YoHealth Malta Premier – Opening Round – MD7
Mosta………………….0
Floriana……………….1
Floriana defeated Mosta with a well-worked goal midway through the first half. The Greens produced a composed display and could have added a second, while Mosta had their moments but struggled to pose sustained danger to the Floriana goal. With this result, Floriana move to the top of the table on 16 points. Mosta remain on 4 points near the foot of the standings, and their poor run continues.
The first clear opening arrived in the fourth minute when Giancarlo Goncalves struck the upright from the right, with Floriana escaping.
On 23 minutes, Floriana took the lead after a fine team move from right to left. Rui Manuel Areias found Federico Varela, who slipped in Jake Grech, and from close range the midfielder finished low with his left foot to beat David Akpan for Mosta 0-1 Floriana.
On 30 minutes, another excellent Floriana move involving a series of passes opened up the Mosta defence, but Dunstan Vella shot high and wide from the right. Five minutes later, Floriana again circulated the ball neatly. From the left, Jose Coelho Teixeira squared for Varela, whose low effort drifted wide of the far post.
Early in the second half, on 50 minutes, Mosta fashioned a good chance when substitute Quelmer Hurtado Herrera crossed from the right and Prince Emmanuel Chibuzor’s header was turned behind for a corner by Guilherme Cioletti.
On 70 minutes, Floriana combined well through Areias and substituted Mustapha Jah. The latter drove down the right, and his final shot was saved for a corner by Akpan.
Five minutes later, Floriana had a golden chance to double the lead when Jah was adjudged by referee Daniel Portelli to have been brought down by Matthew Bolanos inside the area, although the foul appeared to occur on the edge. The penalty was awarded, but from eleven metres, Grech was denied as Akpan pushed his effort behind for a corner, a rare miss for the Floriana midfielder.
Floriana then managed the closing stages to secure the points and maintain their place at the summit.
Referee: Daniel Portelli
Line ups:
Mosta: D. Akpan, A. Agius (46′ Z. Brincat), M. Bolanos, J. Eke Chukwuemeka, D. Machado Santos (46′ J. V. Da Silva Dias), G. Goncalves (76′ G. Sciberras), N. Agius (C) (76′ S. Kanitao Almamy), P. Emmanuel Chibuzor, S. Okereke, J. Vassallo, J. Leonardo Fernandes (46′ Q. Hurtado Herrera)
Floriana: G. Cioletti, J. Grech, N. Varela, Z. Scerri, D. Vella (C) (88′ E. Piscopo), O. Spiteri, J. Coelho Teixeira (58′ M. Jah), C. M’Mombwa, G. Gamarra (58′ A. Mabea), I. Mendonca, R. M. Areias (71′ L. Lopez Dessypris)
