360Sports Malta Premier – MD17 Closing round
Żabbar St. Patrick……………..1
Sliema Wanderers……………..0
In the opening match of the Closing Round, Żabbar St. Patrick carried forward their momentum from the end of the previous round, defeating Sliema Wanderers with a late first-half goal in a match that saw the Wanderers reduced to ten men.
Żabbar’s new signing from Gżira United, Jurgen Pisani, made his debut with a solid performance. On the opposite side, Sliema handed a late debut to their new recruit from Floriana, Kyrian Nwoko.
Sliema dominated possession but struggled to create meaningful opportunities in the opening half-hour. Their first attempt came in the 30th minute when Geoffrey Acheampong’s strike narrowly missed Matthew Grech’s goal.
Acheampong missed a clear chance in the 37th minute. His close-range effort was blocked by Żabbar defender Dorde Jovicic. On the subsequent counter-attack, Diogo Tavares’ shot was similarly denied by Jean Borg’s timely intervention.
Żabbar’s first real opportunity came in the 41st minute when Jovicic unleashed a long-range strike, forcing Sliema goalkeeper Kelvin Emeka into a fine save to tip the ball for a corner. From Stefan Ilic’s resulting corner, Strahinja Jovancic rose highest to head home the decisive goal.
In the second half, Sliema continued to dominate possession but found Żabbar’s defence impenetrable.
In the 73rd minute, Acheampong’s free-kick was turned behind for a corner by Żabbar goalkeeper Matthew Grech, who was again called into action moments later to save substitute Mohamed Awad’s shot and clear the ensuing corner from near the goal line.
Sliema’s troubles worsened in the 89th minute when their captain Henrique Murilo was sent off for a rash challenge on Diogo Tavares near the penalty area. Referee Glen Tonna showed him a straight red card for retaliation, leaving Sliema to finish the match with ten men.
Match referee: Glen Tonna
Player of the match: Strahinja Jovancic (Żabbar St. Patrick)
Line-ups
Żabbar St. Patrick: Matthew Grech, Jake Micallef, Wallace Bonilha Felix, Stefan Ilic, Zachary Grech, Jurgen Pisani, Diogo Tavares, Strahinja Jovancic, Vinicius De Paiva, Kristian Keqi, Dorde Jovicic.
Sliema Wanderers: Emeka Kelvin Agu, Jean Borg, Adam Magri Overend, Vito Plut, Myles Beerman, Gustavo Alcino, Wescley Matos Da Silva, Murilo Bernardo, Geoffrey Acheampong, Simon Zibo, Steven Pisani.
