Victoria Hotspurs 5-0 Ghaxaq
On Sunday afternoon, Victoria Hotspurs were looking for nothing less than the three points to continue their 100% record in Amateur League II as well as their 24-match winning streak in all competitions. The team of coach Oliver Spiteri passed the test with flying colours as also Ghaxaq proved to be no match for the Gozitans at the Sirens Stadium.
The Reds took the lead after 20 minutes when a well taken corner was met with a fine header by captain Ferdinando Apap giving Luke Attard no chance. Seven minutes later, the Hotspurs made it 2-0 with a fine angled shot from Matthias Said while Dylan Mercieca added a third a few minutes before the break to put his team on velvet.
After the change of ends, Victoria controlled with ease and added a fourth on 71 minutes with a brilliant shot by Shaun Attard that smashed into the net. The Hotspurs could have added a couple more with the fifth arriving in stoppage time courtesy of Dejan Bogdanovic. The Gozitans now play Challenge League side Senglea Athletic in the preliminary round of the FA Trophy on Saturday, a stern test for their possible 25th consecutive victory this calendar year.
Siggiewi 0-4 Mqabba
In the early Luxol Stadium kick-off, Mqabba managed to win the derby against neighbours Siggiewi 4-0 in a match that was practically decided in the first half with the score already 3-0. Together with Dingli, Mqabba remain the nearest challengers of the Hotspurs, albeit already on a six points distance. Mqabba had Saturday Nanapere in splendid form, scoring a brace, being a continuous menace to the Siggiewi rearguard.
Mqabba surged ahead on 14 minutes as after a well-taken corner by Andre-Joe Cutajar, Nanapere headed home. The Reds doubled the score on 37 minutes when after another corner, Siggiewi’s Tyrone Grech scored an unfortunate own goal. Two minutes after, it was Juan Andres Viveros who completed a quick counter attack with a grounder to make it 3-0, his seventh league goal of the season and leading the Top Scorers classification.
In the second half, on the hour mark, Nanapere notched a double from another header and yet another corner. Not much later, Mqabba could have made it 5-0 but Ismael Galea’s shot hit the woodwork. While the final result meant a serious setback for Siggiewi’s ambitions, Mqabba made another step to their ultimate goal of promotion back into the third tier of Maltese football.
Kalkara United 1-2 Dingli Swallows
In their quest for promotion, Mqabba need to face various contestants, with Dingli having the best start of a group of another five candidates. The Swallows bagged an important three points on Sunday in the late Mosta Ground kick off beating Kalkara, a direct competitor, by the odd goal in three. Kalkara paraded veteran Timmy Thomas in their forward line, their latest signing who started the season with Mqabba.
Kalkara created the best goalscoring opportunities in the first half hour, with Liam Hartley and Jean-Claude Annati being close to the opening goal. It was Dingli however who took the lead through Nicky Zammit, who took full advantage from a goalmouth melee in the Kalkara box, blasting home from close-range on 32 minutes. Kalkara continued to see more of the ball but Dingli were more effective as, on 41 minutes, the same Zammit doubled with a simple tap in after some great work by fellow Jamaican striker Ronaldinho Daley.
Ten minutes after the re-start, Thomas produced a powerful attempt which hit the post. Just before the hour, Kalkara scored a deserved goal with captain Aaron Hili volleying home. The Grand Harbour side continued to press for an equaliser with both Thomas and Hili coming close but Dingli survived, bagging another important three points in this competitive competition.
Mdina Knights 1-2 St George’s
The Pioneers had to dig deep on Sunday in the late Luxol Stadium kick-off as they saw off Mdina Knights 2-1 thanks to a late Kenneth Aquilina goal, who scored a brace. What initially looked to be a stroll for the Cottonera side, they had to endure a tenacious Mdina side who defended boldly and operated on the counter.
St George’s had their first attempt on seven minutes but Kurt Zahra’s effort finished wide. On 12 minutes, the Blues surged ahead as Kenneth Aquilina shot from close range to beat Aiden Farrugia. Mdina Knights restored parity towards the half hour as Marc Farrugia slotted home.
After the break, St George’s increased a gear into attacking mode to try and get the winner and they did so on 84 minutes when Aquilina scored the winner. Mdina did try to get back on level terms but failed to find the net in the remaining time left. The team of coach Edmond Lufi leapfrogged Kalkara in the standings and are now fully back into business for promotion.
Santa Venera Lightnings 1-2 Ta’ Xbiex
In the battle of the minnows, both Santa Venera Lightnings and Ta’ Xbiex were looking for their first points of the season. Ta’ Xbiex came out victors, coming from behind as the Saints were leading 1-0 at half-time. The game was the 200th club appearance for Ta’ Xbiex captain Nicholas Scicluna, only the second player to reach this total in the young club’s history.
Ta’ Xbiex started as the most enterprising team and had a fine shot by Scicluna that went just over the bar on 13 minutes. But after a period of quite staid football, it was Santa Venera who took the lead when a fine free kick by Jorge Diaz ended up in the net after taking a deflection. During the remaining time in the opening period, Santa Venera easily controlled Ta’ Xbiex’s forays forward.
However, Ta’ Xbiex managed to equalize on 64 minutes when they were awarded a penalty which was cooly converted by Clayton Mifsud. And five minutes later, Ta’ Xbiex took the lead through a fine effort by Giancarlo Sammut, a goal which proved to be the winner. Matters turned sour for Ta’ Xbiex when Clayton Mifsud was sent off ten minutes from time. However, Santa Venera proved toothless up front with the Blacks recording their first win and points and the Lightnings remaining pointless at the bottom of the table.
