Valletta 3

Sliema Wanderers 0

Valletta secured their second championship on the trot, and the 21st one in the club’s history, after beating Sliema Wanderers by three goals to nil with another emphatic display that takes them nine points clear at the top.

Surely nobody doubted Valletta’s success this season, but few would have thought it would come so prematurely, with two matches still to go.

Hibernians’ failure to win on Saturday, handed Valletta the chance to take a stranglehold on the Championship yesterday although they have still to play against Floriana and Hibernians.

Valletta ran the vast majority of the game and created enough chances to register a bigger win as Sliema’s Achilles heel was their defence, prone to panic when under pressure.

Throughout the match, the leaders had shown some crisp passing, much of it from Roderick Briffa and Edmond Agius, plus some exciting wing-trickery from Denni Dos Santos whose ability to work the ball, besides scoring one of the goals, was perhaps the highlight of Valletta’s success.

Valletta kept the same starting eleven who played against Birkirkara the previous week

Contrary to their opponents, Sliema made several changes to their side as Anthony Curmi played in goal and Emiliano Lattes, Anicet Eyenga and Daniel Mitev were all named among the substitutes, and that blunted Sliema’s cutting edge. Ryan Fenech was their most advanced player, with five men crowding the midfield in front of the back four.

The game plan looked to bear fruit as Valletta could find few openings for the first half hour which lacked cohesion.

Valletta’s threats came from tame efforts by Denni and Mifsud to which keeper Curmi was up to task. When Edmond Agius was allowed to accelerate through the middle, he put his final shot slightly over.

On 35 minutes, Curmi held out Barbosa’s firm header, following Denni’s corner from the right, with an elastic save.

Staying cautious and composed, Sliema also had come up with a threat of their own until then.

Past the quarter hour, Fenech’s low curling free kick was deflected into a corner by keeper Hogg, who again reached before Fenech on 36 minutes to foot away the danger.

Sliema were hit hard by two goals, within as many minutes, late in the half when Valletta found their taste for the game. On 43 minutes, the Sliema defence failed to clear Madi’s cross from the right and the ball fell to Denni Dos Santos, whose shot took a deflection and ended behind keeper Curmi.

Hardly two minutes later, Denni won the ball on the edge of the area on the left and crossed towards the middle for Michael Mifsud, who looked in a dubious offside position, to control and shoot past keeper Curmi. Assistant Apap hesitated as he looked caught between two minds but the referee awarded Valletta the goal.

Valletta continued to bask in their superiority in the second half although Sliema were close to reducing the arrears after eight minutes. Josef Mifsud’s header on a Frendo corner was turned into another corner by keeper Hogg. From the ensuing Frendo flag kick, Gatt Baldacchino put his effort slightly wide.

But Valletta scored their third with a deadly counter within a minute. Mifsud laid the ball to Denni who played it through for the advancing Zongo who blasted the ball past the helpless Curmi.

Valletta remained dominant as Sliema looked weary of their opponents' sheer pace . Past the hour, Edmond Agius ended another menacing run with a shot narrowly off target before Denni shot against the foot of the post on substitute Gilbert Agius pass.

Ten minutes from the end, Michael Mifsud went past Gatt Baldacchino from the left but was blocked by keeper Curmi, who repelled Terence Scerri’s shot two minutes later.

In the dying minutes, Zongo played a perfect pass to Scerri but Curmi footed out the striker’s goal bound effort. On the other end, Hogg denied Cilia and Sliema a consolation goal.

And as the referee blew the final whistle, the stadium erupted with the loud chants of the colourful and noisy Valletta fans for yet another memorable season.

Valletta A. Hogg, J. Caruana, S. Borg, S. Mady Panandetiguiri, I. Azzopardi, R. Briffa, E. Agius (R. Bajada), O. Zongo, D. Dos Santos (T. Scerri), W. Barbosa (G. Agius), M. Mifsud

Coach J. Zerafa

Sliema W A. Curmi, R. Fenech, J. Mifsud, R. Grech (A. Caligari), M. Scerri, S. Bezzina, C. Gatt Baldacchino (Z. Micallef), T. Cilia, A. Muscat, C. Frendo (D. Vukovic), B. Muscat

Coach D. Doncic

Referee P. Caruana

Asst.refs C. Francalanza, P. Apap

4th official C. Lautier

Scorers D. Dos Santos 43, M. Mifsud 45, O. Zongo 54

Yellow cards M. Scerri

Player of the match Denni Dos Santos (Valletta)

TMI top 3 1. D. Dos Santos 2. E. Agius 3. M. Scerrierers 0