The Good Cause Fund Cup

U-16 KO Competition

Mosta 3

Paola H 1

The protagonists of this game were Referee Roberto Vella who failed to apply the advantage clause on many occasions and assistant Kyle Beeson who should brush up his knowledge about the Off-Side Law as he failed to flag for six off-side infringements during the game. The final result may look as a surprise considering that Paola H are unbeaten from four games while Mosta are pointless from same number of games in Section A, but the boys in blue deserved the verdict as they took nearly all the chances they created and they also defended very well when under pressure thus managing to keep the Paola forwards at bay.

The Paolites were first to threaten with Matthew Tabone served Gianluca Caruana with a through ball in the area but Mosta keeper Noel Attard saved his shot.

Caruana served Yan Cauchi from a free kick on the left flank and from his cross Mark Vassallo cleared the ball to corner and after Caruana was fouled outside the area Attard saved the free kick shot taken by Dylan Sammut. Mosta’s reaction was a through ball by Lyden Micallef who served Alex Cini but was foiled from progressing with a timely tackle by Elkien Cauchi.

Hibs were awarded another free kick and Dylan Sammut served Matthew Gauci outside the area but his shot was saved by Attard, Bertrand Duncan served Caruana in the area and after Attard partially saved his shot the ball was cleared by a defender and Tabone served Duncan in the area but Attard denied him with a diving save to a corner.

Mosta then created two occasions in succession; Lyden Micallef served Gianluca Theuma in the area, his shot was partially saved by Hibs keeper Daniel Balzan and from the rebound shot by Jake Spiteri the ball was cleared by a defender and a one-two between Micallef and Cini finished with the latter’s shot from inside the area being cleared by a defender and at the other end, Duncan served Caruana in the area and Attard saved his shot by turning the ball to a corner.

Four minutes before half time Mosta opened the score; Spiteri served Cini with a through ball on the right flank, after beating a defender he served Micallef with a cross in the area who made no mistake with a low shot past a helpless Balzan.

Hibs created the first two occasions after restart; Matthew Gauci served substitute Peter Paul Sammut with a cross-pass from the left flank but he failed to apply the killer touch from two metres with only Attard to beat and Dylan Sammut served Duncan in the area and the ball was cleared to a corner after his shot.

In Mosta’s next attack they doubled the score with a choral move involving three players; Andrew Barr served Cini with a through ball on the right flank who in turn served Theuma with a cross in the area and netted from close range. Hibs reacted by creating two occasions in succession; after Caruana was fouled on the left flank of the area the ball was cleared to a corner from the free kick shot by the same player and after Elkien Cauchi was fouled outside the area the ball was cleared by a defender after the free kick shot by Caruana, and Mosta came very close in the 67th minute as Theuma served Micallef in the area and his shot missed the upright by inches.

The Paolites reduced the gap in the 70th minute. Rene Duca served Elkien Cauchi on the right flank from a free kick and from the latter’s cross in the area Matthew Gauci scored with a grounder and minutes later the ball was headed away by a Mosta defender after a well-taken flag kick by Caruana.

In the second minute of added time Paola H were reduced to ten men when Elkien Cauchi was shown the red card for striking an opponent in an off-the-ball incident and a minute later Mosta put the issue beyond any doubt when Barr served Micallef with a through ball who netted a beauty with a rising shot from outside the area.

Referee: Roberto Vella

APS Bank U-16 Section B

St Venera 0

Naxxar L 4

The final score clearly reflects the difference between the two teams, Naxxar were by far superior to St Venera as their forwards found it very hard to penetrate the solid Lions rearguard. Following this result Naxxar are on nine points from four games while Sta Venera have only five points from four games.

Naxxar should have opened the score after only four minutes when Craig Dingli served Drago with a through ball on the left flank, who crossed to Matthia Del Negro but he failed to apply the killer touch from two metres with only Sta Venera keeper Warren Cuschieri to beat, but in their next attack on seven minutes they forged ahead; Drago served Ryan Sammut with a cross-pass from the left flank and he scored from inside the area, and they kept insisting as Del Negro served Sammut with a through ball in the area but Cuschieri turned his shot to a corner and Darren Falzon served Anthony Spiteri with a perfect through pass but he was foiled from concluding with a timely tackle by Duncan Buhagiar.

In a St Venera counter-attack, Dione Vella served Christian Schembri with a through ball but Kurt Farrugia foiled him with a timely tackle. The score became 2-0 in the 24th minute when Sammut served Del Negro in the area who made no mistake from close range.

Clayton Degiorgio then won a loose ball in Naxxar’s area, served Aymen Benomer on the left flank whoo after entering the area he drove well off target, and minutes later Sta Venera were denied by the woodwork; Benomer served Schembri with a through ball on the left flank and after he was fouled on the left edge of the area, Naxxar keeper Anton Micallef turned the ball to corner from the free kick shot by Vella and from the flag kick by Benomer from the right flank the ball hit the near post and was cleared to safety with difficulty, and the last action before the break came from Naxxar as Falzon served Sammut with a through pass who then back-passed the ball to Dingli and Cuschieri saved the latter’s shot from outside the area.

Naxxar again took the initiative after restart. Shawn Borg Cardona served served Sammut with a through ball in the area but his lobbed ball missed the upright, at the other end, after a well-taken flag kick by Daniel Axisa the ball was headed away by Naxxar libero Drago, from another flag kick by the same player Mark Calleja headed out from inside the area and substitute Adrian Scicluna served Vella with a through ball on the right flank and after his cross Micallef saved a header by Schembri.

Naxxar scored a third goal in the 54th minute with a choral move which involved three players; Farrugia served Del Negro with a through ball outside Sta Venera’s area, the latter served Spiteri in the area who scored with a low shot, minutes later Sammut served Falzon in the area but Cuschieri denied him by turning the ball to corner with a fine diving save and on the hour the woodwork came to Sta Venera's rescue as Falzon served Spiteri in the area who after dribbling past the onrushing keeper the ball hit the base of the upright from his shot and finished out.

The fourth and final goal was scored in the 68th minute when Falzon served Sammut on the right flank who served substitute Andrea Del Negro in the area, the latter's shot hit the upright and Borg Cardona was on hand to shoot in the rebound, and the last action before the end also came from Naxxar as Falzon served Matthias Del Negro on the right flank who crossed to Borg Cardona and the ball missed the upright from his shot.

Referee: Paul Vella Cassia Player of the match: Darren Falzon (Naxxar L)