Melita    1

St Andrews   1

(after extra time)

(6-7 after penalties)

Melita failed to win the double after a penalty shoot-out. The game was played in front of a packed Luxol Ground.

St Andrews applied the early pressure. Mike Vella was fouled outside the area and from the free kick by Matthew Castillo, Melita keeper Philip Schranz tipped the ball over the bar. The flag kick was taken by Neil Pace Cocks, the ball was partly cleared and Schranz had to dive and save the rebound by Zack Scerri.

Pace Cocks was then fouled on the right flank and after the free kick by the same player Schranz saved a header by Castillo.

Castillo served Max Thake on the left flank who then crossed to Benjamin Zahra in the area but he missed the upright from his shot.

Then Schranz saved in two attempts a shot by Zahra after a Jeremy Vassallo cross from the left.

Melita reacted and Paul Muscat drove over the bar from outside the area. Later the ball hit the bar from a free kick by Antoine Attard with St Andrews keeper Jake Galea beaten.

Three minutes before the break St Andrews opened the score when Matthew Laferla served Mike Vella in the area who scored with a diagonal shot.

The first action after the restart were created by Melita. Kai Mizzi was fouled on the right flank, Neil Bonello served Jeremy Spiteri Bailey with a short free kick who then served Attard in the area but the ball was cleared by a defender.

Attard then served Ian Falzon in the area but Galea saved his shot.

Melita equalised in the 43rd minute when Falzon entered the area after dribbling past an opponent and was tripped by Laferla. Attard made no mistake from the spot by sending Galea the wrong way.

Vella then served Thake with a square pass and he drove slightly over the bar from outside the area. Then the same player had a shot saved by Schranz after dribbling past an opponent.

In a Melita attack, Scerri cleared the ball to a corner in the nick of time to avert an awkward situation.

Schranz had to tip the ball over the bar from a free kick by Castillo and in the last action before the end, the same player dribbled past an opponent but missed the upright by inches with a good effort from outside the area. 

As the score stood at 1-1 after normal time, extra time had to be played.

There were only a few actions worthy of note during extra time. On one occasion, Vella was foiled by a timely sortie by Schranz after he was put through in the area by Jaccarini.  

Then Ian Stilon handled the ball outside the area and Kai Mizzi drove over St Andrews bar from the free kick.  

Fourteen penalties had to be taken as both teams scored five penalties each.

Attard, Falzon,Bonello,Spiteri Bailey, Mizzi scored for Melita. Paul Muscat drove out and Galea saved on Schranz 

Thake, Jaccarini, Sammut, Castillo, Vella and Zahra scored for St Andrews and Schranz saved on Daniel Galea.

After the game the Mr Robert Arrigo, Parliamentary Assistant at the Ministry of Finance, presented the Trophy to St Andrews captain Zack Scerri.