Valletta-Tarxien R. 5-2

Valletta: A. Hogg, S. Borg (J. Okonkwo), J. Caruana, R. Dos Santos, I. Azzopardi, R. Briffa, J. Pace, D. Falzon (I. Zammit), K. Sammut, T. Scerri, D. Dos Santos - Coach: J. Zerafa

Tarxien R: A. Curmi, M. Caruana, E. Pereira (R. Grech), R. Costa, S. Pacheco (C. Dos Santos Rodriguez), M. Tanti (G. Calabretta), D. Bueno, L. Vella Critien, O. Anonam, R. Mintoff, J. Grioli - Coach: N. Coleiro

Referee: C. Lautier, Asst.refs: J. Camilleri, T. Debono 4th official: A. Azzopardi

Scorers: T. Scerri 11, 49 pen, 90, R. Costa 13, M. Bueno 57, K. Sammut 70, J. Pace 81

Yellow cards: R. Briffa, R. Dos Santos, L. Vella Critien, G. Calabretta, J. Pace, D. Bueno, J. Vella, J. Caruana

Player of the match: Kevin Sammut (Valletta)

TMI top 3: 1. K. Sammut 2. T. Scerri 3. R. CostaValletta:

Tarxien’s plucky efforts and resilience were not enough to lower Valletta’s colours in an entertaining and combatitive encounter that produced seven goals.

Valletta managed to turn their second half superiority into goals as they ruthlessly exploited the Rainbows’ flaws in defence after an evenly balanced first half.

Terence Scerri scored a hat-trick, including a penalty, as Tarxien twice managed to cancel Valletta’s defence but were finally undone by three goals in the last 20 minutes.

They thus widened the gap to four points at the top.

The inclusion of Mariano Bueno in Tarxien’s starting line-up, forced other foreigner Cristiano Rodriguez to sit on the bench. Mark Tanti also started the match instead of Sadowski, with Vella Critien playing as full back.

Valletta made the better start. In the opening minutes, Falzon, who started for the injured Temile, hit a long Borg cross first time. Keeper Curmi stretched himself to save.

Valletta even broke the deadlock after 11 minutes. The Tarxien keeper missed the ball on a Sammut free kick, Borg lofted the ball with his head towards the unmarked Terence Scerri who headed in from a tight angle from the left.

It was a tit-for-tat response from Tarxien as they drew level within two minutes. From a Pacheco corner from the right, Ricardo Costa headed past keeper Hogg at the far post.

Tarxien were forced to substitute their injured defender Pereira on 22 minutes, replaced by Ryan Grech, as Okonkwo dropped in central defence.

On 38 minutes, on a Briffa cross from the right, Sammut’s firm header, hitting the ground, was parried by keeper Curmi and Falzon shot the clearance wide.

Before halftime, a Costa free kick was deflected off the Valletta as the teams remained on level terms.

Four minutes into the second half though Valletta regained the lead. A plunging late tackle by Anonam on Sammut conceded a penalty for Tarxien. Terence Scerri coolly tucked it away.

Boosted by this lead, Valletta kept the pressure and Tarxien were forced to retreat in their defensive shell. But a Valletta defensive blunder shortly before the hour, allowed Tarxien to restore equilibrium again. Daniel Bueno ran down the right flank and as keeper Hogg collided with his team mates Ramon Dos Santos on the edge of the area, the ball ran loose to the Tarxien striker who slotted it in with relative ease.

To their credit, Valletta, although shocked, were not demorilised. On 63 minutes, Falzon turned well inside the Tarxien area. His shot was turned into a corner by the alert Curmi.

And on 70 minutes, a long Borg throw-in was headed by Briffa inside the Tarxien area, and Kevin Sammut was the first to react, stabbing in the loose ball to punish a hesitant Tarxien rearguard.

Tarxien were unlucky not to pull another equaliser on 77 minutes when Rodriguez’s header from a corner, was held out by the crossbar and after Hogg held out Costa’s free kick with some difficulty, Valletta struck again on 81 minutes to put the issue beyond doubt. On a Denni Dos Santos free kick from the left, Jamie Pace stooped low to deflect the ball past the helpless keeper Curmi.

There was still time for Valletta to score their fifth and Terence Scerri to clinch his hat trick on the stroke of full time. He ran in well from the right on substitute Zammit’s pass to beat Curmi with a low drive and complete the route.

Vittoriosa Stars prove a point

After their good performance and a narrow defeat against Sliema Wanderers on Monday, Vittoriosa Stars went one better yesterday. A goalless draw against Floriana earned them the first league point and the first clean sheet this season.

Floriana were without their injured players Sokolov, Dzhorov and Owen Bugeja, but still looked superior to their opponents for long stretches.

As expected, they enjoyed more of the possession in the first 45 minutes and caused some embarrassment to the Vittoriosa defence, which again looked vulnerable on crosses raked inside their area, but the Floriana attack lacked the required punch to perforate it and eventually failed to secure a win.

Equally significant was the superlative goalkeeping of Simon Agius, who frustrated Floriana time and again, as well as the woodwork, which twice came to the Stars’ rescue.

A good start for the Greens, with Ivan Woods’s fourth minute goal disallowed for offside, and Vittoriosa keeper Agius producing a good reflex save on a Tyrone Farrugia header.

Floriana’s early flurry fizzled out though as the Stars somehow managed to mitigate the danger, themselves operating on the counter. Silva and Grech in particular tried to capitalise on the Greens’ depleted defence, with the rather slow Said and Farrugia at the centre. Keeper Saidi repelled Grech’s shot from close range and on 40 minutes, Compagnoli dribbled two opponents before shooting low but off target.

Floriana went closest past the half hour as Mecerod darted inside the Vittoriosa area, flicked the ball past the onrushing keeper, clipping the foot of the post.

Deep into added time, Mecerod’s shot was held out by keeper Agius.

The pattern of the match did not change much in the second period, although Vittoriosa could stroke the ball around with more fluency.

Still goalless by the hour, Floriana added Ryan Darmanin to their attack and on 62 minutes, Caruana sent a deep cross from the left. The advancing Woods connected well but his header was superbly turned over the bar into a corner by keeper Agius.

Ten minutes later, Darmanin headed Micallef’s cross against the bar.

Vittoriosa were of course happy with a point and ten minutes from time, they could have even clinched three but Silva shot wastefully over on an Ewurum pass following an erratic Floriana defensive clearance.