A nine-goal thriller where Ghaxaq obtained their first points after 15 games, St George’s are lying seventh from bottom on 17 points from 16 games.
The performance of referee Malcolm Cutajar left much to be desired. He was rarely up with play and decided to stay near the centre circle.
Ghaxaq were the first to threaten but had to wait for a whole 22 minutes to forge ahead.
Kersten Borg served Noel Bilocca in the area who made no mistake with a grounder. Eight minutes later St George’s equalised through Jean Caruana who won a loose ball in Ghaxaq’s half and entered the area after beating a defender and scored with a low shot. After 35 minutes the referee signalled the end of the first half.
Four minutes after restart St George’s took the lead. Colin Gauci pounced on a faulty drop-kick by the Ghaxaq keeper and scored with a rising shot from outside the area. In the 49th minute the score became level again when Kersten Borg pounced on a faulty clearance in St George’s half and after entering the area the ball hit the upright from his shot with Saints keeper Jurgen Gatt beaten and Mirco Abela netted with a header from the rebound.
On 56 minutes Ghaxaq scored again to make it 3-2. Noel Bilocca, who was a constant headache to the Saints defenders, served Kersten Borg in the area who scored with a close range shot. From the restart Josmar Vassallo shot the ball from the centre spot, and helped by the strong wind it completely deceived the Ghaxaq keeper and finished in the roof of the net and the score became 3-3. After this goal St George’s created two occasions in succession but five minutes from the end, Ghaxaq scored again to make it 4-3 and it was a gem of a goal. Noel Bilocca served Kersten Borg with a through ball on the right flank who after dribbling past three Saints defenders entered the area and netted with a low shot. On 77 minutes Ghaxaq scored a fifth goal through Samuel Bondin.
A minute before the end St George’s reduced the gap as Brendon Buhagiar served Jean Caruana with a through ball to score with a rising shot from the edge of the area and make it 4-5.
Referee: Malcolm Cutajar
Player of the match: Noel
San Gwann 1
St Patrick 0
Bilocca (Ghaxaq)
APS Bank U/14 Section A
A game with few actions worthy of note throughout the whole 60 minutes of play. Following this result San Gwann are in fifth place on 27 points from 15 games while St Patrick are third from bottom on 13 points from same number of games.
The first action came from St Patrick as early as the third minute. Randall Vella served Jonathan Piscopo on the right flank from a freekick and from the latter’s cross San Gwann keeper Jean Vella saved to corner a header by Mauro Schembri which was taken by the same player and Daniele Marsala headed the ball away.
San Gwann then threatened twice in succession. Quincy Bregnam served Lee Galea with a through ball in the area but Randall Vella foiled him from concluding with a timely clearance and Dylan Mallia served Lee Galea in the area, St Patrick keeper Nathan Bugeja saved his shot to a corner which was taken by Bregnam, the ball was partially cleared and Bugeja saved the rebound shot by Marsala,
In the 23rd minute a freekick shot from 45 metres by Randall Vella missed the bar by inches and just before the halftime whistle from another freekick shot by Vella from 70 metres the San Gwann keeper was forced to tip the ball over the bar and from the flagkick by Mauro Schembri, Gianluca Agius cleared the ball from the fatal line.
The first two actions after restart were created by San Gwann. Substitute Miguel Borg served Dylan Mallia in the area but his shot missed the upright and Keith Vella served Dylan Mallia in the area and Bugeja was forced to come out of his charge to kick the ball upfield. St Patrick’s reaction was a freekick shot by Randall Vella which was saved by the San Gwann keeper, from the same action, Jean Vella served Dylan Mallia with a long drop-kick and after entering the area he was foiled from concluding as Bugeja dived at his feet and smothered the ball.
In the last two actions before the end, after a Quincy Bregnam flagkick, a header by Daniele Marsala missed St Patrick’s bar by inches and at the other end, Soufiane Samhaoui served Roderick Ellul on the right flank but Vella saved the latter’s shot from outside the area.
Referee: Mohammed Khalil
Player of the match: Randall Vella (St Patrick)
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