FLORIANA -                              2

SLIEMA WANDERERS-           0

 

Floriana: J. Haber, A. Scicluna, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, S. Pisani, I. Varela, S. Nayar, M. Vella (A. Cini), N. Chiesa (C. Borg), M. Fontanella, R. Camenzuli

Sliema W: G. Sarao, A. Muscat, D. Dos Santos (J. Mintoff), L. Incorvaia (P. Xuereb), M. Scerri, J.P. Farrugia, M. Muchardi (R. Spiteri), R. Duarte, J. Pearson, F. Temile, S. Bianciardi

Referee: G. Tonna

Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, J. Spiteri

Additional asst.refs: F. Zammit, M. Apap

4th official: P. Abela

Scorers: E. Ruiz 4, C. Borg 90+

Yellow cards: I. Varela, G. Sarao, L. Incorvaia, M. Vella, M. Scerri, R. Duarte

Attendance: 3,750

 

Floriana ended the 2016/17 season on a high after claiming the FA Trophy, beating eternal rivals Sliema Wanderers. Floriana inflicted the damage with an early goal by defender Enzo Ruiz and another in added time through substitute Clyde Borg in a tense, scrappy but often thrilling final.

 This was Floriana’s first domestic honour after six barren years and adds polish to their club status besides earning them a passage to European competion next season.

Floriana were without doubt the better team on the day. Inspired by Maurcio Vella, they dominated for long stretches and could have won by an even greater margin.

Sliema did not play with any impetus or apparent desire to raise the tempo and rarely troubled keeper Haber. They did not convert what few chances they made and were ultimately edged out.

It was not pretty but it was certainly exciting and, even if the attendance was not the biggest of the season, the noise rivalled the most high-profile fixtures here.

These teams have got to know each other at close quarters, with Sliema beating their opponents three times in the league. This fourth meeting between the two this season, though, had significantly more riding on it. The sense of occasion was clear from the off.

Floriana were an unchanged side from the one that beat SK Victoria Wanderers in the semi-final, with Scicluna, Pepe, Ruiz and Camenzuli formimg a four-man defence and Nayar in front of them. Chiesa, Vella and Pisani were the midfield dynamos, supporting Varela and Fontanella up front.

Sliema had forward Jean Paul Farrugia back in the side, after missing the semi final against Tarxien Rainbows through suspension. Peter Xuereb made way.

The Wanderers’ formation also included four men at the back, but a slightly different setup in midfield. Muscat and Duarte were the wing backs alongside central defenders Bianchardi and Incorvaia. Pearson, Muchardi and Scerri provided cover in front of them with Denni and Temile roaming in midfield behind their most advanced man Farrugia.

It all kicked off when the teams walked out on the pitch and were greeted by green and blue flags, waved by virtually every seat from the main stand.

Photos Domenic Aquilina

The roar that went up set the tone and it was an afternoon of song from both sets of supporters.

A minute silence was also observed in memory of Maltese legend, the former Sliema player and national team captain Ronnie Cocks, who passed away during the week. Floriana started the more pumped up of the two teams.

They forged ahead after only four minutes, as they caught the Sliema rearguard still unsettled. Vella’s long free kick inside the Sliema area found Enzo Ruiz loosely marked to beat keeper Sarao with a firm header.

The game calmed down after Floriana’s opening goal and tempers started to flare up a bit already by the time the Sliema keeper Sarao and Floriana’s striker Varela were the first to go into the referee’s note book after 23 minutes.

Sliema were not in it in the opening 45 minutes. Suffice to say that their only cohesive move came on 18 minutes when Farrugia played the ball to Denni, for Duarte to lay it in the path of Farrugia who shot narrowly wide. But otherside they looked flat, snapping into tackles as they lacked discipline and composure with and without the ball.

The withdrawal of Denni, due to some muscle problem, on the half hour, did not help matters for Sliema as he was replaced by John Mintoff. Temile advanced further up the pitch.

After that Floriana created three other opportunities that could have  kept them in a more comfortable position when it quickly became clear that the Sliema defenders were having one of their sporadic off-days.

On 33 minutes Fontanella chased a low pass and ran dangerously inside the Sliema area, but he put his effort slightly wide.

Two minutes later a Ruiz low free kick from a distance forced Sliema keeper Sarao to stretch himslef and save into a corner and later, an Incorvaia erratic header towards his goalkeeper allowed Varela to intercept but the ball rolled across the face of goal with no Floriana player on hand.

The second half started in much more subdued fashion than the first and it took nearly 20 minutes for the first incident of note. Pisani’s cross shot from the left ended at the bottom of the Sliema goal but as Fontanella tried to stretch his leg to make contact, he was flagged in an offside position. Floriana protested for the disallowed goal and as the referee consulted his line assistant, it seemed briefly the goal was to stand, but it was finally ruled out.

Sliema were thus still in with a chance to save themselves and on 75 minutes, on a Mintoff cross from the right, the ball rolled accross the face of the Floriana goal only for Scerri to arrive fractionally late.

The introduction of Alex Cini and Clyde Borg was intended for Floriana to defend their lead and as their coach Tedesco kept pacing the touchline with jerky steps and pointing, flailing, erupting about minor elements on the pitch, Sliema almost clinched the equaliser with two minutes remaining. Farrugia, unmolested inside the Floriana area, incredibly headed Temile’s cross wide.

And when the electronic board flashed up four minutes of added time, Floriana’s substitute Clyde Borg added one late twist. He beat the Sliema offside trap, picking Varela’s pass to advance and beat Sarao with a low drive.

The volume was turned high as the Floriana players, bench and their supporters erupted in delirous fits of joy and celebration witnessed by the dejected Sliema players.

There was a tremendous ovation for the winners as captain Nicola Chiesa lifted the new FA Trophy – the 20th in the club’s glorious history – after the match and later paraded it in front of their jubiliant supporters, many of whom also ran onto the turf.

It was impossible to imagine a more perfect end for Floriana.