area and steered it low into an empty goal.
But it took Floriana only one minute to draw level before the half-time whistle, again courtesy of some defensive ingenuity by the Saints’ defence as they failed to clear a deep cross and Ian Ciantar nipped in to shoot in from close range, despite Borg’s bodily challenge to block.
The pattern of the game did not change much in the second half. Hardly three minutes after the restart, Floriana were let down once more by some comic cut defending. Caruana hesitated on a long ball forward played byTheuma and Daniel Nwoke ran in to beat the onrushing Agius and shoot in low on the turn from an acute angle.
Floriana tried hard to draw level and effected a double substitution on the hour, putting in Baldacchino and Micallef.
Although the Greens created several chances and twice went close through Adrian Mifsud, Msida could have finished more comfortable winners if they had exploited all Floriana’s gaps at the back. Nwoke skied the ball on Babatunde’s inviting cross and keeper Agius effected a top rate save on substitute Tagliaferro’s rising shot after Floriana were forced to play the last six minutes with ten men following Diao’s dismissal for two bookings.
Msida cemented the issue with their fourth goal two minutes from the end, courtesy of a superb long-range strike by defender Clint Micallef , celebrating his return with Msida this season, after coming on as a late substitute.