ST ANDREWS 1
FLORIANA 0
St Andrews: M. Calleja Cremona, T. Blagrove, J. Van De Lannoite, M. Miranda Gomez, K. Reid, M. Grima (R. Martin), J. Farrugia, M. Gauci, D. Jackson (A. Friggieri), J. Walker, T. Azian (J. Magri Overend)
Floriana: I. Akpan, S. Nayar, E. Pepe, E. Ruiz, J. Pisani (L. Grech), M. Vella, A. Cini, M. Paolucci, D. Grima, E. Marcelina, M. Fontanella
Referee: I. Barbara
Asst.refs: M. Scerri, S. Attard
4th official: G. Tonna
Scorer: K. Reid 27 pen
Yellow cards: S. Nayar
Red cards: M. Vella
Player of the match: M. Miranda Gomez (St Andrews)
TMI top 3: 1. M. Miranda Gomez 2. K. Reid 3. E. Marcelina
Attendance: 438
St Andrews showed energy and enterprise to beat more quoted opponents Floriana, in a match decided by Kemar Reid's penalty towards the half hour.
Other than that, the main moments of quality came from their industrious Misael Miranda Gomez, having complete control in midfield and always ready to have the right pass.
St Andrews had been in good form, winning four points from their previous three matches.
Yesterday they were in the groove, slick and savvy. The dismissal of Floriana's Maurizio Vella early in the second half helped give the Saints' the advantage to see them over the line.
But the Greens were off colour.
They have lost their way domestically. They have only won one of their last four league fixtures and are unrecognisable from the team that comprehensively remained unbeaten in the first 11 games of the season.
The Greens huffed and puffed throughout and never showed cohesion, and Vella's dismissal did not help their cause.
This inept display, lacking resolve or fight, was evidence that Floriana are a sorry mess.
Floriana presented new Italian recruit Michele Paolucci from the beginning to partner Fontanella in their attack. Yesterday they were missing the services of Arthur Oyama, Clyde Borg and the suspended Steve Pisani but Dylan Grima returned in midfield. The Greens' back-four comprised Marcelina and Ruiz in the middle, with Cini and Pepe as wide backs. Nayar provided cover in front of the defence.
St Andrews also gave a debut to central defender Jason Van De Lannoite, the former Qormi, Valletta and Hibernians Belgian who returned to domestic football. They had Tristan Grant and Adrian Borg suspended.
Floriana were frustrated by their opponents' probing for the opportunity to take charge. After only eight minutes Miranda Gomez's fierce drive from the edge of the area was held by the cross bar and cleared by keeper Akpan.
Then, short of the half hour, Marcelina scythed Miranda Gomez inside the Floriana area. The referee pointed to the spot and up stepped Kemar Reid to give St Andrews the lead.
Playing with more confidence, the Saints threatened again on 34 minutes, with a Reid curling low shot that fractionally missed the target.
Floriana pushed closer towards halftime A Cini cross inside the area was cleared short by the Saints' defence bu Grima's effort was blocked.
Floriana introduced Leighton Grech for Jurgen Pisani at the start of the second half and St Andrews were also forced to replace the injured Grima with Martin after only three minutes.
Floriana were dealt a blow when, after 55 minutes, their most creative player Maurzio Vella was shown a straight red card for his uncalled for retaliation on Martin in midfield.
St Andrews tried to exploit their numerical superiority and put in Aiden Friggieri. The latter skied the ball on 69 minutes when served with a back-heeled pass from Miranda Gomez. A Reid shot was saved by keeper Akpan before Farrugia completely missed the target from outside the area.
On 84 minutes, Floriana were caught at the back with three against one on a St Andrews counter. Walker advanced down the flank and crossed low but Akpan rushed out to block at Azian's feet.
Still there was no sign of menace from their opponents until five minutes from the end. Fontanella's floating free kick was headed against the upright by Marcelina.
Tarxien R 0
Mosta 1
Tarxien R.: A. Cassar, E. Baker, AC Scicluna, L. Grech, S. Radovanovic, M. Spiteri (S. Cipriott), A. Agius, J. Brincat (M. Brincat), M. Desira Buttigieg (W. De Oliveira Viera), S. Tounkara, M. Dieye.
Mosta: A. Vella, L. Ferreira, M. Sammartino, T, Veronese, K. Magro (N. Frendo), D. Mansi, T. Farrugia, R. Ekani, J. Tanti (K. Frendo), I. Maric, AW Dos Santos.
Referee: D. Agius.
Asst refs: E. Spiteri, T. Debono.
4th official: P. Farrugia.
Scorers: D. Mansi,
Yellow cards: D. Mansi, A. Vella,
Player of the match: T. Veronese
TMI Top 3: 1. T. Veronese, 2. K. Magro, 3. E. Baker.
Mosta almost made sure of their stay in next season's Premier League as they beat relegation-haunted side Tarxien Rainbows to distance themselves from their rivals by a massive 11 points with nine matches remaining.
It was central defender Davide Mansi who headed home the winning goal in the 45th minute.
Mosta have now moved in 9th place on 21 points, while the Rainbows remain 13th
in the 14-team league with 10 points.
Tarxien needed a victory badly to lift their sagging morale, but another defeat sees them as firm candidates for the Big Drop.
In the first half, Mosta held the upper hand and at the end, were well worth their solitary one-goal lead.
However, the opening 25 minutes were very boring as no team managed to make an impact. Mosta tried hard to get going, but Tarxien were well organised at the back.
In the latter half of the period, Tarxien moved forward with purpose more frequently, but they rarely threatened the Mosta goal and near the end, it was the northern Blues who managed to take the lead, albeit meritedly.
In the second half, Tarxien reacted and attacked in search of an equaliser. They had their chances - on one occasion they were unlucky with a shot that hit the crossbar and on another, it was Mosta goalie Vella who kept them at bay with an excellent save.
In this half, Mosta limited themselves to just some counterattacks and they were more intent on preserving their slender lead rather than making sure of the three points with at least another goal.
The first action on goal arrived on 23 minutes when Mosta threatened through a Jan Tanti fine cross, but Tarxien goalie Andrea Cassar managed to smother the ball before Alex dos Santos could intervene.
Mosta were always the better team and on 33 minutes, Dos Santos went close with a freekick that flashed past the left upright.
Three minutes later, the Tarxien goalie dealt with a long distance lob by Kurt Magro quite confidently.
Moments later, at the other end, Tarxien also had a good chance to open the scoring. Brincat had a shot blocked, the ball went to Dieye who, however, flicked wide.
Mosta got their due reward in the 45th minute when from a Veronese cornerkick, it was Davide Mansi who rose above friend and foe to head the ball into the Tarxien net.
Tarxien were more adventurous at the start of the second half and on 56 minutes, a Desira Buttigieg header was deviated to corner by a Mosta defender. Moments later, the same Desira Buttigieg had an angled shot going wide.
Tarxien were unlucky not to level matters on the hour. Tounkara worked a fine ball on the left flank and he passed to Matthew Spiteri whose shot was flicked by Dieye onto the crossbar with the ball eventually being cleared to safety.
On 65 minutes, Tarxien were thwarted from an equaliser by Mosta goalie Andreas Vella who miraculously saved a close range shot by James Brincat, neatly put through by Dieye.
Hibernians 2
Gzira U. 0
Hibernians: A. Hogg, T. Tabone Desira, M. Kreuzriegler, R. Soares, J. Degabriele (D. Xuereb), B. Kristensen, C. Failla, J. Moreira (J. Pereira), J. Bezzina, A. Agius, G. Gorozia (D. Vella).
Gzira U.: J. Haber, R. Briffa, C. Gatt Baldacchino (J. Corbolan), K. Thackray (N. Muscat), D. Mambouana, M. Avila Perez, E. Zarate Bilbao, A. Cohen (L. Brincat), N. Okoye, A. Samb, H. Garba.
Referee: T. Farrugia Cann.
Asst refs: D. Sultana, D. Petrovic.
Additional asst. Refs: E. Mangion, E. Grech.
4th official: C. Francalanza.
Scorers: C. Failla, J. Moreira
Yellow cards: R. Soares, J. Moreira, C. Gatt Baldacchino, A. Samb, Thackray,
Player of the match: C. Failla.
TMI Top 3: 1. C. Failla, 2. A. Cohen, 3. J. Moreira.
Attendance: 577
Hibernians moved closer to third-placed Gzira yesterday as they beat the Maroons in a fiery encounter at their stadium in Corradino. It was a third consecutive positive result for the Paolites.
Clayton Failla gave them a 5th minute lead in the first half, while Joao Moreira added the second eight minutes into the second half.
It was a hard-fought win for the champions who withstood an assault from the Maroons after taking an early lead in the first half and then they scored again early in the second half, following which they contained their opponents with relative ease.
The Maroons remained on 33 points, but Hibernians now are just two points away. It was obviously a setback for the ambitious Maroons who are now being challenged seriously by three clubs for the third place.
Hibernians had a fiery start to the game, taking the lead after five minutes, but till the interval, they rarely ventured forward again as Gzira pressed for an equaliser for most of the time.
The Maroons, spearheaded by the experienced Cohen and Briffa, pushed forward incessantly in search of an equaliser and Hibernians were made to work overtime to keep their opponents - especially Samb and Okoye - at bay.
In the second half, Gzira seemed to have lost much of their composure. Their attack now lacked punch as Samb and Okoye were well under the control of the strong Rodolfo Soares and Andrei Agius.
The Paolites made a perfect start as took the lead on the fifth minute. From a cross in the area, it was Giorgi Gorozia who headed forward to Clayton Failla who made no mistake with a hard grounder.
Gzira replied on 21 minutes through a Briffa fine cross which was missed by Okoye who was a second too late to connect.
In the 24th minute, Gzira had a good chance to level the score. From a Briffa throw-in, Samb headed forward for Okoye who controlled the ball before firing wide of the target.
Gzira insisted on attack and on 29 minutes, it was Garba who set Okoye, only for the latter to see his shot hitting the side rigging.
In the 44th minute, from a Moises Avila cross, it was Andrei Agius who anticipated Garba in the nick of time, avoiding an awkward situation for Hibs.
Hibs started the second half in the same fashion as the first, scoring a goal in the 53rd minute which gave them a comfortable cushion. From a Gorozia freekick, it was Joao Moreira who headed home past a helpless Haber.
The Paolites almost added a third on 69 minutes when substitute Jorge Pereira set Degabriele in the area only for the latter's shot to miss the target by inches.
In the 77th minute, from a Cohen cross, it was Samb who anticipated Hogg, but the ball went wide.
In the 84th minute, Pereira advanced on the right flank and his cross went to Degabriele who just missed the target with a neat effort.
Before the end, Gzira were thwarted from reducing the gap by Hogg who saved a Garba header following a Briffa cross.
Before the start of the match, the Gzira United captain, Moises Avila Perez and two Hibs supporters, presented flowers to family members of Gzira supporter Daniel D'Amato, who passed away earlier this week at the tender age of 32.
LIJA ATHLETIC - 0
NAXXAR LIONS- 4
Lija A: L. Bonnici, D. Vukomanovic, L. Muscat, D. Scerri, A. Sammut, M. Clinch (C. Cassar), R. Kooh Sohna, H. Valifor, K. Hirose, E. Beu, L. Schembri
Naxxar L: C. Nicht, R. Caetano, M. Duarte, J. Moser (J. Debono), R. Grech (R. Cassar), M. Micallef (J. Ellul), D. Falzon, D. Bonnici, D. Bustos, O. Ndoye, Y. Messias
Referee: A.M. Sant
Asst.refs: A. Camilleri, P. Apap
4th official: M. Degabriele
Scorers: D. Bastos 12, J. Moser 29, D. Falzon 72, Y. Messias 76
Yellow cards: L. Schembri, E. Beu
Red cards: L. Schembri
Player of the match: D. Bustos (Naxxar L)
TMI top 3: 1. D. Falzon 2. D. Bustos 3. E. Beu
This was a precious victory that breathes fresh life in Naxxar's troubled season. Bustos, Moser, Falzon and Messias scored the goals against bottom dwellers Lija Athletic that lifted them out of the relegation zone. This was Naxxar's first win, in five matches in all competitions, since November.
It was the kind of display to which coach Oliver Spiteri will cling in charting a route forward, a standard his team must aspire to reach consistently.
Lija remain anchored to the bottom with six consecutive defeats that saw them concede 25 goals. Defeat yesterday was not just disappointing but desperately worrying following their win in the FA Trophy the previous week.
They made an assertive start and could have gone in front but then fell flat as Naxxar eclipsed them in all departments.
Joseph Galea's men started on top. They laid waste to Naxxar in an early bombardement and it was shocking to see how loose the Lions were at the back, with their defender and captain Angus Buhagair suspended yesterday. Beu had clipped the bar with his cross shot from the left and had an effort going slightly over within the opening five minutes. The Albanian midfielder Hysa Valifor, one of two debutants in the Lija team yesterday, rattled the crossbar with a vicious long-rang strike.
In the absence of the suspended Patrick Borg, Lija also gave a debut start to new Serbian centre back Daniel Vukomanovic.
But when Naxxar started to find their feet, they became menacing. On 11 minutes, Messias headed Falzon's cross from the right fractionally wide. Hardly 60 seconds later, they even forged ahead. Daniel Bustos took the ball in his stride and belted it beautifully past keeper Bonnici from outside the area.
Lija's display had flattened and they were now vulnerable.
Short of the half hour, Naxxar doubled their lead. On Bastos' cross from the right, Jean Moser's header was blocked by the Lija keeper but then shot in the loose ball.
As halftime approached, Naxxar had become incisive in their play. Moser headed a Falzon free kick slightly over and then a Messias shot from a distance missed the target by inches.
Naxxar kept up the heat after the break and it came to be a struggle for Lija to escape their half, especially after being reduced to ten men on the hour as Schembri was sent off for two bookable offences.
The chances kept coming for Naxxar. Moser ran clear on Bustos' through pass but shot feebly on the onsrushing keeper. Moser spurned another chance, shooting wide from a promising position before Naxxar scored their third goal on 72 minutes. Bustos played the ball through to Bonnici whos crossed low for the advancing Daren Falzon to steer the ball past the Lija keeper from close range.
Falzon turned provider in Naxxar's fourth goal four minutes later. His cross from the left was met by Youri Messias whgo scored to put the match beyond ragged Lija, who had to make sure it remained respectable.
Three minutes from time, substitute, and new Naxxar player, Joel Ellul almost placed the cherry on the cake but his low shot from close range hit the foot of the Lija post.