Mosta FC and Sliema Wanderers FC were named champions of the BNF U17 League A and B respectively after securing vital wins on the final day of the league season. This capped off a thrilling campaign filled with drama across all divisions in the BNF Leagues.
BNF U17 League A – Phase 2 Matchday 10
Mosta were crowned BNF U17 League A champions after securing a 2-0 win over St Andrews FC in a title-deciding match at the Charles Abela Stadium.
Mosta came into the game at the top of the table, two points ahead of their opponents. St Andrews knew that they needed a win to beat Mosta to the title.
The Blues had won the two previous encounters against St Andrews this season, and they came out firing straight away, looking to threaten the St Andrews backline immediately.
It took Mosta just four minutes to open the scoring, as Neil Vella was on target with a strike to put the ball past goalkeeper Jake Spiteri, making it 1-0 to the hosts.
St Andrews regrouped from the early shock, and they started to create opportunities of their own in the first-half. Despite the St Andrews pressure, the Mosta defence stood firm, keeping them out.
At the end of the first-half, it was still 1-0 to Mosta, with St Andrews still in the game.
However, Mosta made a lightning start to the second-half, in the same way that they did for the first. This time, Kewell Camenzuli, who had come on as a first-half substitute, got on the end of a move to make it 2-0 to Mosta, just a few minutes into the half.
St Andrews were facing an uphill battle from that point on, with Mosta maintaining control of the match.
The Blues eventually saw out the win, sparking plenty of celebrations from the Mosta faithful, led by coach Ansil Briffa.
Elsewhere, Valletta FC ended the season on a high note, beating Pietà Hotspurs FC 2-1 at the Sirens Stadium.
The two teams were separated by eight points prior to the match, and Pietà knew that they could not win the title on the final day, while Valletta were locked in fourth place.
Despite that, Valletta went into the game full of confidence, and it showed in the early stages, as they threatened the Pietà backline on more than one occasion.
They took the lead in the 14th minute thanks to forward Matteo Paolo Grech, who finished the ball into the back of the net.
It was 2-0 in a matter of a few minutes, as the Lilywhites doubled their advantage thanks to captain Liam Buhagiar, giving Valletta a comfortable lead.
At the break, both teams made a series of changes, wanting to freshen things up and to also give some minutes to players on the final day.
The second-half was much closer, as Pietà took more control of the encounter, yet they could not find a way past the Valletta defence.
That was until stoppage time, when they were awarded a penalty. Captain Sami Abo Assaf was entrusted to take it, and he finished it cooly into the net.
However, the goal came all too late for the Hotspurs, and Valletta secured the 2-1 win.
BNF U17 League B – Phase 2 Matchday 10
In the BNF U17 League B, Sliema Wanderers won the title after a thrilling 5-3 win over Gozo FC.
The title race came down to the final day, with Sliema two points ahead of the chasing San Gwann FC, who were facing Zabbar St Patrick FC at the same time.
The match did not start off as Sliema would have hoped for, as Gozo took an early lead thanks to Kieran Calleja, who fired a shot past goalkeeper Peter Abdilla.
Just a few minutes later, it was 2-0 to the Gozitans, with Matteo Camilleri getting his name on the scoresheet this time around.
However, the Wanderers did not let this dishearten them, and they quickly regrouped and got a goal back through Zaki Hathout. This spurred Sliema on, and they equalised in the space of a few seconds, with forward Jake Sacco getting on the end of a ball to make it 2-2, capping off a thrilling opening 15 minutes.
Sliema seized control of the match from that point onwards, and were becoming increasingly dangerous.
The Wanderers completed the turnaround in the 23rd minute as Maksim Radojevic scored to make it 3-2. This was followed by another quickfire strike only moments later, this time through Goncalo Helder Kelleher.
At the break, the score was 4-2 to Sliema, with Gozo finding it difficult to hold off their opponents following their excellent start.
Following the break, Gozo made the match interesting yet again, with Izaak Grima getting a goal in the 60th minute to reduce the Gozitans’ deficit to a single goal, putting them in touching distance of nicking a point.
However, Sliema would respond yet again, once again through Kelleher, who dispatched an opportunity in the 66th minute, firing a shot past goalkeeper Luca Zammit.
Sliema continued to administer their lead, and they emerged as 5-3 winners, confirming the BNF U17 League B title in dramatic circumstances.
San Gwann did manage to get the three points they needed against Zabbar, but it was all in vain given Sliema’s victory.
San Gwann got off to an excellent start at the Luxol Stadium, with Jerome Grima firing them in front after 17 minutes.
Zabbar settled down following the goal, and they kept San Gwann out for the rest of the first-half.
San Gwann made it 2-0 only a few minutes after the restart though, with Miguel Farrugia getting the goal this time around.
Zabbar halved the deficit late on, after the ball came off goalkeeper Jaiel Calleja, going into his own net.
However, the goal came too late for Zabbar, and as a result San Gwann got the 2-1 win over the line. While it was not enough for them to win the title, they will be joining Sliema in the BNF U17 League A next season having secured second place. The win was also crucial for San Gwann to go into the BNF U17 Knockout Final against Valletta on Sunday with more confidence.
