The seventh matchday of Leagues C and D of the BNF U15 and U17 Leagues was characterised by early goals and dramatic comebacks, as well as a goal from a goalkeeper, as the hunt for silverware continued.
U15 League C – Matchday 7
Marsaskala FC had to come from behind after a very early setback against Luqa St Andrew’s FC to earn all three points and retain their place as league leaders.
Marsaskala went into the game as favourites, yet they were wary that Luqa have been one of the toughest teams to break down, especially for teams in the top half of the table. The visitors would end up having a very difficult start, as Luqa went a goal up after just a minute thanks to Matthias Spiteri, who fired his side ahead.
Following the goal, Marsaskala pushed forward in search of an equaliser, wanting to avoid a shock defeat. Despite their efforts, Luqa were very impressive in the first-half, and they went into the break 1-0 up.
After half-time, Marsaskala came out firing, looking much better going forward. They would eventually get their reward in the 58th minute, as Luqa’s Zakhar Chuzhda unfortunately turned the ball into his own net to make the game level. Just four minutes later, Marsaskala went in front thanks to Shaun Saliba Seychell, who slotted in his second goal of the season.
Luqa’s torried few minutes continued, as Spiteri, their hero in the first-half, was then sent off in the 66th minute after being shown a straight red card, leaving Luqa with 10 men. Marsaskala immediately made full use of their numerical advantage, and they went 3-1 up in the 70th minute through Saliba Seychell, who got his second of the game. The away side were comfortable from that point on, and held on for a crucial win.
Marsaskala needed to get the win over the line, as their closest competitors, Mellieha SC, recorded a comfortable victory over a struggling Ghaxaq FC side.
Mellieha are still unbeaten this season, and they have been excellent across most of their matches so far. This was once again the case against Ghaxaq, showing their brilliance going forward, particularly through Yanis Gauci. The team was in full flow right from the very start, and they were combining excellently on countless occasions.
Their breakthrough came after just 19 minutes, as Gauci was on hand to fire Mellieha ahead.
Despite their dominance, Mellieha only took a one-goal lead into the break, as Ghaxaq were doing all they can to deny Mellieha any space.
That resilience eventually waned following the restart, and Mellieha were able to penetrate the defence. Gauci got his and Mellieha’s second of the game in the 48th minute, before Benjamin Joy Aquilina Vella also got in on the goals in the 60th minute. Gauci wrapped up his hat-trick in the 67th minute, before getting himself another right before the end of the match. Gauci has now scored an impressive 12 goals so far this season, making him the outright top scorer of the division.
Mellieha were not the only ones to show their attacking qualities over the weekend, as Sliema Wanderers FC got a resounding 7-0 victory over Tarxien Rainbows FC, the team rooted to the bottom of the league.
Unlike Mellieha though, many of Sliema’s goals came in the opening stages of the game, as Tarxien struggled to contain the Wanderers’ flurries forward. In fact, the first goal was scored after the first minute with Sliema’s first opportunity on goal, as Miro Arik Jagtap Nyheim fired the Wanderers in front. This was a sign of things to come, with Kaylon Castillo, Luca Calleja and Conor Barry also getting on the scoresheet, making it 4-0 by the 25th minute. It would get worse for Tarxien, who are yet to score a goal since their 2-2 draw against Ghaxaq in the first matchday, as Jagtap Nyheim and Barry fired in their second goals of the game to make it 6-0 by half-time.
With the game practically done and dusted by the break, Sliema proceeded to make several changes that slowed down their momentum, with them being much more content to hold on to the ball and play around the Tarxien midfield. They would eventually get another goal right before the full-time whistle, as Kieren Borg Attard, one of the players brought on, scored to seal the win.
Marsaskala remain top of the league, but they are closely followed by Mellieha who are a point behind, and then by Sliema, who are two points off the league leaders.
U15 League D – Matchday 7
The goals were also flowing in League D, as top-of-the-table Birzebbuga Windmill FC Nursery asserted their dominance with a sensational victory over Mqabba FC, who remain bottom of the division and without a single point.
Birzebbuga needed just a few seconds to go in front, with Isaac Vella putting them ahead. This was followed by braces from Zach Borg and Sinclair Sestito, all within the opening half-hour of the match. Birzebbuga were at their attacking best in the first-half, and Mqabba could not contain them.
Birzebbuga were brilliant in the first-half, yet they were even better in the second. Gianluca Buttigieg got on the scoresheet in the 47th minute, before Sestito sealed his hat-trick just four minutes later. Vella was then on hand to get his second of the match, while Sestito picked up his fourth goal some moments later. Mqabba were being completely outplayed, and Birzebbuga did not back down, and in the 82nd minute, they capped off the win with two further goals, with Liam Muscat finding the net and Vella getting his hat-trick, making it 11-0.
Mqabba will need to improve massively in order to have any hope of avoiding the drop, especially defensively, with them now having the worst goal difference of the division. On the other hand, Birzebbuga will need to maintain these types of performances to retain their place at the top, with them facing tough competition from a number of other sides.
One of those teams is Zurrieq FC, who got a comfortable 5-0 win over Zebbug Rangers FC to remain level on points with the league leaders.
Zebbug have had a rough couple of weeks, as they had to play against the two top teams in consecutive matchdays, suffering heavy defeats in both encounters.
Zurrieq have been sensational in attack over recent weeks, and it was no different on Saturday. Ziyad Algamal in particular was in red-hot form. The Zurrieq captain opened the scoring after just four minutes, before adding another to his tally only two minutes later. Zurrieq quickly made it three goals through Kelvin Borg on the 22-minute mark.
Algamal continued to star for Zurrieq, sealing his hat-trick in the 38th minute, before scoring just a minute after the restart to get his fourth of the match.
Zurrieq took their foot of the pedal in the second-half, and were happy to control the rhythm of the match and see out the 5-0 victory and earn all three points.
U17 League C – Matchday 7
Mellieha SC continued to make ground at the top of the table with a 2-0 win away to Rabat Ajax FC.
Prior to the match, Mellieha were just about clear at the top of the table, while Rabat were firmly in the middle of the table, fighting to sneak into the top half. Despite the difference in league positions, Rabat were not going to back down, as they have put up a fight against every side they have played so far this season. In fact, their other three losses this season have all come due to a one-goal difference.
The two sides were going at it in the first-half, cancelling each other out. It was in the second-half that it all unfolded, with the division’s top scorer and Mellieh’s standout performer Layth Saeb Kuwafi putting his side in front right after the break.
Mellieha had to dig deep, denying Rabat any sort of space, while also creating some more opportunities of their own. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, they doubled their lead and sealed the victory, thanks to Lennon Pace, who secured all three points to the Blues.
Their victory was made all more important given that second-placed Marsaskala FC dropped points after drawing with Zebbug Rangers FC, who climbed up to third with the point.
The game started in frantic fashion, with Marsaskala going in front thanks to Karl Mallia in the 18th minute. However, their lead did not last long, as their celebrations were cut short right after, as Waylon Mifsud equalised for Zebbug straight after kick-off.
The second-half was as eventful as the first, as Mirko Golubovic immediately restored Marsaksala’s lead right after the restart. However, Zebbug equalised midway through the second-half in quite unusual fashion, through their own goalkeeper. In the 77th minute, Zebbug were awarded a free-kick from near the halfway line, and goalkeeper Mattias Abela stepped up to take it, but his shot went straight over the defensive line and through Marsaskala goalkeeper Zian Ellul Bondin, finding the net to make it 2-2.
U17 League D – Matchday 7
Marsaxlokk FC and Gharghur FC played out an entertaining match at the Marsaxlokk Ground, with the home side coming out on top to preserve their status as league leaders.
Like many of the matches over the weekend, this encounter was off to a quickfire start. Mario Fleri Soler’s Gharghur side were the ones to go in front first, doing so thanks to Diyan Camilleri after only two minutes. However, this advantage only last seven minutes, as Keiran Falzon Caruana was quick to equalise for Marsaxlokk.
Gharghur would regain their lead later in the half, as Kyran Vespa fired into the net from the penalty spot on the 37-minute mark, yet once again, Marsaxlokk immediately equalised, this time thanks to firing forward Torsten Grech in the second minute of added time.
After the break, Marsaxlokk went in front for the first time in the match, with Keirynn Baldacchino being on target to put his side ahead. However, this was once again short-lived, as Gharghur equalised in the 64th minute through a strike that was turned into the net by Marsaxlokk’s Zach Carabott for an own goal to make it 3-3.
Despite this, Marsaxlokk would go on to get the win, and it simply had to be their star forward, Grech, to get the decisive moment. The in-form forward found the net in the 79th minute to make it 4-3 to Marsaxlokk with his 11th goal of the campaign, making him the division’s top scorer so far this season.
Second-placed Swieqi United were also made to work, as they got a very narrow and hard-fought win against a spirited and adventurous Birzebbuga Windmill FC Nursery team.
Despite Birzebbuga being second-bottom, they put up a good fight against Swieqi, and were very impressive throughout the encounter.
In fact, they were 2-0 up in the space of 14 minutes, leaving the Owls completely stunned. Luis Rapce scored within the opening few seconds to put Birzebbuga ahead, before he got another goal in the 14th minute to double their scoring. Birzebbuga were putting together a number of neat passes, while Swieqi could not contain them.
However, Swieqi responded a few minutes later, and they did so in an effective manner. Firstly, Kaidon Cuschieri D’Agostino halved the deficit in the 38th minute, before captain Keene Spiteri drew them level a few minutes before half-time. Birzebbuga’s comfortable lead was eradicated in the space of a few minutes.
Following the break, Swieqi looked like they were in control of the encounter, and while Birzebbuga kept plugging away in order to gain something from the game, they ended up ruing their defensive frailities. Luke Grech was the hero for Swieqi, as he found space behind the Birzebbuga defence to put his side ahead for the first time in the game, and it was enough to win his side the fixture and earn all three points.
