Rabat A.-Valletta 1-4

Rabat A: P. Velimirovic,S. Gauci, D. Azzopardi, I. Carapic, D. Falzon, C. Gauci, J. Bajada (A. Azzopardi), D. Pelaez (Z. Tanti), D. Pendas (M. Licari), M. Avila Perez, A. Smeir

Valletta: Y. Cini, J. Caruana, R. Fenech, E. Agius, R. Briffa , H. Barry (J.P. Mifsud Triganza), A. Nyang (I. Zammit), S. Bajada (L. Cremona), D. Dos Santos, A. Nafti, L. Dimech

Referee: F. Zammit

Asst.refs: C. Francalanza, A. Borg Cardona

Additional asst.refs: A. Arciola, M. Spiteri

4th official: C. Pisani

Scorers: D. Dos Santos 12, 63, M. Avila Perez 76, E. Agius 82, A. Nafti 90+

Yellow cards: L. Dimech, E. Agius, C. Gauci

Player of the match: D. Dos Santos (Valletta)

TMI top three:  1. D. Dos Santos  2. A. Nafti  3. J. Bajada

SILVIO VELLA

Valletta had been criticised for winning without really impressing. Yesterday they produced a  display of effervescent attacking and their superiority was sustained for almost the whole 90 minutes as they hammered lowly Rabat Ajax 4-1 to keep up the chase with leaders Hibernians who play Floriana today.

Their best player on the afternoon, Denni Dos Santos, given a start yesterday, scored Valletta’s  first two goals to pave the way for a victory that only turned emphatic in the last ten minutes.

Rabat had obtained their first league win last week against Tarxien Rainbows. But Valletta were a different proposition and even the most optimistic of Rabat supporters  could not have predicted a win against a strong Valletta side. Rabat’s most realistic chance in the game came when they pulled a goal back and soon after Smeir nearly made it 2-2 but was denied by a superlative save from Yenz Cini .

The Citizens were bolstered by the return of Luke Dimech and Roderick Brfiffa who had missed the previos match against Vittoriosa Stars.

As expected, Valletta did the early running but Rabat were tactically well posed in the opening stages. Nafti shot wide as he connected well to Nyang’s dangerous cross after three minutes. Rabat’s response, nine minutes later, came from Pendas’ forray inside the Valletta area, although challenged by Agius, but his shot was blocked by keeper Cini.

Rabat were on the backfoot after 12 minutes though. Denni connected well to Nafti’s cross from the left to render keeper Velimirovic helpless with his first timer.

The Rabar keeper was called to hold out a Fenech effort soon after befor Valletta were forced to substitute the injured Barry Hamza midway through the half.

With Rabat failing to make a reaction, a lull in proceedings followed. Valletta enjoyed possession with some neat passing without hardly being productive. Then, on 37 minutes, Nafti steered the ball on Nyang’s cross, in the path of Fenech who missed the target with an overhedad kick.

Before the break, Velimirovic pulled a smart save off Shaun Bajada’s free kick from the right.

After the break, Rabat continued to prove more than a match for their stronger opponents, who went close as Briffa arrived fractionally late on a Nafti high cross inside the Rabat area.

The Rabat keeper was completely taken by surprise on 63 minutes as he misjudged Denni Dos Santos’ blistering shot from outside the area to give the Citizens some breadth of fresh air.

Rabat looked completely out of sorts after that and were lucky that Valletta’s supremacy did not produce more goals. Mifsud Triganza’s shot was tipped over the bar and into a corner by keeper Velimirovic before Mifsud Triganza’s grounder went inches wide. Nafti’s effort from the left just missed the target.

But as Rabat looked to have thrown down the towel, they were handed a lifeline on 76 minutes. Jonathan Bajada sent a cross and Moises Avila Perez slotted the ball in from close range.

Suddenly the Magpies jerked into shape and the match could have taken a completely different twist two minutes later had Rabat capitalised on their best chance to draw level. Smeir picked Jonathan Bajada’s cross inside the Valletta area. His shot took a wicked deflection off Briffa but keeper Cini produced the most difficult save, turning into a corner.

Surviving that scare, Valletta summoned enough effort to move forward once more. Eight minutes from normal time, Mifsud Triganza played a through pass to Edmond Agius who went past Shawn Gauci and score with a low diagonal shot.

With the wind in their sails, there was still time for Valletta to score their fourth goal. Deep into three minutes of added time, Abdelkarim Nafti crowned a fine performance with a goal, heading in the cross from Ian Zammit, who had gone in as a late substitute for Nyang.