Valletta’s long unbeaten record halted; Four players sent off in top clash; Sliema beat Birkirkara as pressure mounts on coach Patrick Curmi; Floriana win again and move closer to the top; third positive result for newly promoted Mqabba; Last gasp goal gives Qormi third win; Tarxien register first victory of season
It was a weekend full of interesting matches but the match of the week was undoubtedly the top clash between Valletta and Hibernians. With the Paolites winning 2-0, not only did they halt City’s 37-match unbeaten run in the league, but they also took over the sole leadership in the standings. Meanwhile, Sliema beat a poor Birkirkara side and the pressure is now mounting on Stripes coach Patrick Curmi. Floriana also left a good impression in a 4-0 win against Marsaxlokk while Mqabba garnered their third positive result in succession. Qormi also registered their third win of the season while Tarxien obtained their first victory.
Henry Brincat takes a glance at what happened this weekend and makes an analysis of the six matches.
The honours this weekend went to Hibernians. Mark Miller’s side not only confirmed their current good moment and positive run with a 2-0 win over previous leaders Valletta, but they also halted City’s run of 37 league matches unbeaten and also took over the sole leadership in the process.
The Paolites thus defended successfully their own early 1980s record which they now share jointly with Valletta. Both went through 37 unbeaten matches in the league.
Played in front of the biggest crowd of the season so far – just under 4,500 – the match fell below expectations, but one cannot say that it was not exciting.
The Paolites made the most of a bright early start – they took the lead as early as the third minute. From then on, they seemed to have a grip on the match.
Valletta seemed to be frustrated and when they had Gilbert Agius red carded, everything seemed to be going in the wrong direction for Jesmond Zerafa’s boys. But when Pulis followed suit just before the interval, it seemed to be a sigh of relief for the citizens.
The real tension arrived in the second half as Valletta could not find a way past a resolute Hibernians defence. Here was more frustration for Valletta as Steve Borg and Ryan Fenech were both ordered off the pitch leaving their side playing with just eight men – I have rarely – if ever - seen Valletta finishing a match in just eight men.
When Luis Edison scored a late second goal just before the final whistle, City’s humiliation was complete.
After such a result, the Paolites must certainly be looking forward with optimism towards a successful season after so many disappointments, especially last year.
On their part, Valletta who missed the services of the injured Michael Mifsud badly, will have to recoup quickly after such a severe setback.
Zerafa has to bring back morale into his squad as quickly as possible. Not only, but he also is aware that they will be facing the in-form Mqabba side in their next encounter, of course, without Gilbert Agius, Steve Borg and Ryan Fenech, who will probably be suspended.
Floriana joined Valletta in second place thanks to their 4-0 win. The two teams are now one point behind new leaders Hibernians.
The Greens were too strong for a disappointing Marsaxlokk side which seems to be struggling this season.
In fact, Floriana were quite impressive in this rather easy win as the team also seems to be on the way to repeat last year’s successful run which landed them the FA Trophy.
For Marsaxlokk it was another poor outing and they need to improve considerably if they are to avoid trouble in the foreseeable future.
Sliema also did well to beat Birkirkara to move into fourth place on 11 points. The Blues deserved the 1-0 verdict against a lethargic Birkirkara side.
Danilo Doncic’s side dominated for long stretches as Birkirkara failed to get to grips with the situation.
Stripes coach Patrick Curmi must have been disappointed with his boys’ performance on the field of play. A lot more was expected of them as they continued to falter. Now that they have won only one point from their last three matches, it is obvious that the pressure is mounting on Curmi and his squad.
The Stripes now face Marsaxlokk in their next encounter this weekend and unless they win all the three points, they will have to start thinking about how to avoid playing in the Relegation Pool in the second phase.
Qormi are one of the surprise packs at this early stage of the competition. But they had to wait for a last-gasp goal in added injury time to get their winner against a fighting Hamrun Spartans side.
Qormi are now in a healthy fourth place on nine points while Hamrun remain firmly anchored to the bottom alongside Mosta with just one point.
The Spartans must have been disappointed with the outcome. Like the previous match against Floriana, they deserved to get something for all their efforts but luck does not seem to be on their part yet this season.
Mqabba also scored a late injury time goal to beat fellow Premier League newcomers Balzan Youths.
The latter have been found wanting every time they take the lead in some matches. They seem to be experts in allowing their opponents to come back from behind to snatch the points from under their noses.
Mqabba are now bubbling with enthusiasm. This newly promoted club is now in mid-table on seven points, the same as Birkirkara, and must be looking confidently towards more positive results – they have taken seven points from their last three encounters.
Tarxien Rainbows finally got their season started with their first win against Mosta.
It was a hard-earned victory for the Rainbows – three points which will almost certainly keep Noel Coleiro at the helm for at least another week after he had handed his resignation the previous week following the disastrous start to the campaign – just one point from the first four matches.
For Mosta, nothing seems to be in their favour so far and they are struggling at the bottom of the standings in the hope that things – especially the results – will start arriving.
It is certainly going to be a tough campaign for Oliver Spiteri’s Blues, but the season is still in its early stages and there might be other stories to write in future.
Best player
Edward Herrera (Hibernians)
My pick this week falls on the Paolites and national team player who played a blinder in the match against Valletta on Sunday evening.
It was a performance which confirmed that Herrera, one of the most promising local youngsters, is returning to his best form after a quiet period, which also included an injury.
Herrera was a hard worker in defence and stopped many a Valletta attack, but he was also the provider of both passes which enabled Luis Edison to score the two goals that not only gave Hibernians their win, but also prevented Valletta from establishing a new league record of unbeaten matches.
Top scorers
7 goals - Edison Luis dos Santos (Hibernians)
5 – Obinne Obifuele (Marsaxlokk),
4 – Alfred Effiong (Valletta)
Moises Avila Perez (Birkirkara), Joseph Farrugia (Qormi)
3 – Clayton Failla (Hibernians), Jorge Pereira (Qormi), Christian Caruana (Floriana), Miguel Ciantar (Balzan Y.), Ricardo Costa (Tarxien), Thiago dos Santos Mazitelli (Mqabba)