Mqabba obtained their second consecutive victory when they beat Pieta Hotspur to go on top of the table with maximum points. It was a well deserved victory in a very exciting match.
Pieta did the early running but Mqabba were the better team in the last part of the first half and the first part of the second half. However after taking the lead Mqabba elected to defend and they passed through some anxious moments with Pieta making a desperate effort to save the match.
But five minutes from time Mqabba sealed the issue with the second goal in a fast break and some clinical finishing from John Paul Muscat. In stoppage time Mqabba increased their lead further with a third goal, but it was too harsh on Pieta.
The first half was very intense with Mqabba having more of the ball, but with Pieta very dangerous in their breaks. The game was played at a very fast pace with some interesting moves from both sides.
Play was very balanced in the first part with Pieta creating the early danger. Lijeskic and Quilan Refalo had shots slightly missing the target. On 31 minutes Pieta went very close with a quickly taken freekick towards Lijeskic whose angled shot was well saved by Calleja.
Mqabba dominated the last 15 minutes of the first half with some fast flowing football. Mauro Bonnici hit the crossbar from a distance, and James Shead failed to connect in front of goal. Claudio Calleja tested Montfort from a distance, and on 39 minutes the same Montfort brought the house down with a brilliant save off a Shead close range header.
Three minutes from the restart Mqabba took the lead. John Paul Muscat passed towards James Shead in a rather dubious offside position, and the striker kept his cool to dribble past Montfort and plant the ball in an empty net.
Mqabba were now on top of their form with Magro, Claudio Calleja and John Paul Muscat in irresistible form. But after missing some good scoring opportunities, Mqabba elected to defend and Pieta took hold of the midfield sector.
Mqabba defended for long stretches as Pieta pushed everything forward. However five minutes from time Mqabba sealed the issue when John Paul Muscat scored after a fast break and a good run by Mauro Grioli.
And there was more to come for Pieta as Mqabba increased their lead further in stoppage time when Mauro Bonnici shot low into the net past a helpless Montfort.
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