Valletta 5
Pembroke 1
Champions Valletta registered their third consecutive victory as they easily overcame Pembroke Athleta’s feeble challenge to emerge 5-1 winners.
The returning Federico Falcone struck twice in the first half to pave the way for their win. The other goals arrived in the second half through Romeu Pericles Romao, substitute Ian Azzopardi and Jhonnattan Benites. An 83rd minute goal from Andrea Scozzese provided Pembroke with some consolation.
The victory enabled the champions to join Balzan on maximum points at the top of the standings.
The citizens were an impressive lot yesterday, but it must also be said that Pembroke simply did not live in the same street. No surprise that they suffered this third consecutive defeat.
Federico Falcone was making a welcome return to the City side after several weeks sidelined through injury. Goalkeeper Dzuigas Bartkus, of Lithuania, was making his debut.
But Claudio Pani and Llewelyn Cremona were ruled out, the former through suspension and Cremona through injury.
There was another debutant in the Pembroke side, Macedonian Asani Djeljilj. The Athleta also had two regulars ruled out through suspension. They are Siraj Arab and Luke Montebello.
There was never any doubt as to where the points were going, especially after Valletta took an early seventh minute lead.
It could be said that from then on, there was only one team on the field of play with Pembroke having to defend for long stretches and rarely moving forward with purpose.
The citizens went on to add a second goal before the interval and when Romao scored a third early in the second half, it was as good as over.
Valletta continued to dominate and it became a training session for them with Pembroke struggling to keep them away from their area.
The citizens opened the scoring through the returning Falcone on the 7th minute – a great shot that completely beat Muscat.
The champions insisted on attack and in the 18th minute, it was Jhonnattann Benites who went close with a fine dipper from the edge of the area that just missed the target.
Pembroke replied in the 21st minute when Mariano managed to go past City goalie Bartkus, but from his cross from the left, Micallef shot weakly and the ball was easily cleared by the Valletta defence.
Soon after, at the other end, Muscat had to save a grounder from Falcone.
Valletta added a second goal in the 41st minute. Romao delivered a fine cross from the right and Falcone first timed home beautifully giving veteran goalie Muscat no chance.
Three minutes later, it was Benites who tried his luck with a shot that was not far away from the target.
Soon after the start of the second half, Valletta almost added a third goal as Falcone had a shot turned to corner by Muscat. From the resultant cornerkick from Benites, it was Romao who hit home from close in.
Benites was unlucky on 56 minutes as his effort hit the upright before going wide.
For once, Pembroke had a shot from Regis da Silva going just wide on 58 minutes.
It was again Benites who forced Muscat to dive and save his effort close by the upright in the 68th minute. The same Benites had another effort palmed away by Muscat on 72 minutes.
It became 4-0 in the 77th minute when following a cross by Benites, it was substitute Ian Azzopardi who came from the blind side to blast the ball into the net.
And soon after, Benites finally also found the net to make it a resounding 5-0.
But it was not over yet, as Pembroke finally managed to score a consolation goal when following a Regis da Silva freekick, goalie Bartkus fumbled the ball and Andrea Scozzese headed into an empty net.
Valletta: D. Bartkus, J. Caruana (I. Azzopardi), S. Borg, R. Camilleri, S. Malano, R. Briffa (U.Calistus), J. Borg, F. Falcone, L. Aguirre, Jhonnattann Benites, R. Pericles Romao (J. Suda).
Pembroke: M. Muscat, A. Borg (A. Scozzese), Z. Levnaic, C. Gauc (T. Fenech), B. Muscat, J. Mariano, M. Attard (B. Manevski), M. Regis da Silva, P. Barbetti, M. Micallef, A. Djeljilj.
Referee: E. Azzopardi.
Asst refs: S. Attard, P. Abela.
4th official: E. Mangion.
Scorers: Falcone 2, R. Pericles Romao, I. Azzopardi, J. Benites, A. Scozzese.
Yellow cards: A. Djeljilj, A. Borg,
Player of the match: F. Falcone.
TMI Top 3:1. F. Falcone, 2. J. Benites, 3. R. Pericles Romao.
Attendance: 979
Floriana 0
Balzan 1
An 88th minute penalty goal from substitute Lydon Micallef enabled Balzan to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season as they beat Floriana 1-0.
It was Balzan’s third victory in a row while Floriana succumbed to their first defeat following two wins in their opening two games.
Balzan had goalie Janjusevic back in goal, while Nafti and Piciollo were making their first start for Oliver Spiteri’s side.
Play in the first half was enjoyable and balanced with both sets creating some good chances which, however, went begging.
It was a hard-working performance from the midfielders, especially Serrano Valero and Paul Fenech of Balzan and Floriana’s Nicholas Chiesa, Mario Fontanella and Antonio Monticelli.
In the second half, play degenerated as the ball was restricted mainly to midfield with both sets of defences being on top of their forwards. Gilio de Oliveira, for Balzan, and Pepe and Ruiz, for Floriana, were absolutely dominant in the heart of their respective defences. Pepe, however, marred his performance late in the match when he conceded the penalty which gave Balzan their win.
Goal-scoring chances were few and far between so much so that both goalies were hardly ever tested.
Balzan eventually took all the three points after the Greens conceded a late penalty which was converted in style by substitute Lydon Micallef.
Balzan threatened first on the 5th minute. From a Nafti cornerkick, it was Gilio de Oliveira who headed wide.
Moments later, at the other end, from a Ryan Camenzuli freekick, it was Chiesa who tested Janjusevic seriously but the Balzan goalie turned to corner in style.
In the 10th minute, Balzan missed a gilt edged chance of forging ahead. It was Nafti who set the unmarked Piciollo in the Greens’ area, but the former Floriana striker shot weakly into Haber’s hands.
Floriana also missed a good chance to open the scoring on the 27th minute. It was Fontanella who set Varela who beat the Balzan defence, but saw his chance vanish into thin air as despite rounding goalie Janjusevic, Gilio de Oliveira managed to clear to corner in time before the Greens striker could plant the ball into the empty net.
In the 34th minute, Haber had to rush out of his charge and dive at Effiong’s feet to avoid an awkward situation for the Greens.
Ten minutes into the second half, Nafti set Kaljevic in the Greens area, but his shot from an angle was easily saved by Haber.
Play was restricted mainly to midfield for long stretches and we had to wait till the 80th minute for another decent action. This time it was substitute Samb who passed to Fontanella in the Balzan area, but the Italian hit well over the bar from an ideal position.
With the match seemingly heading towards a goalless draw, Balzan scored the winner in the 88th minute. Alfred Effiong was floored by Pepe in the area and referee Glen Tonna showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot from where substitute Lydon Micallef made no mistake.
Floriana: J. Haber, A. Scicluna, A. Monticelli, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, C. Borg (S. Pisani), I. Varela (A. Samb), J. Pisani, N. Chiesa, M. Fontanella, R. Camenzuli.
Balzan: I. Janjusevic, B. Kaljevic (L. Micallef), B. Gilio de Oliveira, S. Bezzina, A. De Barros (D. Grima), P. Fenech, A. Effiong, J. Grioli, A. Nafti (T. Agius), EO Serrano Valero, M. Picciollo.
Referee: G. Tonna.
Asst refs: E. Spiteri, C. Francalanza.
4th official: E. Grech.
Scorer: L. Micallef pen.
Yellow cards: C. Borg, I. Varela, B. Gilio de Oliveira, E. Pepe, S. Pisani,
Player of the match: N. Chiesa.
TMI Top 3: 1. N. Chiesa, 2. M. Fontanella, P. Fenech.
Photos above Domenic Aquilina
Gzira United 1
Sliema Wanderers 0
SILVIO VELLA
Following two consecutive draws, Gzira United registered their first Premier League win yesterday, courtesy of a Robert De Pinho goal scored after a quarter hour, enough to beat neighbours Sliema Wanderers in a hard fought match.
Sliema responded well after falling behind and put some pressure on their opponents in the second half. However little was seen of them going forward, with Milos Galin and Jean Paul Farrugia peripheral figures up front. Gzira could have even won by a bigger margin but wasted good opportunities towards the end.
Gzira coach Branko Nisevic effected two changes from the side that drew with Hamrun Spartans before the international break. Jacob Borg and Yanis Tonna made way for Juan Carlos Corbalan and Dyson Falzon in the Maroons’ starting line up. Costa Morias, known as Liliu, who joined the club recently, had his debut delayed as he did not feature in the squad.
Sliema were boosted by the return from suspension of Mark Scerri.Together with Muchardi and Peter Xuereb, he provided the industry in midfield. Roger Vilas Boas was also handed a start instead of Clive Psaila. Their recent loanee from Mosta, Oweregbulam is serving a two-match ban.
Sliema went into the fixture winless and pointless after the first two matches. They were the first to threaten, determined to stop their negative start. On Mintoff’s cross from the right, Scerri hit over the bar after only four minutes.
In no time Gzira, having obtained two draws from their opening two matches, settled into the match and responded with the first goal of the match on the quarter hour. Ledesma’s floating free kick from the left caught the Sliema defence off guard . Robert De Pinho hit the ball at the top corner.
Sliema tried to regroup and there were some steely tackles at both ends that merited a booking. Biancardi had his powerful header going close from a corner and Muchardi headed feebly Mintoff’s deep cross, but otherwise the Gzira keeper Jurgen Borg was never put to test.
Six minutes into the second half, the Wanderers were forced to substitute the injured central defender Biancardi, who fell awkwardly. Alex Muscat dropped in central defence with Salomon Wisdom going in instead.
Sliema should have drawn level on 63 minutes, soon after Galin had placed his freekick off target. Scerri darted inside the Gzira area on a Muchardi pass, dribbled past keeper Borg but saw his goalbound effort being cleared off the line by Falzon.
As Sliema mounted some pressure, substitute Aiden Friggieri ran inside the area but was thwarted by the onrushing Gzira keeper, who was having a busier second half.
Sliema were forced to make another substitution after Vilas Boas was stretchered off on 77 minutes and they lost some of their rhythm.
Substitute Nwoba could have even made the points safe for Gzira seven minutes from time as he gallopped towards goal but let the ball escape his controll in the final third and the grounded keeper Sarao could block
Nwoba made a bigger mess minutes later as he won a tussle with three opponents, advanced unhindered through the middle but put his shot wide.
Gzira were made to defend grimly Sliema’s final assults as the match drifted towards a chaotic end for Gzira to register their first league win and leave the Wanderers in search of one.
Gzira U: J. Borg, C. Gatt Baldacchino, G. Conti, R. Ledesma (J. Nwoba), J Corbolan, J. Da Silva Santos (Z. Scerri), M. Avila Perez, D. Falzon (J. Borg), S. Diamoutene, A. Machedo Neto, R. De Pinho De Souza
Sliema W: G. Sarao, A. Muscat, G. Muir, S. Bianciardi (S. Wisdom), R. Vilas Boas (G. Aquilina), P. Xuereb, M. Muchardi, J. Mintoff, Mark Scerri, M. Galin, J.P. Farrugia (A. Friggieri)
Referee: C. Pisani
Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, M. Scerri
Additional refs: T. Farrugia Cann, P. Farrugia
4th official: D. Sultana
Scorer: R. De Pinho 15
Yellow cards: C. Gatt Baldacchino, A. Machedo Neto, J. Mintoff, M. Galin, R. De Pinho
Player of the match: M. Scerri (Sliema W)
TMI top 3: 1. M. Scerri 2. S. Diamoutene 3. R. Ledesma
Photos above and below: Christine Borg
Hibernians 3
Mosta 1
SILVIO VELLA
This win confirmed that Hibernians are up and running for the new season after playing fitfully in their first two matches.
The Paolites may still not be at their very best but yesterday they stayed calm and showed resilience when Mosta made the better start to the match and looked tactically well set to give a decent challenge.
All that evaporated as Hibernians took the lead from a first half penalty and then scored twice at the start and towards the end of the second half.
Mosta, still winless in the Premier League, wanted something to get their season up and running. Their hopes rested on the return of Edin Murga in their starting line-up and together with Njongo Priso and Lucky Oseghale boosted the attcking force for Edmond Lufi’s side.
Hibernians, with one win out of two, were aware of the arduous task ahead and relied on the mobility and speed of Jurgen Degabriele and Renan Telles to breach the Mosta rearguard.
Mosta moved the ball smartly, at times, with the full-backs, Onwudinjo and Bezak, ever eager to surge forward with the strikers Oseghale and Priso, enjoying some nice moments. The tussles between Murga and Dias , on Hibernians’ right flank, were enjoyable to watch. Mosta’s line-up featured pace in attacking areas and they were the more progressive team in a first half of few clear-cut chances.
In fact the only noteworthy episode was the soft penalty awarded to Hibernians five minutes before the break. The action that led to the infringement started with a Clayton Failla powerful shot that was parried by keeper Bartolo. Mbong was felled by Onwudinjo as they came into contact for the loose ball and the referee pointed to the spot. The unerring Failla stood up to give the Paolites the lead.
Hibernians squeezed higher up the pitch in the second half, in search of an assuring second goal. It did not take long in coming. Short of the hour, a Failla free kick was missed by the onrushing keeper Bartolo and Bjorn Kristensen was quick to slot in the ball from close range.
Mosta made a double substitution, putting in Dexter Xuereb and Antoine Borg but their only flicker of hope camed on 76 minutes. Murga’s shot was deflected into a corner and from the resultant flag kick Djoufack’s header was saved by keeper Hogg.
The game was surely done and dusted with five minutes remaining. A pass from substitute Cohen was deflected by Djoufack in the path of Jurgen Degabriele who scored with a delicate chip over the onrushing keeper Bartolo.
There was some scant consolaqtion for Mosta when awarded a late penalty in the match’s added time. Dias felled Antoine Borg and Priso converted the penalty which only served for statistical purpose.
Hibernians: A. Hogg, R. Soares (D. Vella), M. Dias, J. Lima, B. Kristensen, C. Failla, R. Telles (A. Cohen), J. Bezzina, J. Mbong (J. Varea), J. Degabriele, A. Agius
Mosta: M. Bartolo, G. Bezak, A. Caruana, D. Djoufack, F. Onwudinjo, K. Frendo (D. Xuereb), J. Repa (N. Frendo), Z. Brincat (A. Borg), N. Priso, E. Murga, L. Oseghale
Referee: S. Pace
Asst.refs: W. Debattista, P. Apap
4th official: M. Spiteri
Scorers: C. Failla 40 pen, B. Kristensen 58, J. Degabriele 85, N. Priso pen 90+
Yellow cards: F. Onwudinjo, J. Lima, A. Caruana, N. Priso, J. Repa
Player of the match: C. Failla (Hibernians)
TMI top 3: 1. B. Kristensen 2. C. Failla 3. N. Priso
Attendance: 587