Following a two week break, the Blue Label National League resumed on Sunday with two further matches that produced a grand total of eleven goals. In the first game The Hunters Tower Rest YS opened their league commitments with a spectacular 5-3 victory over Qormi Poiatti. In the second game of the day Sliema Hs beat Britannia Tours White Hart 2-1 to top the League standings albeit the league is still at a very early stage.
Young Stars and Qormi produced a highly entertaining match that saw plenty of action and eight goals. Young Stars had to chase the result for most of the game but finally emerged 5-3 winners.
Qormi could not have got off to a better start when after 2 minutes they were awarded a penalty that Chris Bugeja converted. However instead of lifting Qormi’s game, the penalty seemed to inspire Young Stars who started to force one short corner after an other as Qormi failed to capitalize on their early goal.
On 22 minutes Young Stars equalized when Qormi failed to clear another short corner and Nicky Agius Darmanin pushed into the net. Six minutes later Qormi were back in the lead when Frank Bugeja fired in from a rare Qormi short corner. Young Stars had to up the tempo again and equalized in the 34 minute when Edward Hughes concluded a short corner move.
The second half opened with a bang as after 10 minutes, in the space of one minute, first Stephen Tanti put Qormi ahead again and then Mark Camilleri equaliSed once again following another short corner.
Young Stars remained the better side and in the final five minutes got the reward for their determination. Four minutes from time Ivan Magro put them in the lead for the first time and almost on the final whistle it was Camilleri who sealed victory for his side with his second goal of the day from yet another short corner.
In the second game of the day Sliema Hs followed up their draw against Rabat Depiro with a victory against Britannia Tours White Hart, who thus fell to their second consecutive defeat.
On Sunday they started brightly enough forcing a couple of early short corners, which, however failed to give results. Sliema, who had Andrei Imbroll and Keith Vella back in their first eleven and new signing Charles Cassar (ex-Rabat) on the bench started to assert control and threaten Galea’s goal.
Mid-way through the half they opened the score when Dylan Lentini finished off a short corner move. Unlike the first game, which saw a good number of goals coming from short corners, this game was characterised with very poor finishing from short corners. Sliema were notably guilty of this especially during the second half.
The first half however ended with them getting the second goal thanks to an individual effort from Imbroll who fired in from the edge of the dee.
This goal on the stroke of half time seemed to knock White Hart who did not produce the expected second half reaction. In fact it was Sliema who continued to dominate, keeping a tight on midfield and conceding very little at the back.
They were guilty of missing several chances and when in the final fifteen minutes Britannia Tours pulled a goal back through Patrick Bianchi they were risking squandering a victory, which should never have been in doubt.
White Hart however failed to capitalise on the goal and the final minutes saw Sliema controlling their far from desperate efforts to save the game.