Floriana moved joint second with Tarxien Rainbows after breezing past Vittoriosa Stars with a tennis score.
The five goals that separated them from yesterday’s opponents aptly reflects the ebb and flow too one-sided to be called a contest. The Greens’ passing was clever, their running inventive and full of enthusiasm and there was never any doubt about the final outcome.
Vittoriosa were deprived of Jeffrey Chetcuti, Steve Wellman and Luis Edison, all suspended, and their defence struggled to hold out Floriana’s onslaught.
They gave a debut start to a new Brazilian defensive midfielder Murillo Maccari but he was hardly given the chance to prove his worth yesterday.
Vittoriosa could not match Floriana’s passing and movement and didn’t have the will to outmuscle their slicker rivals and without a win in eight matches, remain rooted at the foot of the Premier League.
The Stars were on the backfoot from the time Floriana made the breakthrough on the quarter hour. Daniel Nwoke flashed like lightning inside the Vittoriosa box to flick in Doffo’s free kick with his outstretched leg.
Hardly two minutes later, Floriana doubled their lead. Nwoke dispossessed Grech in midfield, served Woods on the left and ran in unattended to connect on the low cross and beat the helpless Agius.
Floriana held the initiative and encamped Vittoriosa inside their own half. The Stars rarely ventured into enemy territory except for some solo run by Silva or some poor cross from Grech.
On Said’s cross from the right, Nwoke’s low drive was blocked by keeper Agius and on 42 minutes Draganov hesitated too long when presented with a good ball inside the area and his effort was blocked.
Floriana collapsed to concede a third in added time of the first half as Ivan Woods headed in Doffos’ free kick.
Vittoriosa could do little to avoid a humiliating defeat in the second half, despite putting in their new signing Ryan Grech, formerly of Tarxien.
On 48 minutes, Dragamir Draganov steaded himself on the edge of the area and beat the keeper with a curling left foot shot.
On 52 minutes the Stars were hard done when Floriana were awarded a very debateable penalty when Woods fell like a crumbling biscuit inside the area as he came into contact with Vittoriosa’s defender Camilleri. Ivan Woods himself tucked it away to put the issue beyond any doubt.
In fact Floriana even withdrew Woods and Doffo before the hour as they continued to knock the ball around with training ground easiness.
Silva ran into space on Grech’s pass from midfield but was stopped by keeper Saidi on the point of concluding.
On 75 minutes, Vittoriosa pulled one back as Leighton Grech finished off Xerri’s pass but there was still time for Floriana to score their sixth with eight minutes remaining. Substitute keeper Jean Vella rushed out of his area and headed the ball out to clear. It fell right to Manolito Micallef who lobbed it into an unattended net.
Vittoriosa S S. Agius (J. Vella), K. Sammut (L. Lagana), J. Camilleri, S. Pace, J. Xerri, D. Cachia (R. Grech), K. Mifsud, J. Silva, A. Ewurum, L. Grech, M. Maccari
Coach W. Muscat
Floriana L. Saidi, B. Said, M. Micallef, D. Pisani, T. Farrugia, P. Doffo (M. Fernandes), C. Borg (O. Bugeja), I.Woods (J. Borg), D. Draganov, C. Caruana, D. Nwoke
Coach T. Raykov
Referee G. Tonna
Asst.refs K. Borg, E. Spiteri
4th official A.M. Sant
Scorers D. Nwoke 15,17, I. Woods 45, 52 pen, D. Draganov 48, L. Grech 75, M. Micallef 82
Yellow cards C.Caruana, R. Grech, D. Nwoke, J. Borg
Player of the match D. Nwoke (Floriana)
TMI top 3: 1. D. Nwoke 2. C. Caruana 3. I. Woods