Valletta FC and San Gwann FC sealed their spots as BNF U17 Knockout Finalists after knocking out Floriana FC and Pietà Hotspurs FC respectively in the Semi-Finals over the weekend.
BNF U17 Knockout – Semi-Finals
Valletta FC 1-1 Floriana FC 2-1 after penalties
Valletta became the first team to book a place in the BNF U17 Knockout Final after a derby win over Floriana in a game that had to go all the way to penalties.
The two sides met in the BNF U17 League A only a couple of weeks ago, and on that occasion Valletta came out on top with a last-minute goal.
This time around, the match was very even yet again, with most of the play being contested in midfield.
The first-half was very combative, with a number of duels in the middle of the pitch, yet neither side could find a breakthrough.
Valletta got the opening goal only a few minutes into the second-half, with Matteo Paolo Grech firing his side in front after 53 minutes, continuing his fine start at Valletta after joining the club in January.
Valletta had control of the match in the second-half, but they failed to kill the game. As a result, Floriana kept pushing in search of an equaliser, and they eventually got their goal in the 87th minute with Luca Baldacchino getting on the end of a move, slotting the ball into the net to make it 1-1.
Extra-time flew by, with neither side managing to get a winner, taking the game to penalties.
In the penalty shootout, goalkeepers Jayden Spiteri and Alexey Micallef covered themselves in glory, making a number of saves to deny the takers. In the end, Valletta emerged as 2-1 winners from the shootout, with Emerson Mejlak and Liam James scoring Valletta’ penalties, while Baldacchino was Floriana’s only goalscorer from the spot.
Pietà Hotspurs FC 0-2 San Gwann FC
Pietà and San Gwann faced off in the later kick-off, knowing that Valletta had already sealed a place in the Final.
San Gwann came into the game as underdogs, with them playing in the second-tier, while Pietà occupied second place in the BNF U17 League A.
San Gwann could not have got off to a better start, taking the lead after just 11 minutes. The Saints were awarded a penalty, and prolific forward Bjorn Caruana was entrusted to take it, and he made no mistake from the spot, slotting it past goalkeeper Cole Lovegrove.
Following the early setback, Pietà regrouped, and they looked to push forwards in search of a goal to draw level. San Gwann stood firm and denied their opponents any space in behind the defence.
San Gwann doubled their advantage a few minutes before the break, as Miguel Farrugia broke free from the Pietà defence, before firing a shot into the back of the net.
At the break, Pietà had plenty of work to do to get themselves back into the game, while San Gwann needed to continue on their stride to preserve their two-goal lead.
San Gwann did just that, holding off the Pietà pressure, and seeing out an impressive 2-0 win to set up an intriguing Final against Valletta.
The two sides will meet in the Final on Sunday 11th May, in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.
