Valletta FC made another step forward in their quest for the title when they trounced Sliema Wanderers to the tune of 4-0 on Friday evening.
AFter their latest victory - their fifth in this season’s campaign - one question which I dare to ask is: Who is going to beat Jesmond Zerafa’s Valletta this season?
In fact, so far they have only dropped points from draws against Hibernians and Birkirkara and they really seem to be an unbeatable outfit.
The victory on Friday, however, only matured after they scored a second goal from a controversial penalty. Until then the match was still wide open as Valletta were leading 1-0 with Sliema trying to recover lost ground in the second half.
Then came that penalty – in my opinion, it should have been a foul in the other direction, that is, in favour of Sliema – and from then on, the match was over.
But even without that penalty award, Valletta always seemed to be a better team and they fully deserved the verdict at the end.
As I said last week, the citizens are in a class of their own and what is most impressive is their high level of fitness which is definitely above that of all the other teams in the competition.
Sliema lived in a different street. In the first half, they never really troubled city goalie Hogg as Valletta were in command.
Even in the second half, when they attacked more in search of an equaliser, they could not find a way past a well drilled defence and Hogg was never really tested.
Marsaxlokk have become the main challengers for Valletta after their come-from-behind 2-1 win against Hamrun Spartans on Saturday.
The southern seasiders fought back to win all the three points with Alfred Effiong forgetting all about his quiet match against Valletta a few days before, to get back his scoring touch with another two goals.
In fact, it was his late goals which turned the game into Marsaxlokk’s favour after Hamrun had taken the lead in the first half. The Spartans failed to ascertain themselves of the points early in the second half when Pereira missed a clear opportunity. And they paid dearly for that miss.
It was a match which seemed to be in Hamrun’s control until Effiong scored an equaliser for Marsaxlokk. Then the Spartans contrived to even suffer a second goal which proved to be their downfall.
A team with its eyes set on a Championship Pool place cannot allow a situation like that of Saturday to repeat itself. I cannot understand how the Spartans allowed the match to skip into their opponents’ hands in the final few minutes.
The programme had started on Thursday evening when Birkirkara were held to a 1-1 draw by Vittoriosa Stars (or was it Birkirkara who held the Stars to a draw?).
Vittoriosa, in fact, continued where they had left off in the previous two weeks and they only just failed to add another two points to their tally as the champions only equalised deep into added time.
The Stars concentrated mainly on defence as they frustrated Birkirkara who lacked ideas, especially during a poor first half, during which Paul Zammit’s boys rarely threatened to score.
The Stars, in fact, were more dangerous in their fewer counter-attacks, but on the whole the match was of poor quality and very boring.
The Stripes’ only consolation was the return to action of international midfielder Shaun Bajada who entered as a substitute midway through the second half.
It was only in the final six or seven minutes that the match sprang to life. With the Stars leading 1-0, Birkirkara had two shots stopped by the post, another one saved in style by a formidable Agius and the Stars themselves also added a second with a shot against the post, before Vukanac got the equaliser for the champions. That was certainly a dramatic finale to an otherwise disappointing performance – mostly by Birkirkara.
With Tarxien beating Floriana and Hamrun going down to Marsaxlokk, the Rainbows have now joined the two clubs on the 10-point mark.
The Rainbows are quietly creeping up the table and are finding the rhythm that saw them winning a berth among the Top Six in last season’s Championship Pool.
Noel Coleiro’s side is blessed with some top foreigners from Brazil this season and I must congratulate them for doing their homework well before signing such players.
Costa, Rodriguez and Pacheco, not to mention the well known Bueno, are good quality players and there is no doubt about it. Pacheco’s second goal was one rarely seen on any football pitch. He is a player with a lot of skill and one who entertains those watching on the stands.
Floriana had a good start – but only until Tarxien settled down. Then they faded out as they allowed the initiative to pass into the hands of the Rainbows.
It is still a mystery to me why a striker like Ryan Darmanin who was so effective last season, is still not being utilised regularly by coach Todor Raykov. The youngster could do little when he was brought in as a substitute midway through the second half.
Of course, the Bulgarian mentor must have his reasons behind his selections.
The four-day programme came to an end on Monday evening when Hibernians and Qormi figured in a goalless draw which saw both sides more intent on avoiding defeat rather than pressing for a victory, especially in the latter stages of the match.
This was understandable as Qormi did not want to repeat what had happened against Floriana the previous week when they lost the match with practically the last shot of the match while Hibernians were eager to snap a negative run which had seen them dropping down to near the bottom of the standings.
Neither side deserved to win the three points, even if Qormi seemed to have had the better chances of the few created by both outfits, especially in the second half.
Quite noticeable was the absence of Andrew Cohen and Edward Herrera in the Hibs starting line-up – they both came in as substitutes in the second half, while Qormi had a lot to thank J. Vandelannoite who was outstanding in defence.
Best player
J. Vandelannoite (Qormi FC)
Qormi’s defender Vandelannoite is my pick this week after a very impressive performance in the match against Hibernians.
There was practically nothing to shout about during this rather boring match, but Vandelannoite came out to the fore with a splendid defensive display.
He frustrated the Paolites time and time again as he broke down several of their attacks. He was to be seen everywhere and even had time to help his colleagues in midfield when the opportunity arose.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he never put a foot wrong – no surprise he was selected man of the match.
Top scorers
7 goals Alfred Effiong (Marsaxlokk)
6 goals Terence Scerri (Valletta),
4 goals Paul McManus (Hibernians), Marcelo Pereira (Hamrun S.), Kevin Sammut (Valletta)
3 goals Terence Vella (Birkirkara), George Mallia (Qormi), Dene Shields (Hamrun S.), Andrew Cohen (Hibernians), Michael Galea (B’Kara), JP Mifsud Triganza (Sliema), A. Ewurum (Vittoriosa)
2 goals T. Cilia, E. Lattes (both Birkirkara), P. Anizoba, M. Grima, G. Spiteri (Hamrun S.), C. dos Santos Rodrigues, S. Pacheco de Oliveira, DM Bueno (all Tarxien R.), Obinna Obiefule, (Sliema), D. Falzon, J. Pace, D. Rocha dos Santos (all Valletta), M. Mecerod (Floriana)