Valletta-Mosta 6-0
Valletta: Y. Cini, J. Caruana, S. Borg, R. Fenech (L. Cremona), E. Agius, R. Briffa (S. Bajada), J.P. Mifsud Triganza (I. Zammit), R. Bakare, D. Dos Santos, A. Nafti, L. Dimech
Mosta: O. Borg, K. Farrugia, T. Farrugia, M. Brincat, I. Grech (B. Agius), M. Micallef, N. Consentini (S. Opriescu), F. Calcagno (R. Grech), R. Silva Faria, H. Bara, G. Piccione
Referee: C. Pisani
Asst refs: I. Spiteri, P. Apap
Additional asst refs: C. Lautier, M. Apap
4trh official: P. Abela
Scorers: J. Caruana 13, R. Fenech 47, E. Agius 50, R. Briffa 54, D. Dos Santos 67, 73
Yellow cards: A. Nafti, E. Agius, G. Piccione
Player of the match: R. Fenech
TMI top three:
Attendance: 904
A vintage performance of flowing football and some clinical finish ensured Valletta of a convincing win, against sorry opponents Mosta, that keeps them within one point of the leading duo Hibernians and Birkirkara.
Valletta dominated from start to finish and should have killed the game off before halftime as Mosta looked in abject disarray.
Despite taking an early lead before the quarter hour, Valletta failed to add more goals in the first half, despite striking the Mosta woodwork three times in succession.
But the much feared goal deluge materialsied in the second half when Valletta scored five more goals to leave their opponents in tatters.
Midfielder Ryan Fenech, the catalyst behind his side’s success yesterday, scored one of the goals. Denni Dos Santos, who had a rather quiet first half but was menacing in the second half, scored a brace, with the other goals coming from defenders Roderick Briffa and Jonathan Caruana as well as defensive midfielder Edmond Agius.
Debutant midfielder Raimi Bakare, from Nigeria, was one of three changes in the Valletta line-up. The others were Steve Borg and Abdelkarim Nafti, who replaced Nyang.
Mosta coach Danilo Doncic continued to rotate his team. Yesterday Ishmael Grech, Nikola Consentini, Francesco Calcagno, Ricardo Faria and Haruma Bara were all fresh names on the team list. That might have unsettled his side.
Their aspirations of making it with the top six are now in jeopardy after this inept display which saw them roundly thumped by the boys from the capital. Some woeful defending, especially from set pieces, played a major part in Mosta’s heaviest defeat so far.
Valletta were on top for most of the first half, their snappy passing and movement depriving their opponents the ball for long periods.
It took them only 13 minutes to forge ahead from a set piece. Following a Nafti free kick, Dimech steered the ball with his head in the path of other defender Jonathan Caruana who scored with a diving header.
Earlier, Fenech had volleyed Briffa’s cross just over the bar, confirming Valletta’s ascendancy as the match progressed.
Past the quarter hour, Nafti’s corner fell to Dimech, who thundered his shot against the underside of the bar, with the ball rebounding in play.
Mosta struggled to defend Valletta’s set pieces. Fenech flicked the ball in the direction of the advancing Denni who was blocked into a corner. From the resultant flag kick, Nafti clipped the bar. The woodwork again denied Valletta and Nafti on the half hour, with Kane Farrugia heading the ball into safety. Earlier, Grech cleared Mifsud Triganza’s cross before Denni could connect.
Outplayed and outclassed, Mosta carved out two chances in the first period. The first after 21 minutes came on Micallef’s cross from the right that fell to the unmarked Ricardo Faria. His curling shot destined for the top corner was headed out by Dimech. Two minutes before the break, Piccione ran through the middle but was blocked by the Valletta custodian Cini.
If Valletta failed to score aplenty in the first 45 minutes, they did with a breathless start to the second half, which saw Valletta score three times in the space of seven minutes.
Two minutes after the restart, Ryan Fenech won possession against Kane Farrugia and advanced to coolly steer the ball beyond the Mosta keeper’s reach.
Three minutes later Edmond Agius found the ball in his path following a blocked Mifsud Triganza effort which rebounded off the grounded Brincat. The Valletta midfielder beat keeper Borg with a curling shot.
On 54 minutes, Mosta’s defence collapsed again to concede from a Nafti corner, allowing Roderick Briffa to head in from the far side.
Mosta were unlucky on 58 minutes as Piccione headed a Conbsentini free kick against the bar and on the hour, keeper Borg thwarted Mifsud Triganza, holding out the ball in unorthodox fashion.
With the points virtually secured, Valletta made a doublke substitgution, withdrawing Briffa and Mifsud Triganza.
It was Denni Dos Santos’ turn to infliuct more damage on poor Mosta, scoring a brace within six minutes. He made it 5-0 with a low strike after a good run from the right and then picked substitute Cremona’s pass to rifle Valletta’s sixth past the miserable Mosta keeper.