MOSTA-                                1

FLORIANA-                           0

Mosta: O. Borg, T. Farrugia, M. Brincat, I. Grech, R. Ekani, K. Zammit (K. Farrugia), R. Grech, M. Micallef, C. Fernandes (Y. Messias), B. Kaljevic (D. Pereira), G.M. Piccioni

Floriana: D. Hanford, I. Edet, S. Pisani, C. Caruana, D. Pinheiro, C. Borg (I. Galea), J. Borg, L. Casha (I. Coronado), R. Aguiar, G. Muir (B. Farrugia), S. Borg

Referee:  A.M. Sant

Asst.refs: E. Spiteri, L. Portelli

4th official: C. Pisani

Scorers: K. Zammit 77,

Yellow cards: J. Borg, C. Borg, R. Ekani, D. Pereira, R. Grech

Red card: G.M. Piccioni

Player of the match: D. Hanford (Floriana)

TMI top 3:  1. K. Zammit  2. M. Brincat  3. D. Hanford

Ten-man Mosta too strong for Floriana

SILVIO VELLA

Mosta should have won this one by a landslide but finally they had to settle for a solitary late goal, scored by midfielder Kurt Zammit, ironically after they were reduced to ten men soon after the hour, to beat poor Floriana in crisis.

Following their impressive comeback win against Hibernians a week before, Mosta made three changes in their starting line-up. Duriska was suspended, Dyson Falzon out with a knee injury and Kane Farrugia dropped to the bench. Ishmael Grech, Ryan Grech and Bojan Kaljevic were given the nod instead.

With Andre Scicluna suspended, Floriana’s central defenders were Ibok Edet and Rodrigo Aguiar. The not fully fit Igor Coronado was exiled to the bench as Luca Casha and Steve Pisani started  in attack.

Floriana could carve very few scoring opportunities throughout the match as their midfield was often bypassed with long balls played from behind, straight inside the Mosta area where Mark Brincat and Tyrone Farrugia got the better of Floriana’s forwards. Christian Caruana struggled for inventive.

A third reverse on the trot now plummets Floriana to eight place, one below Balzan and five points adrift of sixth-placed Mosta with three matches remaining for the end of the first phase.

Mosta should have wrapped the match up before halftime had they not shown too much profligacy and lack of killer instint in front of the Floriana goal. Their lethal predator Gian Marco Piccioni had several opportunities to add to his season’s tally. If Piccioni blamed misfortune or the Floriana keeper’s abilities in the first half, he was only to blame himself past the hour when sent off for a silly retaliation on an opponent.

Floriana’s keeper Daniel Hanford was soon under pressure as Mosta raked several long balls behind the high Greens’ backline and tried to outplay them with the speed of Piccioni, Kaljevic or Fernandes.

But no matter how close they got to their opponents' goalline during a manic opening half, Mosta could not force the ball over it.

After nine minutes, Piccioni was through on a Fernandes pass but Hanford saved his low drive. Two minutes later Zammit’s low shot from the right forced the Floriana keeper to stretch himslef and turn into a corner.

Mosta again were wasteful towards the half hour when Piccioni got the better of Sascha Borg on the run, as they chased a Micallef long ball forward, advanced through the middle but he shot feebly on the goalkeeper.

And Picccioni squandered yet another chance on 36 minutes when he ran free inside the Floriana area from the right but his effort lacked enough power to beat keeper Hanford.

Five minutes before the break, Mosta threatened again but Fernandes was blocked by the goalkeeper as he tried to back-heel in Piccioni’s low cross.

Like in the previosu week, Mosta put in Diego Pereira for Kaljevic at the start of the second half and, after Pinheiro missed the target when served by Pisani, Floriana effected a double substitution on 56 minutes, drafting in Igor Coronado and Brooke Farrugia.

Mosta suffered a setback on 65 minutes when their forward Piccioni flung his foot at Floriana’s defender Sascha Borg as both lay grounded near the byeline and received marching orders.

But with Floriana unable to exploit their numerical superiority and Clyde Borg stertechered off on 73 minutes, Mosta still remained more potent going forward. With Yuri Messias an additional substitute on the pitch, Mosta hit the winner on 77 minutes.

Pereira outpaced the Floriana defence but his powerful shot was repelled by the Floriana keeper, only for Kurt Zammit to win possession on the rebound with Edet, had his first effiort blocked by Hanford before slotting in the second rebound. Zammit was also stretchered off six minutes from the end but judging from the level of Floriana’s incompetence on the afternoon, Mosta never looked in danger of losing the points.

Alessandro Matri scored twice on his Fiorentina debut to help his new team win 3-0 at bottom club Catania in Serie A on Sunday.

Matri had only scored once in six months for AC Milan but now has more goals for Fiorentina after a brilliant first half.

"Today was an afternoon I dreamed about," Matri said. "I really wanted to get back to helping the team. It's been a difficult six months, in which I suffered, and I thank those who were close to me, my family and my girlfriend, I dedicate the goals to them."

Fiorentina moved three points behind Napoli in the race for third place and the final Champions League berth after the Naples club were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Bologna.

Napoli thought it had won after goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon but Rolando Bianchi scored his second of the game in the final minute.

In the evening game, Clarence Seedorf got off to a winning start as coach after Mario Balotelli's penalty helped AC Milan beat Hellas Verona 1-0.

"After the match we all gathered in a circle with our arms around each other. From now on we will always do that, regardless of the result. That way we will all look each other in the face," Seedorf said. "It is an important start and I am happy for this group. There's a lot of work still ahead of us, but everything is lighter and comes easier when you are winning."

Inter Milan lost 1-0 at Genoa for its third defeat in five league matches.

In the earlier kickoff, 10-man Lazio fought back after twice trailing to win 3-2 at Udinese. Elsewhere, it was: Chievo Verona 1, Parma 2; Atalanta 1, Cagliari 0; and Sassuolo 0, Torino 2.

With Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Gomez injured, Matri was handed his Fiorentina debut days after joining on loan from Milan, and it did not take the former Juventus striker long to have an impact as he set up Fernandez for the opening goal in the 25th minute.

Matri got on the scoresheet three minutes later, getting the better of his marker to slide home Manuel Pasqual's pass. He doubled his tally four minutes from halftime when Catania goalkeeper Alberto Frison did brilliantly to deny Fernandez but Matri tapped home the rebound.

Matri was substituted at the start of the second half as a precaution after picking up a knock.

Fernandez almost scored his second of the match on the hour mark but hit the crossbar.

It was a disappointing return to the Catania bench for coach Rolando Maran, who had been sacked and replaced by Luigi De Canio in October.

Relegation-threatened Bologna had held Lazio to a draw last week and was looking to continue its unbeaten run under new coach Davide Ballardini.

It took a surprise lead eight minutes from halftime when Bianchi got in front of Raul Albiol to head in Alessandro Diamanti's cross.

Napoli strove for the equalizer and its hard work paid off shortly after the hour mark when Higuain smashed home a penalty after Panagiotis Kone bundled over Blerim Dzemaili.

Callejon fired Higuain's cross into the far corner 10 minutes from time and Napoli looked set to take all three points when Kone was sent off for a second booking four minutes later.

However, Bianchi drove home Diamanti's corner to snatch a draw.

Inter is eight points behind the top four as its miserable run continued.

Luca Antonelli was left unmarked to head home a corner seven minutes from time. Inter has won just one of its past eight league matches.

Verona is doing well in its first season back in the top flight and is level on points with Inter. Milan is struggling and replaced Massimiliano Allegri with former player Seedorf after last week's 4-3 loss to Sassuolo.

After beating Milan on the opening day, Verona appeared to be heading for a draw at San Siro before Alejandro Gonzalez's needless tackle on Kaka. Balotelli stepped up and fired powerfully into the right side of goal.

"It is a victory that we dedicate to Seedorf, the first game is the most difficult,"Balotelli said.

Udinese is just three points off the drop zone after a third straight defeat. Bologna, Sassuolo and Chievo are all level on 17 points, four more than bottom two clubs Livorno and Catania.