Birkirkara 1

Floriana 2

Floriana have reached the U*BET FA Trophy final after five years by beating Birkirkara with the odd goal in three in a hard fought semi-final. They will now meet Valletta in a repeat of the 1994 edition when they last won this honour. Birkirkara were their fourth victims after the Greens had eliminated Lija Athletic, Mosta and Qormi on penalties in the previous rounds in this campaign.

Floriana, were unable to field the suspended keeper Saidi and Matthew Towns deputized in goal instead. Pablo Doffo played as centre back alongside Farrugia with Owen Bugeja as right back. Their midfield looked solid enough with Woods in a retreated role, alongside the inventive Cassar as Caruana supported Nwoke when Floriana moved forward.

The Greens were buoyed by the fact that they had beaten Birkirkara three times already in the league this season, the latest being their 3-0 victory in the last league match that assured them a runners-up spot, and that may have given them the required impetus to show more self belief.

Birkirkara made some changes yesterday but were again unable to hold off their opponents, looking vulnerable in defence and mostly unimaginative in midfield. Their efforts to cancel a two goal deficit after they pulled one back from a penalty, finally proved futile. The Stripes ended a miserable season without any honour.

Birkirkara dropped their regular keeper Manuel Bartolo for this match and gave a start to Michael Fraser after a long absence. Rowen Muscat, Shaun Bajada and Ibrahim Babatunde started on the bench, the latter two going in as second half substitutes.

Floriana started well and went close with a Woods effort, from a Cassar corner, which was deflected into another corner after three minutes.

But Birkirkara gradually started to find rhythm and pace and were better than their opponents for the first 20 minutes.

Zerafa played a through ball for Lattes, who advanced on the left but shot straight on the keeper when Cilia was in a more promising position.

On 11 minutes Galea played another inviting through pass to Lattes but keeper Towns rushed out of his line to smother the danger.

Past the quarter hour, Birkirkara threatened again when Galea went past Bugeja from the byeline on the left, passed the ball back to the unmarked Agius who shot feebly.

After 18 minutes, Draganov limped off for Floriana to make way for Clyde Borg and four minutes later the Greens took the lead. Cassar’s corner from the left was cleared towards Paris who headed the ball behind the Birkirkara defence for Christian Caruana to head in, even taking a slight deflection off Zerafa.

That goal sapped the wind from Birkirkara’s sails as they failed to trouble the Floriana defence.

The Stripes put in Babatunde for Decesare at the start of the second half but Floriana hit them again on the hour. Cassar’s free kick from the left sailed across the entire static Birkirkara defence and when the ball finally fell to Tyrone Farrugia, the Floriana defender flicked it past the helpless Fraser.

Birkirkara were handed a lifeline five minutes later though when the referee adjudged the grounded Farrugia to have handled the ball as he tried to block Agius’ long range shot inside the area and awarded the penalty. Trevor Cilia tucked it away to rekindle his side’s hopes.

Birkirkara started to show more attacking intent, and also put in Bajada and later Kumbrevicius, ending up with five foreigners on the pitch, which is against the stipulated rules. They left huge gaps at the back though.

Only Nwoke failed to exploit the three chances that fell to him in the last 12 minutes.

On 78 minutes he incredibly missed the target on Cassar’s pass with keeper Fraser off his line.

Then the Birkirkara keeper reached before the Floriana forward to stop his foray towards goal and three minutes from time Nwoke advanced unhundered on a Caruana pass, only for the keeper to deflect his shot into a corner.

In a frenetic end, Birkirkara almost equalised. Galea missed the ball on Cilia’s cross from the right and as the ball was kicked by Lattes inside the Floriana area, Babatunde’s effort was blocked by the Floriana defence to hold on to their lead and deservingly book a place in next Sunday’s final.

Birkirkara M. Fraser, N. Vukanac, A. Agius, P. Borg (R. Kumbrevicius), A. Decesare (I. Babatunde), T. Cilia, P. Fenech, J. Zerafa, E. Lattes, M. Galea, A. Buhagiar (S. Bajada)

Floriana M. Towns, O. Bugeja, P. Doffo, T. Farrugia, M. Micallef, T. Paris, C. Cassar, C. Caruana, I. Woods, D. Draganov (C. Borg), D. Nwoke

Referee A. Arciola

Asst.refs K. Borg, E. Spiteri

4th official P. Caruana

Scorers C. Caruana 23, T. Farrugia 60, T. Cilia 65 pen

Yellow cards C. Caruana, P. Borg, A. Agius, T. Farrugia, C. Cassar, P. Doffo

Attendance 1985