Luqa 0

Gudja 5

Gudja registered a very easy victory over Luqa with the comfortable score of 5-0, where had there been more co-operation between Gudja’s players, the score would have been higher.

Gudja have now gone up to a total of 38 points behind Mellieha who have 43. They are still awaiting MFA’s decision on the outcome of their last outing against Mellieha which was abandoned at the end of the first half. If given the three points, they would go up to 41 points, just two behind the same Mellieha.

Gudja opened the scoring after 18 minutes of play, when amidst some confusion in Luqa’s area, Keith Bonello hit home with a low shot.

They doubed their lead two minutes before the break, when following a very fast counter-attack, Peter Paul Sammut beat Psaila with a long-distance drive from an acute angle.

Just three minutes into the second half, Gudja increased their tally, when goalkeeper Psaila caught Thomas’ foot in the area, with the same Trevor Thomas hitting home from the ensuing penalty.

Keith Bonello scored his second goal on 60 minutes, when after a good run on the left by substitute Guazzo, Bonello’s first timer curled at the back of the net. Two minutes later, Luqa missed a sitter, when Gatt crossed towards unmarked Agius, but the latter’s shot went incredibly high.

Gudja sealed the match three minutes from stoppage time, when after another good action by Guazzo who passed central towards Thomas, it was Luqa’s defender Abdilla who mishit and put the ball at the back of his own net.

Luqa: A. Psaila, G. Frendo, M. Ciantar, J. Fenech, G. Failla (S. Costa Brazilinho), L. Baldacchino, K. Ellul, A. Abdilla, C. Gatt, R. Debattista, C. Caruana

Gudja: M. Xerxen, A. Gjepali, G. Cutajar (C. Galea), M. Milutinovic, W. Camenzuli, K. Bonello, E. Gauci, D. Agius (A. Guazzo), E. Bugeja, P. P. Sammut (T. J. Thomas), T. Thomas

Referee: Fiodor Zammit

Mellieha 1

Siggiewi 0

One goal scored five minutes from time was all Mellieha needed to secure three  important points from their encounter with Siggiewi, thus going onto a total of 43 points on the standings.

Morally speaking, this was a very-much needed victory for Mellieha, since when one considers that their last outing was abandoned, with the official result still to be decided by the MFA’s board, and with their top-scorer this season Loquete being suspended for three years, the Northerners had very reason to be demoralised.

The best opportunity for Siggiewi came after 20 minutes of play, when Vassallo crossed towards Farrugia who went past the goalkeeper, but twisted his ankle before he could tap the ball home, and in fact had to be substituted immediately.

Mellieha finally hit home five minutes from stoppage time, when from a cross by Fenech, Borg St. John brought the ball down for David Cauchi’s right foot, who beat goalkeeper Vella with a powerful shot.

Mellieha: J. Abela, M. Vella, L. Cauchi, D. Cauchi, R. Perkins, P. Taylor (K. Gauci), W. Borg (M. Vella), K. Fenech, W. Borg St. John, G. Galea, G. Magri (K. Simiana)

Siggiewi: J. Vella, S. Delia, N. Galea, E. Cutajar (B. Galea), M. Bajada, E. Vella, K. Buhagiar, M. Camilleri, R. Farrugia (J. Shead), J. Camilleri, J. Vassallo (E. Bugeja)

Referee: Glenn Tonna

Msida SJ 1

Gharghur 4

Gharghur kept their promotion hopes alive when they beat Msida St Joseph 4-1 to climb to third place in the table.

Gharghur’s hero for Draganov’s team was striker Trayo Grozev who scored three goals. This was a bad defeat for Msida but their win last week made their position in the table a bit comfortable with a good chance of maintaining their status.

The main point in the match came after the half hour mark when Trayo Grozev scored two goals on the 34th and 36th minutes. Gharghur closed the encounter a minute before half time with a goal from Iro Curmi.

With the game won and lost, Msida after being reduced to ten men when Pirrone was sent-off, five minutes later Fernando Donizete de Andrade reduced the margin on the 63rd minute to score his fourth goal in two games. Trayo Grozev scored the fourth goal on the 84th minute to record a personal hattrick.

Msida: J. Agius, L. Cassar, G. Refalo (M. Borda), D. Attard, O. Zammit, M. Caruana (M. Pisani), M. Clarke, F. De Andrade, R. Xuereb, J. Paiva, A. Pirrone

Gharghur: D. Zarb, B. Pace, J. Debattista, C. Farrugia, D. Mamo, C. Azzopardi, S. Iliev, B. Perry Acton, I. Curmi (C. Vella), B. Antignolo (G. Camilleri), T. Grozev

Referee: Jude Amin Utulu

San Gwann 2

Kirkop U 1

San Gwann won a good match when they beat Kirkop 2-1 to achieve their third positive result and stayed in sixth place in the table with 32 points.

On the other hand Kirkop stayed with their negative where they won once from their last six games.

After there were many chances towards both posts in the first half, Kirkop managed to break the deadlock when Ivan Stankovic scored on the 48th minute. San Gwann managed to turn the game in their favour when Ryan Sell managed to score the equaliser five minutes past the hour mark and the same Sell scored the winning goal on the 78th minute.

San Gwann: D. Nagy, M. Axiaq, D. Cosaitis, J. Xavier Lopes, M. Mercieca, A. Borg, P. Xuereb (R. Zammit), R. Sell, R. Attard (G. Agius), S. Vella, C. Cacciatolo (C. Cuschieri)

Kirkop: C. Caruana, R. Galea, C. Farrugia, N. Tabone (J. Attard), M. Pisani, S. Petrov, I. Stankovic, B. Falzon, B. Bugeja (M. Theuma), R. Kerekov, M. Aquilina (J. Gerada)

Referee: Gordon Barbara

Gzira 4

St Venera 0

After suffering their first defeat this season at Gudja’s hands two weeks ago, Gzira seem to have found their warriors’ spirit once again and went on to win their last two outings, with the last victory being over St Venera at 4-0.

They seem to have now cemented their place at the summit of the standings with 51 points, with their next match being a rather tricky one against Mellieha, currently in second place with 43 points.

Gzira protested for a penalty after 38 minutes of play, when Borges Silva went to the ground in the area, with the referee allowing play to continue. They opened the scoring on 69 minutes, when from a long-distance shot from an acute angle, Ryan Deguara took the Saints’ goalie by surprise.

St Venera were down to ten men a minute later, when Redeemer Borg cleared the ball away from over the line using his outstretched arm, with the referee awarding a penalty. From the spot, Rudi Gulite Goncalves Alinho did not miss.

Gzira continued to dominate and struck again on 76 minutes, when form a precise pass from subsitute Cocks, Ryan Deguara controlled well and beat Cuschieri for the second time with a low shot.

Simon Shead sealed the three points for his side ten minutes from time, when after a poor showing by goalkeeper Cuschieri, he chipped the ball past the same custodian and at the back of the net between the unguarded posts.

Gzira: K. Gerada, S. Shead, R. Deguara, S. Pace, A. White (J. B. Gatt), A. G. Goncalves Alinho, L. F. Borges Silva (M. Cocks), K. Saliba, Y. Tonna, T. Micallef, A. Galea

St Venera: W. Cuschieri, R. Carbonaro, M. Muscat (G. Ancilleri), K. Vella, E. Muscat (J. Taliana), G. Micallef, D. Camilleri, D. Mercieca,  J. Onohua, R. Borg, A. Hili

Referee: Stefan Pace

Senglea 0

Zurrieq 1

The encounter between Zurrieq and Senglea, which saw the former victorious, was played at a very slow pace, with very few actions on both sides. Zurrieq were perhaps slightly more offensive

Zurrieq have now gone up to a total of 21 points on the grid, lifting themselves above Kirkop.

This was their second consecutive victory, where after a very bad patch of losses and draws which lasted nine matches, they are reaping the fruits of their efforts to avoid relegation. 

Zurrieq had a good opportunity on 42 minutes, when Genuis’s shot on a pass by Briffa was saved from over the line by goalkeeper Bartolo.

On 64 minutes Kalkara had their best chance, when after a good run by Grech along the left flank, Dimech’s long-distance effort went slghtly high over the crossbar.

Matthew Genuis finally hit home for his side on 72 minutes, with a splendid shot from a considerably long distance.

Senglea: B. Bartolo, C. Borg (D. Xuereb), C. Dimech, R. Tanti (J. P. Abdilla), J. Abela, A. Sciortino, D. Grech, P. Camilleri, G. Brincat, R. Degiorgio, R. J. Emeka (O. Rababbah)

Zurrieq: J. Alden, D. Bonnici, K. Sacco, D. Stojanovic, J. Lia, N. Abdilla, J. Briffa, A. Camilleri, S. Azzopardi (C. Shumba), M. Genuis, Z. Vukovic (N. Zammit)

Referee: Matthew Degabriele

Attard 2

Zebbug 2

Attard failed to gain an important three points in order to go as far away as possible from relegation, but only gained one point when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Zebbug, with a goal scored in the last minute of the game.

They now have a total of 16 points, still managing to go above Luqa in the standings, and temporarily avoiding the relegation zone, but three points would certainly have put them in a more comfortable position.

Attard opened the scoring 17 minutes into the match, when from a direct freekick from outside the area, and important to add, from a very acute and almost impossible angle, captain Clive Lanzon completely took goalkeeper Debono by surprise.

Zebbug equalised on 36 minutes, when after a good run by Pereira da Mata who crossed central, experienced striker Jeremy Agius hit home with a low first-timer. But Attard took the lead again three minutes later, from another spendid freekick by Clive Lanzon, also from outside the area.

Yet when Attard seemed to have the three points in hand, Malcolm Tirchett rose above everyone to direct a looping header past Galea just one minute from time, on an ideal cross by Pereira da Mata from the other side of the pitch. 

Attard: W. Galea, O. Tabone, C. Lanzon, J. Gauci, A. Lanzon, C. Farrugia, D. Galea, E. Azzopardi, N. Spiteri, D. Traykov, S. Agius

Zebbug: R. Debono, J. Mercieca, M. Brincat, J. Alegbe, G. Mallia, A. Agius (D. Agius), J. Agius (M. Tirchett), M. Farrugia, D. D’Agostino (D. Caruana), U. Anyanwu, S. Pereira da Mata

Referee: Jude Ameen Utulu