Mġarr United remain unbeaten in the Assikura Women’s League with a 2-1 win over Birkirkara, while Swieqi United came from behind to beat Hibernians 2-1, joining them in second place, and Valletta and San Ġwann played out a 0-0 draw for their first points of the season.
MĠARR UNITED 2-1 BIRKIRKARA
Y. Mendez 27’, V. Villegas 44’ (M); G. Zahra 47’ (B).
MĠARR UNITED
G. D’Antuono; K. Sciberras (75′ G. Antonelli), A. Camilleri, A. Villegas, M. Debono, L. Cefai, V. Villegas, Y. Mendez, M. Hernandez, R. Bajada, A. Grech.
Coach: Ryan Vella.
BIRKIRKARA
J. Xuereb; L. May Azzopardi, S. Farrugia, P. Lamanna (85′ A. Vassallo), M. Gauci (46′ G. Zahra), Y. Grech (46′ I. Stringer), I. Camilleri, M. Ueda, H. Sekura, M. Cardona, E. Micallef (75′ A. Busuttil).
Coach: William Mock.
Referee: Matteo Falzon.
Mġarr wasted no time in stamping their authority on the game, with two first-half goals from Valeria Villegas and Yanina Mendez – both of whom have been among the team’s standout performers this season. Their clinical finishing gave Mġarr a solid cushion heading into the break.
Birkirkara, however, refused to surrender without a fight. Just after the restart, substitute Gabriella Zahra halved the deficit to breathe life into the Stripes’ hopes of a comeback. Despite their persistence and late pressure, Mġarr’s defence held strong to secure all three points.
For Birkirkara, the defeat is a major setback, leaving them nine points behind the leaders after only four matches – a gap that will require a strong response in the weeks ahead if they are to revive their title challenge.
SWIEQI UNITED 2-1 HIBERNIANS
S. Saliba 20’, S. Abdulai 35’ (S); N. Geren 4’ (H).
SWIEQI UNITED
P. Araujo; V. Rapa, S. Urpani, E. Xuereb, S. Abdulai, A. Yaneva (88′ E. Micallef), S. Zammit, A. Kricak, M. Cachia, M. Conti, S. Saliba.
Coach: Dorianne Theuma.
HIBERNIANS
M. Cachia; N. Geren, C. Schechinger, J. Dimech, K. Chetcuti, S. Farrugia Sacco (46′ A. Ghio), Y. Attard (46′ A. Galea), G. Mifsud, N. Celeste (46′ O. Nazarko), N. Sciberras, S. Vella Barberi.
Coach: Martina Borg.
Referee: Rapjan Xhyra.
Meanwhile, Swieqi United joined Hibernians in second place on nine points each. In their direct encounter, Hibernians took an early lead when Natalee Geren found the net after just four minutes. Yet Swieqi turned the game on its head before half-time, thanks to goals from Sara Saliba and Salamatu Abdulai. The Owls then managed the second half well to secure a statement win and keep pace with the leaders.
VALLETTA 0-0 SAN ĠWANN
VALLETTA
D. Grech; S. Fenech, L. Cassar, C. Falzon (46′ M. Belkis), E. Csik, L. Zolorsano, Joelma, H. Fenech (75′ D. Ciantar), N. Grixti, I. Sultana, S. Bugeja.
Coach: Anthony Cremona.
SAN GWANN
J. Caruana; A. Rapa (55′ S. Blihi), L. Vella, T. Chaimaa, R. Borg, O. Mhalli (82′ K. Paris), N. Blundell, M. Fanega, K. Vella (55′ F. Al Girbi), H. Russell, R. Zerafa (75′ N. Attard).
Coach: Julian Camilleri.
Referee: Derome Agius.
In the other fixture of the round, San Ġwann and Valletta cancelled each other out in a goalless draw. Although neither side could find a breakthrough, the result marked an important milestone, as both clubs earned their first point of the campaign.
Photos: Lara Schembri (Swieqi United vs Hibernians & Mgarr United vs Birkirkara), Nicholas Falzon (Valletta vs San Gwann).
