Birzebbugia and Vittoriosa Stars continued topping the rankings in the National Amateur League 1 after recording wins in the latest match day.
Pembroke Athleta 1-3 Birzebbuga St Peter’s
League leaders Birzebbuga St Peter’s secured a solid 3-1 victory over Pembroke on Sunday at the Sirens Stadium. All four goals came in the first half, with Birzebbuga comfortably maintaining their lead in the second half, staying undefeated while Pembroke suffered their fifth straight loss.
Birzebbuga started strongly, with Marquinho narrowly missing the target after four minutes. The lead came in the 10th minute when Samuel Saldanha scored from close range, followed by Randall Vella’s precise finish from just inside the box eight minutes later. Pembroke responded in the 24th minute through Jayden Fenech, but Vella struck again before halftime to restore Birzebbuga’s two-goal cushion. The second half saw limited action as Birzebbuga expertly managed their lead to stay atop the table on goal difference, tied with Vittoriosa Stars.
Vittoriosa Stars 2-1 Qormi
In a tightly contested clash, Vittoriosa Stars came from behind to defeat Qormi 2-1. A lively crowd watched as Qormi took an early lead, with Jordan Sampson setting up Carlos Debattista for a second-minute tap-in. Qormi nearly doubled their advantage, but Vittoriosa equalized on 30 minutes when Godwin Emmanuel capitalized on a defensive lapse.
The second half remained balanced until Emmanuel broke the deadlock in the 76th minute, securing Vittoriosa’s fifth win of the season. They remain neck-and-neck with Birzebbuga in the standings and face a challenging fixture against Luqa next.
Marsaskala 0-5 Luqa St Andrew’s
Luqa St Andrew’s extended their winning streak with a dominant 5-0 performance over Marsaskala. Ghanaian striker Sherif Mohammed scored a hat-trick, propelling Luqa up the table and sharing the league’s top-scorer title. Dario Aquilina opened the scoring from a penalty, with Dasser Sammut doubling the lead soon after. Mohammed’s first goal followed just before halftime, with his final two goals coming in the second half to seal Marsaskala’s tough defeat. Marsaskala remain near the bottom with just one point, needing to fight to avoid relegation.
Gharghur 0-4 Attard
Attard secured an easy 4-0 win over Gharghur, dominating from the 27th minute when David Azzopardi scored with a top-corner shot. Bledi Alla doubled the lead before halftime, while Nicholas Schembri added a penalty in the 71st minute and Azzopardi rounded off the scoring with a late goal. Attard now sit in fourth, level on points with Luqa and just behind the leaders.
Rabat Ajax 0-3 Xghajra Tornados
Xghajra Tornados continued their undefeated run with a 3-0 victory over Rabat Ajax. Raylon Paisley’s opener in the 31st minute set the tone, followed quickly by Richmond Hanson’s goal from a counterattack. Hanson scored his second early in the second half, securing the win. Rabat struggled to respond, and Xghajra maintained their advantage to stay near the top of the table.
Zejtun Corinthians 1-2 San Gwann
San Gwann secured a last-minute win over Zejtun, with Nezar Abouaisha scoring the decisive goal late in the match. Clyde Bouvet initially gave Zejtun the lead, but Ricardo Velasquez equalized for San Gwann. Despite Zejtun’s efforts to manage San Gwann’s attacks, Abouaisha’s last-gasp goal clinched the three points, marking Zejtun’s disappointing start with only two points from six games.
Kirkop United 1-3 Qrendi
Qrendi emerged victorious in the derby against Kirkop United, winning 3-1. Leo Salgado’s header opened the scoring, and Ayessler Carvalho took advantage of a defensive error to double the lead. Kirkop pulled one back through David Joachim, but Mina Sterling’s late strike sealed the win. This victory moves Qrendi up the standings, leaving Kirkop falling further behind.
Msida St Joseph 1-1 Mellieha
Msida held Mellieha to a 1-1 draw in a match that showcased Msida’s resilience. Mellieha took the lead through Marc Adonis, but Msida equalized with Hugo Vinicius’s free-kick. Msida created the better chances in the second half, with Mellieha keeper Tony Curmi making crucial saves to prevent an upset. Msida’s work-rate may help them avoid relegation, while Mellieha need improved results in upcoming matches to retain any hope of reaching the top six.
