Qormi 1

Valletta 4

Qormi: S. Sultana (M. Farrugia), M. Bartolo, Jos. Chetcuti, L. Sciberras, K. Scicluna, F. Mirarchi, J. Bondin, J. Pereira, S. Duff, S. Wellman (Jeff Chetcuti), D. Nwoke (G. Buttigieg)

Valletta: A. Hogg (M. Towns), J. Caruana, S. Borg, I. Azzopardi (R. Dos Santos), A. Effiong, R. Briffa, J. Pace, E. Agius, D. Falzon, D. Dos Santos, O. Zongo (R. Fenech)

Referee: C. Lautier

Asst. refs: A. Camilleri, T. Debono

4th official: T. Farrugia Cann

Scorers: D. Dos Santos 6, A. Effiong 9, 30, 33, J. Pereira 78 pen

Yellow cards: E. Agius, S. Borg

Player of the match: Alfred Effiong (Valletta)

TMI top 3: 1. A. Effiong 2. O. Zongo 3. J. Pace

Attendance: 1,862

This was Valletta’s fifth win on the trot that keeps them firmly at the summit and the final scoreline highlights the gulf between the two sides.

Purposeful and determined, always penetrative on the break, Valletta were good value for their four-goal advantage in the first half, as Qormi’s hard-pressed defence struggled in vain to contain the myriad talents of Denni Dos Santos and Zongo.

Qormi missed the attacking power of the injured Abubaker Bello-Osagie and although putting in some effort they could never match their opponents’ superior pace.

With Valletta easing off, subconsciously at least, in the second half, Qormi were able to make headways. It was much too late, of course. Back-to-back defeats leave Qormi in sixth place, only three points above Balzan behind them.

Valletta were without the suspended William Barbosa. Jamie Pace was given the nod ahead of Gilbert Agius and Zongo started the match instead of Ryan Fenech.

Valletta had their work finished early. Just over the half hour they were already four goals to the good and Alfred Effiong, with his predator’s finishing, had notched a hat-trick to take his tally to eight this season, as Qormi were looking at a rout.

The leaders made an early breakthrough after only six minutes on the clock, when Wellmann tried to block Pace inside the area, the ball ran loose to Denni Dos Santos who shot past keeper Sultana.

Three minutes later, on Pace’s pass, Effiong was allowed to turn and beat the Qormi keeper for the second time.

Qormi, visibly rattled, were unable to pull themselves into the match as Valletta dominated possession. When Nwoke ran through inside the Valletta area, he was challenged by keeper Hogg and the chance went to waste.

Valletta scored two more within three minutes on the half hour mark. Keeper Sultana rushed off his line but failed to reach for the ball on Denni’s deep cross from the left and Effiong scored with a free header.

Then, Qormi’s defender Scicluna cleared Briffa’s cross in the path of Effiong for the Valletta forward to shoot past the keeper from close range.

Qormi could only put efforts by Pereira and Mirarchi off target.

They substituted keeper Sultana and Steve Wellmann for the second half but they knew that theirs was a lost cause.

Afer a Dyson free kick went narrowly wide, Qormi were awarded a penalty on 78 minutes when Agius handled Pereira’s free kick and the Brazilian himself scored from the penalty spot.

Matthew Towns defended the Valletta goal for the last nine minutes, going in for Hogg. He was only tested with a Pereira tame free kick from outside the area, confirming Qormi’s poor contribution in a match that had long been over as a contest.