Football – Bank of Valletta Premier League
Melita-Qormi 1-2
Melita: G. Gabilondo, M. Sierra Camacho, K. Vella Petroni, I. Tufegdzic, G. Gribbon, M. Martin, N. Rizzo, L. Sammut (M. Valenzia), L. Micallef, D. Ayllon (J. Veloso) (R. Alhino), M. Borg
Qormi: S. Sultana, K. Thackray, J. Chetcuti, M. Avila Perez, L. Sciberras, M. Gauci, E. Zarate, D. Pisani (M. Bartolo), C. Cassar (R. Sammut), S. Wellman, L. Grech (A. Cassar)
Referee: C. Lautier
Asst. Refs: T. Debono, A. Borg Cardona
4th official: T. Farrugia Cann
Scorers: D. Ayllon 34, I. Tufegdzic 71 og, M. Avila Perez 89
Yellow cards: L. Micallef, K. Vella Petrini, L. Sammut, M. Borg, R. Sammut
Red card: K. Vella Petroni
Player of the match: L. Grech (Qormi)
TMI top 3: 1. E. Zarate 2. L. Grech 3. G. Gribbon
Melita again shot themselves in the foot, suffering from their own indiscipline after defender Karl Vella Petroni was sent off for dissent just before halftime, with his side enjoying a one-goal lead.
Qormi made the best of their extra man in the second half and completely dominated the second 45 minutes, scoring twice and denied twice more by the woodwork, to finally win the match.
Both sides will be playing in the Relegation Pool in the second phase but Melita are more deeply embroiled in the danger zone than their opponents, the teams separated by 13 points at kick off.
Qormi were bereft of the suspended Jonathan Bondin and Alfred Effiong and gave starts to Christian Cassar and Moises Avila Perez. Steve Sultana replaced Matthew Farrughia in goal, with Rodrick Sammut and Matthew Bartolo also exiled to the bench. Melita, on their part, had Andrew Caruana Scicluna serving a one-match ban but their Spanish coach Patxi Salinas made his return on the bench after serving a three-match suspension.
After a mundane first 15 minutes, Qormi presented the first threat with a Thackray free kick from the left going slightly over. Grech made progression down the right but the delivery of his cross was poor.
Melita gradually started to find pace. Micallef juggled inside the Qormi area, found space and tested keeper Sultana with a low drive.
On 34 minutes, Melita even took the lead. Gribbon’s cross from the byeline on the right was headed down by Micallef for Daniel Ayllon to steer the ball past keeper Sultana with his outstretched leg as he beat the Qormi offside trap.
Qormi remained too disjointed to make a decent reaction. On 40 minutes though, Avila Perez made contact with Grech’s cross from the right, but was blocked into a corner.
Melita were reduced to ten men one minute before the break. There was no complaining about Vella Petroni’s marching orders after applauding the referee when booked for time wasting.
Qormi fully capitalised on their numerical superiority and completely dominated the second half as they raked in several crosses from both flanks, forcing the Melita defence to go through some really anxious moments.
A Gauci insidious cross had been already cleared with some difficulty into a corner by the Melita defenders before Chetcuti played a through ball to Zarate who clipped the upright from the left.
Zarate himself dribbled his way inside the Melita area but shot narrowly off target.
Melita looked likely to buckle under their opponents’s sustained pressure but Qormi’s equaliser on 71 minutes came courtesy of an unlucky own goal. Grech’s low cross from the right was fisted out by keeper Gabilondo, the ball hitting Tufegdziz and rebounding into an empty net.
Tufegdzic almost committed another own goal fiur minutes later as he tried to clear Greech’s cross, but the goalkeeper turned the ball into a corner with some difficulty.
Veloso, who had replaced Ayllon 20 minutes earlier, was injured and forced to leave the pitch ten minutes from time.
On 86 minutes, Qormi’s substitute Sammut thumped his shot, on Grech’s cross, against the bar.
And when Melita thought that they had weathered the danger, Qormi struck with one minute of normal time remaining. Zarate provided the cross from the left and Moises Avila Perez beat keeper Gabilondo with a firm header to break Melita’s hearts.