Ten-man Sliema went down against Floriana in an Old Firm defeat that leaves the Wanderers firmly at the bottom of the table.

For the superior Greens the victory lifts them temporarily to second place in the standings but with Floriana having played a game more.

The match was balanced in the first hour even though the Greens always had the edge.

Sliema goalkeeper was rather busy in the first half and on 26 minutes made two daring saves to keep his side in the game. Near the end of the first half Sliema went close with a Gui effort just missing the target.

The second half started with Aquilina again saving off Paiber and then on 58 minutes the turning point of the game when Kurt Shaw stopped an obvious chance of goal and was sent off.

To make it worse for Sliema, from the resultant freekick, Brandon Paiber scored a beauty to put Floriana in front.

A minute later Aquilina again came to his side’s rescue again denying Paiber from a second goal.

Sliema never really recovered after the initial goal and the Greens administered the game playing with confidence against a demoralised side.

Six minutes from time Floriana sealed the issue with a second goal from substitute Keqi.

For Sliema another defeat as they remain chasing their first victory, with their position now becoming desperate.